Double Row Angular Contact Ball Bearings - FAG 32 and 33 Series, 20-80 mm Bore
Quick answer: A double row angular contact ball bearing carries heavy radial load and axial thrust from both directions in a single component, because its two ball rows sit at opposing angles - the same duty two single-row angular contact ball bearings in an O-arrangement would perform, in less axial space and with rigid axial guidance. The FAG range listed here covers 23 sizes from 20 mm to 80 mm bore across the 32-series and the heavier 33-series, with basic dynamic load ratings from 20.6 kN to 150 kN. Twenty sizes run a 30° contact angle; the three largest 32-series sizes are 25°.
- Bore range
20 mm to 80 mm · thirteen bore sizes - Series
32-series, thirteen sizes · 33-series, ten sizes - Contact angle
30° on every −BD design · 25° on the three −B designs - Dynamic load rating C
20.6 kN (3204) to 150 kN (3313) - Static load rating C₀
12.9 kN (3204) to 119 kN (3313) - Mass
0.154 kg (3204) to 4.1 kg (3313) - Cage
TVH - glass-fibre reinforced polyamide 66, one-piece window cage - Closure
Open, no seal or shield · FAG (Schaeffler), X-life on the −BD−XL sizes
How to Choose a Double Row Angular Contact Ball Bearing - the One Rule That Actually Works
Almost every wrong-bearing enquiry starts the same way: someone measures the shaft, finds a matching bore, and orders. Here is why that fails, using the 23 bearings listed on this page as the evidence.
Bore alone identifies nothing. Outer diameter alone identifies nothing. Bore and outer diameter together identify exactly one bearing.
We checked that against the full range rather than asserting it:
- 10 of the 13 bore sizes appear twice
Every bore from 20 mm to 65 mm exists in both the 32-series and the 33-series, with a different outer diameter and a different width. Only 70 mm, 75 mm and 80 mm are unambiguous by bore. - 10 of the 13 outer diameters also appear twice
A 90 mm housing bore fits both the 50 mm-bore 3210 and the 40 mm-bore 3308. A 120 mm housing fits both the 65 mm-bore 3213 and the 55 mm-bore 3311. Matching the housing and working backwards is no safer than matching the shaft. - Width alone is worse still
Four different bearings on this page share a 30.2 mm width across four different bores: the 3306 at 30 mm, the 3208 at 40 mm, the 3209 at 45 mm and the 3210 at 50 mm. - Every bore-plus-outer-diameter pair is unique
All 23 combinations resolve to one designation and one only. That pairing is the check that works.
The four checks, in order
- Measure the bore (d) against your shaft seat. Necessary, never sufficient. Treat it as narrowing the field to two candidates, not as an answer.
- Measure the outer diameter (D) against your housing bore. This is the check that separates the 32-series from the 33-series at the same bore. Combined with step 1 you now have a single designation.
- Confirm the width (B). This is your cross-check, not your search key. If the width does not agree with the designation the first two steps produced, one of your measurements is wrong - stop and re-measure.
- Confirm the contact angle and the load rating. Twenty sizes here are 30°; the 3214, 3215 and 3216 are 25°. Then check the dynamic load rating C against your actual load - the full table below gives it for every size, and it does not always rise with bore.
Not certain which of the two candidates is yours? Send the old bearing number, or your bore and housing measurements, on WhatsApp to +91 92740 95891 and we will work through it with you.
FAG Double Row Angular Contact Ball Bearings - 23 Sizes, 20 mm to 80 mm Bore
This page lists the FAG double row range in two dimension series that overlap deliberately: the 32-series for compact envelopes, and the 33-series when the same shaft needs a substantially heavier bearing. Every size below carries its full dimensions, contact angle, load ratings and mass, and each product card shows its current price.
The 32-series runs from FAG 3204-BD-XL-TVH-L285 (20 mm bore) to FAG 3216-B-TVH (80 mm bore), thirteen sizes. The 33-series covers 20 mm to 65 mm bore, from FAG 3304-BD-XL-TVH-L285 to FAG 3313-BD-XL-TVH-L285, ten sizes. Twenty of the twenty-three are current X-life −BD designs at a 30° contact angle; the three largest 32-series sizes (3214, 3215, 3216) are the earlier −B design at 25°.
All twenty-three use the TVH cage, a one-piece window cage moulded in glass-fibre reinforced polyamide 66, and all are supplied open, without seals or shields. That combination sets a real operating ceiling you should know about before ordering, and we cover it in the temperature section rather than burying it.
Replacing something already in service? The fastest route is the number stamped on the old bearing’s face. Send us a photograph of it on WhatsApp; a partially legible designation is usually still enough to identify, because the dimension series and bore code survive most wear.
What Is a Double Row Angular Contact Ball Bearing?
It is a rolling bearing with two rows of balls whose contact lines are tilted relative to the plane of rotation instead of lying flat in it, assembled as one non-separable unit with solid inner and outer rings.
The tilt is the whole point. In a deep groove ball bearing the ball sits in a symmetrical groove and the load path runs almost straight out through the ring - excellent for radial force, poor for thrust. In an angular contact bearing the raceway shoulders are machined so that one side is relieved and the ball is pushed to bear against the opposite shoulder. Load now travels through the ball along a slanted line, which means a component of it acts along the shaft axis. The bearing can therefore resist a push along the shaft, not merely across it.
