Solid oil bearings suit washdown and food processing equipment because the lubricant is a solid polymer that holds oil inside the bearing and cannot be washed out by water, foam or cleaning chemicals. Our Food Grade line uses stainless steel rings and balls with an NSF H1 registered solid lubricant, and every size is filled to order.
Why does grease fail in washdown environments?
Sanitation crews hit equipment with pressurized water, foaming cleaners, caustic and acid sanitizers and rinse cycles, often every shift. Grease is a soft, semi-fluid material, and it does not stand up to that routine.
Water forced past a rubber seal or metal shield mixes with the grease and breaks it down. Cleaning chemicals strip it further. What is left drains out or is purged out the next time the fitting is greased, and the raceways end up running on thin, contaminated grease or on water. Corrosion follows.
The usual response is to regrease after every washdown, which adds a lubrication task to every sanitation cycle and pushes fresh grease out of the bearing and onto guards, frames and sometimes product contact surfaces.
How does a solid oil bearing hold up to washdown?
A solid oil bearing is a single row deep groove ball bearing whose internal space is filled with Syn-Tech solid oil, a solid polymer lubricant that holds oil in a matrix and releases a thin film to the balls and raceways as the bearing turns.
Because the lubricant is a solid, water and chemicals cannot mix with it or carry it away. The fill seals the bearing. There is no fitting, no purge and no relubrication interval, so nothing needs to happen to the bearing after washdown. It is cleaned along with the machine and goes back to work.
With no grease being pushed out of the bearing, no lubricant migrates onto belts, chutes or product zones. Our solid oil vs grease bearings page compares the two approaches point by point.
What does NSF H1 mean?
NSF International runs a registration program for lubricants used in and around food processing, and each registered product is placed in a category. H1 is the category for lubricants that may have incidental contact with food. H2 covers lubricants used where there is no possibility of food contact.
To earn H1 registration, a lubricant is reviewed by NSF against the requirements for incidental food contact, and its formulation must meet them. Food and beverage plants commonly specify H1 lubricants for equipment in and around the product zone.
The solid lubricant in our Food Grade bearings is NSF H1 registered. The registration applies to the lubricant, not the complete bearing, so when you document it for your food safety program, record both the stainless steel construction and the H1 registered lubricant.
Standard or Food Grade: which grade do you need?
All 204 sizes come in both grades, and both are sealed with solid oil.
- Standard: chrome steel rings and balls, SKU pattern 6203-SL. For washdown equipment outside the food zone, such as motors, fans, pumps and conveyor drives, and for marine and wet environments.
- Food Grade: stainless steel rings and balls with NSF H1 registered solid lubricant, SKU pattern S6203-FGSL. For fillers, conveyors, packaging lines and mixers in food and beverage zones, and anywhere your program calls for H1 lubricants and stainless steel. Stainless steel also resists rust better than chrome steel where the outside of the bearing stays wet.
Both grades share identical dimensions, so switching never changes fit. If you are unsure which zone a bearing falls in, ask your quality team, or read our food grade bearings guide.
What equipment uses washdown bearings?
Any machine that is cleaned in place with water and chemicals is a candidate:
- Fillers, cappers and bottling equipment
- Belt, roller and modular conveyors
- Packaging lines: case packers, wrappers, labelers and cartoners
- Mixers, blenders and agitators
- Washdown motors and gearmotors
- Pumps and fans in wet areas
Small rollers and instrument drives use miniature sizes, found in the miniature and instrument bearings collection.
How do you size a replacement bearing?
Start with the number stamped on the old bearing. A marking such as 6203-2RS or 6203ZZ means the size is 6203; the suffix describes the seals or shields on the old greased bearing and does not apply to a solid oil bearing, which is sealed with solid oil. The replacement is 6203-SL in Standard or S6203-FGSL in Food Grade.
If the marking has worn off, measure the bore, the outside diameter and the width with calipers and enter the three numbers in the Bearing Finder.
Our 204 sizes cover metric 6000, 6200 and 6300 series from 10 to 110 mm bore, thin section 6700, 6800 and 6900 series, miniature sizes down to 1 mm bore, inch R series from R4 to R24 and the inch 1600 series. Browse all sizes in one place.
How do you order?
Choose the size, pick Standard or Food Grade and check out. Every bearing is filled to order in our Glendale, California facility and ships in 7 to 10 business days by UPS or USPS, within the United States only. Standard shipping is a $10 flat rate, free on orders over $100. Express shipping with 3 to 5 day transit is $35.
There is no minimum order. For quantity pricing, email info@solidoilbearings.com or use the contact form. We reply within one business day. Because bearings are filled to order, all sales are final; wrong or defective items are replaced free when reported within 48 hours with photos.
Frequently asked questions
Are Food Grade solid oil bearings NSF certified?
The solid lubricant in our Food Grade bearings is NSF H1 registered, the category for lubricants that may have incidental contact with food. The registration covers the lubricant, not the complete bearing. Email us if you need the details for your records.
Do solid oil bearings need to be regreased after washdown?
No. The solid polymer fill survives wash water and cleaning chemicals and does not wash out. There is no grease fitting and no relubrication interval.
Can I use a Standard grade bearing in a food plant?
Only the Food Grade line carries the NSF H1 registered lubricant and stainless steel construction. Use Standard where food contact is not possible, such as utility motors and fans, and Food Grade in the product zone. Your food safety team decides which zone a location falls in.