ABEC stands for Annular Bearing Engineers'
Committee. This committee works to determine the standards
for bearings for the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers
Association (AFBMA).
The ABEC scale classifies different accuracy and tolerance
ranges for bearings. The first column of Table 1 lists
the five ratings in the ABEC scale.
| Table 1: Tolerance class system |
| ABEC ratings |
ISO class |
| ABEC 1 |
Class 0 |
| ABEC 3 |
Class 6 |
| ABEC 5 |
Class 5 |
| ABEC 7 |
Class 4 |
| ABEC 9 |
Class 2 |
All precision bearings have a minimum ABEC 1 rating.
For a 608 bearing, this determines:
- how close the bore is to 8 mm in microns
- how close the outer diameter is to 22 in microns
- how close the width is to 7mm in microns
- the rotating accuracy in microns
The second column of Table 1 lists the corresponding
tolerance classes as defined by ISO, the International
Organization for Standardization. Both systems are widely
used in industry but ABEC has been adopted by in-line
manufacturers.
Does ABEC affect speed?
NO! If we're going to talk about tolerances, the fit
of your wheels and axles have a much greater effect
on performance. Wheels and axles have extremely loose
fits that allow you to press the bearings into the wheel
by hand. The loose fit allows slippage between the wheel
and bearing or the axle and bearing resulting in energy
loss. Lost energy is lost speed. Speed is affected first
and foremost by the choice of lubricant. |