A single row of angled balls can only resist thrust one way - reverse the push and the balls try to climb out of the relieved side. The double row design solves this by mirroring two rows so that their contact lines, extended, meet the bearing axis at points outside the bearing - the geometry an engineer would describe as an O-arrangement or back-to-back pair. Whichever direction the thrust acts, one of the two rows is always taking it in compression.
Because both rows share a single pair of rings, the finished bearing is slightly narrower than two separate single-row bearings mounted back-to-back, and it arrives with its internal clearance already set at the factory. That last detail is a genuine trade-off rather than a pure benefit, and it is covered honestly in the comparison further down: a factory-set unit cannot be shimmed to a preload you choose.
How the Two Rows Share Load
- Radial load
Force across the shaft - rotor mass, belt or chain tension, gear separating force. Both rows carry radial load together, which is why a double row bearing of a given bore out-rates a single row bearing of the same bore. - Axial load, either direction
Thrust along the shaft - pump impeller reaction, helical gear thrust, fan pressure differential. One row takes it; the other unloads. Reverse the thrust and the roles swap. Neither direction needs a second bearing to catch it. - Combined load
Radial and axial at once, which is the ordinary state of nearly all real machinery. This is the condition the bearing is designed around, not an edge case it tolerates. - Moment (tilting) load, and rigidity
Because the two rows are axially separated inside one unit, the arrangement is rigid: it resists a shaft trying to tip within the housing and gives firm axial guidance in both directions. Useful on overhung loads - a fan wheel or pulley cantilevered off the bearing - though a properly spaced pair of bearings will always be stiffer still. - Running smoothness
With clearance set at manufacture and both rows loaded, a correctly fitted bearing of this type runs quietly and with little vibration. Rising noise or a rougher feel in service is a symptom worth investigating rather than accepting.
What a double row angular contact bearing is not good at is misalignment. The angled raceways are unforgiving of a shaft that is not square to the housing; there is effectively no self-aligning capability. If your housings cannot be machined true to each other, a self-aligning ball bearing or a spherical roller bearing is the correct answer, not this one.
Contact Angle: What 25°, 30° and 45° Actually Change
Contact angle is the angle between the load line running through the ball into the raceway and a plane perpendicular to the bearing axis. At 0° you have a purely radial bearing with no thrust capability. As the angle opens up, capacity shifts progressively from radial toward axial - more thrust capacity, less radial, and generally a lower speed limit.
In FAG’s double row range the angle is not a free choice buried in a datasheet; it is encoded in the designation suffix, which makes it one of the easiest specifications to verify. The three designs relevant to this range:
| Suffix | Contact angle | Design and availability here |
|---|---|---|
| −B | 25° | Modified internal construction, no filling slot. The earlier standard design. On this page: 3214, 3215 and 3216 only. |
| −BD | 30° | Modified internal construction, no filling slot, supplied as X-life. On this page: the other twenty sizes. |
| −DA | 45° | Split, two-part inner ring with a machined brass cage, for high alternating axial load. Not listed here - a different bearing, which we quote to order. |
Scope note: this table covers the designs that appear in the 32 and 33 series listed on this page. FAG also produces −B executions in other sizes of the 33-series, and 30.. and 38.. double row series, which are outside this range.
The practical consequence, now with the numbers behind it: the ten 33-series sizes and the ten smallest 32-series sizes are all 30°. The moment you go to 70 mm bore or larger in the 32-series, you are buying a 25° bearing - and you can see the cost directly in the load rating. The 3213 at 65 mm bore is rated C = 86 kN. The 3214 at 70 mm bore, one size larger, is rated C = 82 kN. Stepping up a bore size here loses you 4 kN of dynamic capacity, because you have also stepped from the X-life 30° design to the earlier 25° one.
If your original bearing carried a −DA suffix, it was a 45° split-inner-ring design and a 30° bearing of the same dimensions is not an equivalent substitute. Tell us and we will quote the correct part.
Filling Slot: What “No Filling Slot” Means, and Why It Matters Here
The phrase “no filling slot” appears in the description of both the −B and −BD designs, and it is worth understanding rather than skipping.
A filling slot, sometimes called a loading groove, is a notch machined into the shoulder of one or both rings so that extra balls can be dropped into the raceway during assembly. More balls means more radial load capacity for the same envelope, which is why the technique exists.
The price is a discontinuity in the raceway shoulder. A ball rolling over a filling slot under thrust load passes across a gap in its support, so a slotted bearing:
- Cannot take full thrust in both directions
Axial load that pushes the balls toward the slotted shoulder is limited, sometimes severely. The bearing becomes directional in a way a buyer may not expect. - Runs at a lower speed limit
Each pass over the slot is a small shock. At speed that becomes noise, vibration and accelerated raceway fatigue. - Is harder to compare across brands
Some manufacturers list slotted and non-slotted double row angular contact bearings under closely related numbers, so the base number alone will not tell you which you are holding.
