54208 bearing: complete specifications & equivalents

Specification table

Source: catalog reference (SKF PUB BU/P1 17000/1 EN (Oct 2018)) · extracted 2026-09-28

Parameters extracted from the official SKF Rolling Bearings catalogue (SKF PUB BU/P1 17000/1 EN (Oct 2018)); SKF® and SKF Explorer® are trademarks of AB SKF, used here for identification only — mpnbase is not an authorized SKF distributor. Boundary dimensions are ISO 15 interchangeable; current production values may differ, verify at skf.com.

Cross references & equivalents

Interchange levels: full standard interchange · partial verify parameters · verify manual confirmation required. Links resolve to the equivalent model's specification page where available.

How the 54208 model number is decoded

Listed in SKF 17000 chapter 5, 54208 is an ISO 104 double-direction thrust ball bearing, 30 mm bore and 68 mm OD, with a sphered housing washer and U seat washer, standing 38.6 mm high before installation. Construction is a five-component stack: one central shaft washer with tracks on both faces, two outward-facing housing washers and two cage sets, which lets one housing recess accept thrust from either direction. note the bore of 54208 is 30 mm by the dimension table: the double-direction series was deliberately aligned to the 51/53 washer sets with shifted codes, so the familiar 04=20 arithmetic does not apply here. no cage suffix means the standard stamped steel retainer — a pressed sheet-metal ball-cage assembly that covers the bulk of the thrust-ball assortment. Envelope 30×68×38.6 mm (1.181×2.677×1.52 in), 19.0 mm radial section, C 44.2 kN, C0 96.5 kN, Pu 3.6 kN. Mounted height H1 44 mm includes the U 208 seat washer; the bearing alone is 38.6 mm high. reference speed 2,800 r/min (thermal) and limiting speed 3,800 r/min (mechanical), catalogue mass 630 g. At the printed limiting speed of 3,800 r/min the mean pitch diameter dm ≈ 49.0 mm implies a dn value around 186k mm·r/min; the 2,800 r/min reference speed is the thermal-planning value under catalogue load. Imperial cross-check for procurement drawings: 1.181 in bore, 2.677 in OD, 1.52 in height, and the 630 g catalogue mass converts to 0.630 kg (22.2 oz). Track-circle loading: per millimetre of mean track circumference the 44.2 kN dynamic rating corresponds to roughly 0.29 kN/mm of π·dm track, a useful comparison against the other dimension series of the 30 mm bore. Minimum-load arithmetic: with dm ≈ 49.0 mm and factor A 0.058, Fam ≈ A·(n·dm/1000)² at the 2,800 r/min reference speed is about 1.1 kN for 54208; below that preload the balls skid and smear the tracks. Speed planning separates the two ceilings mechanically: the pressed cage and balls tolerate 3,800 r/min while thermal balance under catalogue load sets the 2,800 r/min reference; at dm ≈ 49.0 mm the corresponding dn is approximately 186k mm·r/min. Bidirectional self-aligning note: TWO U seat washers are required for this order number, one behind each housing washer, and the catalogue H1 height includes them on both sides of the stack; the spherical interfaces accept initial misalignment in either load direction but are not pivots for continuous oscillation. Bill of materials for this page is 54208 plus TWO × U 208; the 44 mm H1 stack sits in a housing whose two register faces should be machined in one clamping to keep both spherical axes coincident.

Typical equipment & failure modes

Selection pitfalls — read before you substitute

• Assembly is a five-component stack (central shaft washer, two cage sets, two sphered housing washers) plus the two U seat washers in the housing registers; dry-build the arrangement by hand first to confirm both sides swivel freely.
• The 44.2/96.5 kN ratings assume the spherical contacts are free to find their seat — a painted-over or shimmed U washer fixes the angle and turns the self-aligning bearing into an edge-loaded one.
• Minimum load factor A 0.058 applies to both load directions, and both brass pressed cage sets need lubricant reaching the upper track on a vertical shaft.
• Order TWO seat washers for 54208 — the designation U 208 pairs with one side and a second U washer (same number) with the other; the catalogue 44 mm H1 includes both.
• Ordering discipline for 54208: the catalogue page quotes 54208 plus U 208 and its 44.2/96.5 kN ratings as one exact article; bare-number substitutions from another series or brand need a fresh dimension and rating check, not a like-for-like assumption.