Short answer: a food-grade bearing combines corrosion-resistant stainless steel rings with an NSF H1 registered lubricant, so it can run in food and beverage plants where incidental food contact is possible and survive daily washdown. Our food-grade solid oil bearings go one step further: the H1 lubricant is locked in a solid polymer matrix, so it cannot drip, purge, or wash into product.
What NSF H1 actually means
NSF International registers lubricants for food processing environments. H1 is the category for lubricants acceptable where incidental food contact may occur — the standard requirement above the food line in processing, packaging, and bottling plants. (H2 lubricants are only allowed where there is no possibility of contact; H3 are edible oils.)
Why grease is a problem in food plants
- Grease purges out of running bearings and can drip onto product or conveyors.
- High-pressure, high-temperature washdown with caustic cleaners emulsifies and strips grease, leaving bearings dry and failing early.
- Relubrication near the food line introduces contamination risk and audit findings.
The solid oil answer
In our food-grade solid oil bearings, the internal space is filled with a polymer matrix saturated with NSF H1 registered oil. The result:
- Nothing to purge or drip — the lubricant is solid.
- Washdown-proof — cleaning chemicals and pressure cannot remove the fill.
- Stainless steel rings — corrosion resistance for wet zones.
- Zero relubrication — no maintenance activity near the food line.
Typical applications
Conveyors and packaging machinery, filling and bottling lines, meat and poultry processing, bakery equipment, dairy plants, and any washdown zone. Every one of our 205+ sizes — metric, inch, and miniature — is available in the Food Grade (stainless, NSF H1) option; look for SKUs beginning with S and ending in -FGSL.
Find your size with the Bearing Finder or request a quote for production quantities.