Every bearing listed on this page is a non-filling-slot design. Both rows carry thrust across an uninterrupted raceway shoulder, which is exactly what makes the bidirectional capability real rather than nominal. If you are cross-shopping against a cheaper double row angular contact bearing, this is one of the specifications worth asking the other supplier to confirm in writing.
Read the Designation: FAG 3308-BD-XL-TVH-L285, Character by Character
A FAG designation is not a part number in the arbitrary sense - it is a compressed specification. Learn to read it and you can verify a bearing without a catalogue.
| Element | What it means |
|---|---|
| 3, first digit | Bearing type: double row angular contact ball bearing. |
| 3, second digit | Dimension series. 2 is the lighter cross-section, 3 the heavier one at the same bore. |
| 08, bore code | Bore in millimetres. For codes 04 and above, multiply by 5 - so 08 × 5 = 40 mm bore. Codes 00 to 03 are exceptions: 00 = 10 mm, 01 = 12 mm, 02 = 15 mm, 03 = 17 mm. |
| BD | Modified internal construction, 30° nominal contact angle, no filling slot. B alone would mean 25°. |
| XL | X-life. Schaeffler’s premium execution - improved steel and rolling-element quality, finer raceway surface finish and an optimised cage. Schaeffler states that X-life double row angular contact bearings carry higher load ratings than the conventional 32 and 33 series equivalents. |
| TVH | One-piece window cage moulded in glass-fibre reinforced polyamide 66. Not a temperature rating - in fact the opposite, as the temperature section below explains. |
| L285 | A Schaeffler trailing execution index. Schaeffler does not publish a public definition for it, so we will not invent one - what we can confirm from the dimensional data is that it does not alter bore, outer diameter, width or contact angle, so it never affects whether the bearing fits. If your original carried a different trailing suffix, send us the full designation and we will check interchangeability rather than guess. |
Suffixes you may see on an old bearing that change the specification materially: C3 (radial internal clearance greater than normal), 2RSR (contact lip seal both sides), 2Z (sheet-metal shield both sides), 2HRS (sealed X-life execution), M or MA (machined brass cage instead of polyamide), P6 or P5 (tighter tolerance class). Any of these is worth quoting to us, because each one exists for a reason somebody chose deliberately.
32-Series or 33-Series? Same Shaft, Two Very Different Bearings
Every bore from 20 mm to 65 mm is available in both series, so this is a real decision rather than a catalogue quirk. The difference is cross-section - how much bearing sits between the shaft and the housing - and it is larger than most buyers expect. Each cell below gives the designation, then outer diameter and width, then the ring cross-section calculated as (D − d) ÷ 2.
Dimensions
| Bore | 32-series | 33-series |
|---|---|---|
| 20 mm | 3204-BD-XL-TVH-L285 47 × 20.6 mm · section 13.5 mm |
3304-BD-XL-TVH-L285 52 × 22.2 mm · section 16.0 mm · +19% |
| 25 mm | 3205-BD-XL-TVH-L285 52 × 20.6 mm · section 13.5 mm |
3305-BD-XL-TVH-L285 62 × 25.4 mm · section 18.5 mm · +37% |
| 30 mm | 3206-BD-XL-TVH-L285 62 × 23.8 mm · section 16.0 mm |
3306-BD-XL-TVH-L285 72 × 30.2 mm · section 21.0 mm · +31% |
| 35 mm | 3207-BD-XL-TVH-L285 72 × 27.0 mm · section 18.5 mm |
3307-BD-XL-TVH-L285 80 × 34.9 mm · section 22.5 mm · +22% |
| 40 mm | 3208-BD-XL-TVH-L285 80 × 30.2 mm · section 20.0 mm |
3308-BD-XL-TVH-L285 90 × 36.5 mm · section 25.0 mm · +25% |
| 45 mm | 3209-BD-XL-TVH-L285 85 × 30.2 mm · section 20.0 mm |
3309-BD-XL-TVH-L285 100 × 39.7 mm · section 27.5 mm · +38% |
| 50 mm | 3210-BD-XL-TVH-L285 90 × 30.2 mm · section 20.0 mm |
3310-BD-XL-TVH-L285 110 × 44.4 mm · section 30.0 mm · +50% |
| 55 mm | 3211-BD-XL-TVH-L285 100 × 33.3 mm · section 22.5 mm |
3311-BD-XL-TVH-L285 120 × 49.2 mm · section 32.5 mm · +44% |
| 60 mm | 3212-BD-XL-TVH-L285 110 × 36.5 mm · section 25.0 mm |
3312-BD-XL-TVH-L285 130 × 54.0 mm · section 35.0 mm · +40% |
| 65 mm | 3213-BD-XL-TVH-L285 120 × 38.1 mm · section 27.5 mm |
3313-BD-XL-TVH-L285 140 × 58.7 mm · section 37.5 mm · +36% |
| 70 mm | 3214-B-TVH, 25° 125 × 39.7 mm · section 27.5 mm |
Not available in this range |
| 75 mm | 3215-B-TVH, 25° 130 × 41.3 mm · section 27.5 mm |
Not available in this range |
| 80 mm | 3216-B-TVH, 25° 140 × 44.4 mm · section 30.0 mm |
Not available in this range |
Which one should you buy?
- Choose the 32-series
When the housing bore is fixed and tight, when axial length is constrained, or when the load is moderate and you would rather not pay for capacity you will not use. At 50 mm bore the 3210 needs a 90 mm housing where the 3310 demands 110 mm - often the deciding factor on a retrofit. - Choose the 33-series
When the shaft diameter is set by torque or deflection but the loading is genuinely heavy, when you are chasing longer life on a bearing that keeps failing, or when shock loading is part of normal duty. - The capacity gain is bigger than the size gain
The ring section grows by roughly 19-50%, but the dynamic load rating grows by 19-90% - see the next section. Cross-section understates what you actually gain. - Never assume they interchange
A 3310 will not drop into a housing bored for a 3210. Same shaft, different hole.
Load Ratings and Mass: Every Size on This Page
These are the figures most buyers come here for, so they are published in full rather than left on a datasheet. C is the basic dynamic load rating, C₀ the basic static load rating and Cu the fatigue limit load.
32-series - the lighter cross-section
| Designation | d × D × B, contact angle | C · C₀ · Cu · limiting speed · mass |
|---|---|---|
| 3204-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 20 × 47 × 20.6 mm · 30° | 20.6 kN · 12.9 kN · 870 N · 16,100 rpm · 0.154 kg |
| 3205-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 25 × 52 × 20.6 mm · 30° | 22.0 kN · 15.2 kN · 1,020 N · 14,300 rpm · 0.174 kg |
| 3206-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 30 × 62 × 23.8 mm · 30° | 31.0 kN · 22.2 kN · 1,490 N · 11,900 rpm · 0.288 kg |
| 3207-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 35 × 72 × 27.0 mm · 30° | 41.0 kN · 30.0 kN · 2,030 N · 10,100 rpm · 0.436 kg |
| 3208-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 40 × 80 × 30.2 mm · 30° | 51.0 kN · 38.0 kN · 2,550 N · 8,900 rpm · 0.591 kg |
| 3209-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 45 × 85 × 30.2 mm · 30° | 50.0 kN · 39.0 kN · 2,650 N · 8,300 rpm · 0.622 kg |
| 3210-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 50 × 90 × 30.2 mm · 30° | 53.0 kN · 44.0 kN · 3,000 N · 7,800 rpm · 0.672 kg |
| 3211-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 55 × 100 × 33.3 mm · 30° | 61.0 kN · 51.0 kN · 3,450 N · 7,100 rpm · 0.940 kg |
| 3212-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 60 × 110 × 36.5 mm · 30° | 75.0 kN · 64.0 kN · 4,300 N · 6,300 rpm · 1.250 kg |
| 3213-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 65 × 120 × 38.1 mm · 30° | 86.0 kN · 77.0 kN · 5,200 N · 5,700 rpm · 1.604 kg |
| 3214-B-TVH | 70 × 125 × 39.7 mm · 25° | 82.0 kN · 79.0 kN · 4,000 N · 4,150 rpm · 1.780 kg |
| 3215-B-TVH | 75 × 130 × 41.3 mm · 25° | 88.0 kN · 85.0 kN · 4,250 N · 3,900 rpm · 1.907 kg |
| 3216-B-TVH | 80 × 140 × 44.4 mm · 25° | 99.0 kN · 102.0 kN · 4,950 N · 3,650 rpm · 2.403 kg |
33-series - the heavier cross-section
| Designation | d × D × B, contact angle | C · C₀ · Cu · limiting speed · mass |
|---|---|---|
| 3304-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 20 × 52 × 22.2 mm · 30° | 24.6 kN · 15.9 kN · 1,070 N · 14,700 rpm · 0.215 kg |
| 3305-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 25 × 62 × 25.4 mm · 30° | 31.5 kN · 21.0 kN · 1,410 N · 12,400 rpm · 0.352 kg |
| 3306-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 30 × 72 × 30.2 mm · 30° | 43.0 kN · 29.5 kN · 1,990 N · 10,400 rpm · 0.543 kg |
| 3307-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 35 × 80 × 34.9 mm · 30° | 55.0 kN · 36.5 kN · 2,460 N · 9,000 rpm · 0.706 kg |
| 3308-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 40 × 90 × 36.5 mm · 30° | 67.0 kN · 48.5 kN · 3,250 N · 8,000 rpm · 0.969 kg |
| 3309-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 45 × 100 × 39.7 mm · 30° | 72.0 kN · 54.0 kN · 3,600 N · 7,300 rpm · 1.335 kg |
| 3310-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 50 × 110 × 44.4 mm · 30° | 93.0 kN · 70.0 kN · 4,700 N · 6,500 rpm · 1.749 kg |
| 3311-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 55 × 120 × 49.2 mm · 30° | 116.0 kN · 88.0 kN · 6,000 N · 5,800 rpm · 2.280 kg |
| 3312-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 60 × 130 × 54.0 mm · 30° | 130.0 kN · 100.0 kN · Cu, speed and mass on request |
| 3313-BD-XL-TVH-L285 | 65 × 140 × 58.7 mm · 30° | 150.0 kN · 119.0 kN · 7,900 N · 4,900 rpm · 4.100 kg |
Reading the speed figures
Two speeds are published for each bearing and they answer different questions. Limiting speed (nG) is a mechanical ceiling set by the cage and the internal design - treat it as a hard maximum. Reference speed (nθr) is a thermal reference derived under defined test conditions; it tells you where the bearing reaches a reference operating temperature, so real cooling, lubrication and load will move it either way. The table above lists limiting speed because it is the one you must not exceed; both figures appear per size in the detailed list below.
Three patterns are worth knowing before you specify:
- The heavier series runs slower
At 50 mm bore the 3210 is limited to 7,800 rpm and the 3310 to 6,500 rpm. The extra capacity costs you roughly 17% of the speed ceiling. At 20 mm bore it is 16,100 against 14,700 rpm. - The 25° sizes drop sharply
Limiting speed falls from 5,700 rpm on the 3213 to 4,150 rpm on the 3214 - a 27% drop for one bore size up, because the design changes from the X-life −BD to the earlier −B. If speed matters, that step is a bigger decision than the extra 5 mm of shaft suggests. - Grease will not reach these numbers
Published speeds assume favourable lubrication. A grease-packed housing runs well below the limiting speed, and a bearing near its speed ceiling needs oil and a heat path out of the housing.
Three things the numbers show that the dimensions do not
- The 33-series gains far more capacity than cross-section
At 55 mm bore the ring section grows 44% from the 3211 to the 3311, but the dynamic rating grows 90%, from 61 kN to 116 kN. Because calculated life scales with the cube of C ÷ P, that is roughly seven times the rating life under the same load. At 50 mm bore the gain is 75%, or about 5.4 times the life. - A bigger bore is not always a stronger bearing
The 3209 at 45 mm bore is rated 50 kN; the 3208 at 40 mm bore is rated 51 kN. The 3214 at 70 mm bore is rated 82 kN; the 3213 at 65 mm bore is rated 86 kN. Two places in this range where stepping up a size steps down the dynamic capacity. - The 3216 is the only size where C₀ exceeds C
99 kN dynamic against 102 kN static. On a bearing like that, a shock or standing load is more likely to be the governing check than fatigue.
Where these figures come from: load ratings, speeds and mass are Schaeffler product data for the FAG designations listed. The dynamic and static ratings were additionally cross-checked against an authorised Schaeffler distributor reference card for the X-life double row range, and the two sources agree on every size. Where a figure could not be confirmed - the fatigue limit load, speed and mass of the 3312 - we have said so rather than estimated it. If you find any figure on this page that disagrees with current Schaeffler data, tell us and we will correct it.
Every Size Explained
Each of the twenty-three bearings below, with its full specification and what actually distinguishes it from its neighbours. All are open, TVH polyamide-caged, normal-clearance executions. Click any designation for its product page.
32-series · 20-80 mm bore
FAG 3204-BD-XL-TVH-L285
20 × 47 × 20.6 mm · 30° · X-life
- C20.6 kN
- C₀12.9 kN
- Cu870 N
- Limiting16,100 rpm
- Reference14,700 rpm
- Mass0.154 kg
The smallest and by far the fastest bearing on this page. Its 47 mm outer diameter belongs to no other size here, so a 47 mm housing bore identifies it outright. On the same 20 mm shaft the 3304 gives 19% more dynamic capacity if you can open the housing to 52 mm.
FAG 3205-BD-XL-TVH-L285
25 × 52 × 20.6 mm · 30° · X-life
- C22.0 kN
- C₀15.2 kN
- Cu1,020 N
- Limiting14,300 rpm
- Reference12,500 rpm
- Mass0.174 kg
Same 20.6 mm width as the 3204 but a 25 mm bore, and only 1.4 kN more dynamic capacity - the ring section is unchanged at 13.5 mm. Shares its 52 mm outer diameter with the 3304, so at a 52 mm housing check the shaft: 25 mm means this bearing, 20 mm means the 3304.
FAG 3206-BD-XL-TVH-L285
30 × 62 × 23.8 mm · 30° · X-life
- C31.0 kN
- C₀22.2 kN
- Cu1,490 N
- Limiting11,900 rpm
- Reference11,100 rpm
- Mass0.288 kg
Shares its 62 mm outer diameter with the 3305. A common small-pump and small-gearbox size. The 3306 on the same 30 mm shaft carries 43 kN against this bearing's 31 kN - a 39% gain, or roughly 2.7 times the calculated life.
FAG 3207-BD-XL-TVH-L285
35 × 72 × 27.0 mm · 30° · X-life
- C41.0 kN
- C₀30.0 kN
- Cu2,030 N
- Limiting10,100 rpm
- Reference9,900 rpm
- Mass0.436 kg
The last size in the 32-series to clear 10,000 rpm. Shares its 72 mm outer diameter with the 3306, which is the 30 mm-bore bearing - a 5 mm difference on the shaft is the only thing separating them.
FAG 3208-BD-XL-TVH-L285
40 × 80 × 30.2 mm · 30° · X-life
- C51.0 kN
- C₀38.0 kN
- Cu2,550 N
- Limiting8,900 rpm
- Reference9,100 rpm
- Mass0.591 kg
One of four sizes here sharing a 30.2 mm width, and it shares its 80 mm outer diameter with the 3307. Worth noting that it out-rates the physically larger 3209 on dynamic load, 51 kN against 50 kN. From this size upward, reference speed overtakes limiting speed - the mechanical ceiling becomes the binding one.
FAG 3209-BD-XL-TVH-L285
45 × 85 × 30.2 mm · 30° · X-life
- C50.0 kN
- C₀39.0 kN
- Cu2,650 N
- Limiting8,300 rpm
- Reference8,400 rpm
- Mass0.622 kg
The anomaly in the range, and worth understanding before you upsize into it. It has a larger bore than the 3208 but a lower dynamic rating - 50 kN against 51 kN - because the ring section stays at 20 mm while the bore grows by 5 mm. Static rating and fatigue limit do improve slightly. Its 85 mm outer diameter is unique on this page, so an 85 mm housing identifies it outright.
FAG 3210-BD-XL-TVH-L285
50 × 90 × 30.2 mm · 30° · X-life
- C53.0 kN
- C₀44.0 kN
- Cu3,000 N
- Limiting7,800 rpm
- Reference7,600 rpm
- Mass0.672 kg
The most frequently confused size on this page, because it is ambiguous in both directions: its 90 mm outer diameter is shared with the 3308, and its 50 mm bore is shared with the 3310. Both measurements are needed. Against the 3310 on the same shaft it gives up 40 kN of dynamic capacity in exchange for a 20 mm smaller housing and 14 mm less width.
FAG 3211-BD-XL-TVH-L285
55 × 100 × 33.3 mm · 30° · X-life
- C61.0 kN
- C₀51.0 kN
- Cu3,450 N
- Limiting7,100 rpm
- Reference7,200 rpm
- Mass0.940 kg
Shares its 100 mm outer diameter with the 3309. The widest capacity gap in the whole range sits at this bore: the 3311 on the same 55 mm shaft is rated 116 kN against this bearing's 61 kN, a 90% increase and close to seven times the calculated rating life. If a bearing at this bore keeps failing, this is the step to look at first.
FAG 3212-BD-XL-TVH-L285
60 × 110 × 36.5 mm · 30° · X-life
- C75.0 kN
- C₀64.0 kN
- Cu4,300 N
- Limiting6,300 rpm
- Reference6,700 rpm
- Mass1.250 kg
The first size on this page to pass a kilogram. Shares its 110 mm outer diameter with the 3310, and its 60 mm bore with the 3312. Like the 3210, it needs both measurements to pin down.
FAG 3213-BD-XL-TVH-L285
65 × 120 × 38.1 mm · 30° · X-life
- C86.0 kN
- C₀77.0 kN
- Cu5,200 N
- Limiting5,700 rpm
- Reference6,000 rpm
- Mass1.604 kg
The strongest 30° bearing in the 32-series and the last X-life size in it - above this bore the series changes design. Shares its 120 mm outer diameter with the 3311. Read the 3214 entry before deciding to step up from here; it is not the upgrade it looks like.
FAG 3214-B-TVH
70 × 125 × 39.7 mm · 25° · earlier −B design
- C82.0 kN
- C₀79.0 kN
- Cu4,000 N
- Limiting4,150 rpm
- Reference5,600 rpm
- Mass1.780 kg
The step-down size, and the one most worth reading carefully. Moving up from the 3213 changes the design from 30° X-life to the earlier 25° −B, and three things get worse: dynamic rating falls from 86 to 82 kN, fatigue limit load falls from 5,200 to 4,000 N, and limiting speed falls from 5,700 to 4,150 rpm - a 27% loss. Choose it because your shaft is 70 mm, not because you want more capacity. Its 125 mm outer diameter is unique here.
FAG 3215-B-TVH
75 × 130 × 41.3 mm · 25° · earlier −B design
- C88.0 kN
- C₀85.0 kN
- Cu4,250 N
- Limiting3,900 rpm
- Reference5,300 rpm
- Mass1.907 kg
A 25° design, so less axial capacity than a 30° bearing of comparable size. Shares its 130 mm outer diameter with the 3312 - and the difference between them is stark: 88 kN here against 130 kN on the 3312, on a 15 mm smaller shaft. Check the bore carefully at a 130 mm housing.
FAG 3216-B-TVH
80 × 140 × 44.4 mm · 25° · earlier −B design
- C99.0 kN
- C₀102.0 kN
- Cu4,950 N
- Limiting3,650 rpm
- Reference5,100 rpm
- Mass2.403 kg
The largest bore on this page and the slowest at 3,650 rpm. It is also the only size here whose static rating exceeds its dynamic rating - 102 kN against 99 kN - which means that under shock or standing load the static check, not fatigue life, is the one that governs your selection. Shares its 140 mm outer diameter with the 3313.
33-series · 20-65 mm bore
FAG 3304-BD-XL-TVH-L285
20 × 52 × 22.2 mm · 30° · X-life
- C24.6 kN
- C₀15.9 kN
- Cu1,070 N
- Limiting14,700 rpm
- Reference10,400 rpm
- Mass0.215 kg
The heavy option on a 20 mm shaft: 19% more dynamic capacity than the 3204, for a 52 mm housing instead of 47 mm. That is the smallest 32-to-33 gain in the range, so at this bore the case for stepping up is weaker than it is at the larger bores. Shares its 52 mm outer diameter with the 3205.
FAG 3305-BD-XL-TVH-L285
25 × 62 × 25.4 mm · 30° · X-life
- C31.5 kN
- C₀21.0 kN
- Cu1,410 N
- Limiting12,400 rpm
- Reference9,400 rpm
- Mass0.352 kg
43% more dynamic capacity than the 3205 on the same 25 mm shaft, which works out to roughly three times the calculated rating life under the same load. Shares its 62 mm outer diameter with the 3206.
FAG 3306-BD-XL-TVH-L285
30 × 72 × 30.2 mm · 30° · X-life
- C43.0 kN
- C₀29.5 kN
- Cu1,990 N
- Limiting10,400 rpm
- Reference8,500 rpm
- Mass0.543 kg
The size most often mistaken for a 32-series bearing, because it collides on two dimensions at once: it shares its 72 mm outer diameter with the 3207, and its 30.2 mm width with the 3208, 3209 and 3210. Only the 30 mm bore separates it from all of them.
FAG 3307-BD-XL-TVH-L285
35 × 80 × 34.9 mm · 30° · X-life
- C55.0 kN
- C₀36.5 kN
- Cu2,460 N
- Limiting9,000 rpm
- Reference8,100 rpm
- Mass0.706 kg
34% more dynamic capacity than the 3207 on the same 35 mm shaft, in an 80 mm housing rather than 72 mm. Shares that 80 mm outer diameter with the 3208 - and the two differ by 5 mm of bore and 4.7 mm of width, so measure both.
FAG 3308-BD-XL-TVH-L285
40 × 90 × 36.5 mm · 30° · X-life
- C67.0 kN
- C₀48.5 kN
- Cu3,250 N
- Limiting8,000 rpm
- Reference7,000 rpm
- Mass0.969 kg
One of the most commonly requested sizes in the range, and a classic pump and blower bearing. Shares its 90 mm outer diameter with the 3210 - if the marking is unreadable, mass separates them cleanly at 0.969 kg against 0.672 kg. Its fatigue limit load of 3,250 N is under 5% of its dynamic rating, which is the load below which fatigue effectively stops being the life-limiting mechanism.
FAG 3309-BD-XL-TVH-L285
45 × 100 × 39.7 mm · 30° · X-life
- C72.0 kN
- C₀54.0 kN
- Cu3,600 N
- Limiting7,300 rpm
- Reference6,700 rpm
- Mass1.335 kg
44% more dynamic capacity than the 3209 on the same 45 mm shaft - about three times the rating life. Given that the 3209 is the weak point of the 32-series, this is one of the more worthwhile step-ups in the range. Shares its 100 mm outer diameter with the 3211.
FAG 3310-BD-XL-TVH-L285
50 × 110 × 44.4 mm · 30° · X-life
- C93.0 kN
- C₀70.0 kN
- Cu4,700 N
- Limiting6,500 rpm
- Reference6,300 rpm
- Mass1.749 kg
75% more dynamic capacity than the 3210 on the same 50 mm shaft, which is roughly 5.4 times the calculated rating life. The price is a 110 mm housing instead of 90 mm, 14 mm more width, and a speed ceiling 1,300 rpm lower. Shares its 110 mm outer diameter with the 3212.
FAG 3311-BD-XL-TVH-L285
55 × 120 × 49.2 mm · 30° · X-life
- C116.0 kN
- C₀88.0 kN
- Cu6,000 N
- Limiting5,800 rpm
- Reference5,900 rpm
- Mass2.280 kg
The biggest single jump available in this range: 90% more dynamic capacity than the 3211 on the same 55 mm shaft, close to seven times the rating life. If you have a 55 mm shaft, a housing you can open up to 120 mm and a bearing that keeps failing, this is the answer. Shares its 120 mm outer diameter with the 3213.
FAG 3312-BD-XL-TVH-L285
60 × 130 × 54.0 mm · 30° · X-life
- C130.0 kN
- C₀100.0 kN
- Cuon request
- Limitingon request
- Referenceon request
- Masson request
73% more dynamic capacity than the 3212 on the same 60 mm shaft. Shares its 130 mm outer diameter with the 3215, which carries only 88 kN - at a 130 mm housing the bore measurement matters a great deal. We publish C and C₀ here because both are confirmed against two sources; the fatigue limit load, speeds and mass for this one size we would rather confirm for you directly than print a figure we have not verified.
FAG 3313-BD-XL-TVH-L285
65 × 140 × 58.7 mm · 30° · X-life
- C150.0 kN
- C₀119.0 kN
- Cu7,900 N
- Limiting4,900 rpm
- Reference5,300 rpm
- Mass4.100 kg
The strongest and heaviest bearing on this page - 150 kN dynamic and 4.1 kg. 74% more capacity than the 3213 on the same 65 mm shaft, at the cost of a 140 mm housing and 20 mm more width. Shares that 140 mm outer diameter with the 3216, which is a 25° bearing on an 80 mm shaft - two very different parts in the same hole.
Working From Load to Bearing Life
The ratings in the table above are only useful once you know what each one is for.
- C, basic dynamic load rating
The constant radial load at which a population of identical bearings achieves one million revolutions with 90% reliability. A comparison yardstick, not a load limit. - C₀, basic static load rating
The load producing a defined permanent indentation in the raceway. Your check for stationary, slow-oscillating or shock-loaded duty, and for the handling case. - Cu, fatigue limit load
Below this load, with clean lubrication, fatigue effectively does not initiate. The most useful of the three if you are designing for indefinite life rather than a target hour count. On a 3308 that threshold is 3,250 N - under 5% of its dynamic rating. - Limiting and reference speed
Reference speed is thermally derived; limiting speed is a mechanical ceiling set by the cage and the design. For a given bore the 33-series runs slower than the 32-series, and grease-lubricated bearings never reach oil-lubricated figures. Ask us for the pair of numbers for your size.
The calculation, and a worked example
Bearing life is calculated from an equivalent dynamic load P, not from your radial and axial figures separately. The two are combined using factors that depend on the contact angle and on the ratio of axial to radial load - which is precisely why the 25° and 30° designs on this page behave differently under the same applied forces. Rating life in millions of revolutions is then L₁₀ = (C ÷ P)³.
Take a 50 mm shaft carrying an equivalent dynamic load of 15 kN. On the 3210, C ÷ P is 53 ÷ 15 = 3.53, so L₁₀ ≈ 44 million revolutions. On the 3310, C ÷ P is 93 ÷ 15 = 6.2, so L₁₀ ≈ 238 million revolutions - about 5.4 times longer, for the same shaft, from one step up in dimension series. Two further consequences worth internalising:
- Small load reductions buy large life gains. A 20% cut in equivalent load nearly doubles calculated life. Correcting belt over-tension is often cheaper and more effective than upsizing the bearing.
- Calculated life is an upper bound. The number assumes clean lubricant, correct fits, square alignment and no contamination. In real plant, lubrication and dirt decide the outcome far more often than the rating does.
Send us your radial load, axial load, speed and target life and we will work the equivalent load and the rating life with you.
The Outer-Diameter Trap
If the old bearing is destroyed and unreadable, the temptation is to measure the housing bore and work backwards. Within this range that method is wrong more often than it is right, because ten of the thirteen outer diameters are shared between two bearings with different bores. In every case below, the shaft diameter is what separates the two candidates.
| Housing bore, OD | Candidate 1 | Candidate 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 47 mm | 3204, 20 mm bore | None, unambiguous |
| 52 mm | 3205, 25 mm bore | 3304, 20 mm bore |
| 62 mm | 3206, 30 mm bore | 3305, 25 mm bore |
| 72 mm | 3207, 35 mm bore | 3306, 30 mm bore |
| 80 mm | 3208, 40 mm bore | 3307, 35 mm bore |
| 85 mm | 3209, 45 mm bore | None, unambiguous |
| 90 mm | 3210, 50 mm bore | 3308, 40 mm bore |
| 100 mm | 3211, 55 mm bore | 3309, 45 mm bore |
| 110 mm | 3212, 60 mm bore | 3310, 50 mm bore |
| 120 mm | 3213, 65 mm bore | 3311, 55 mm bore |
| 125 mm | 3214, 70 mm bore | None, unambiguous |
| 130 mm | 3215, 75 mm bore | 3312, 60 mm bore |
| 140 mm | 3216, 80 mm bore | 3313, 65 mm bore |
Read the table the other way and it becomes a useful tool: measure the housing, find your outer diameter, and you have narrowed 23 bearings down to two. One shaft measurement then settles it.
How to Measure a Bearing You Are Replacing
Ten minutes with a vernier caliper beats a week of downtime waiting on the wrong part.
- Look for the marking first. The designation is laser-etched on one face of the outer ring, sometimes the inner. Wipe it with solvent and hold a light at a low angle - etched marks read far better in raking light than head-on. Photograph it; a partial reading such as “33_8-BD” is usually enough to identify.
- Bore (d). Measure the inner ring’s inside diameter with the caliper’s inside jaws. Take three readings roughly 60° apart and use the largest - a worn bore reads small on some axes.
- Outer diameter (D). Outside jaws across the outer ring, again three readings. If it has been spinning in the housing, the outer ring may be undersize; round up to the nearest catalogue value from the table above.
- Width (B). Across the outer ring faces, not the inner - on an angular contact bearing the two rings do not sit flush and measuring the inner ring will read short.
- Weigh it if you are still unsure. Mass separates the two candidates at a shared outer diameter cleanly: at a 90 mm outer diameter, a 3210 weighs 0.672 kg and a 3308 weighs 0.969 kg. Any kitchen scale resolves that.
- Expect near-catalogue numbers. These are nominal sizes with micron-level tolerances, so a reading of 49.1 mm against a 49.2 mm catalogue width is the same bearing. A reading 2 mm out is a different bearing.
- Note which way the bearing was fitted and what the shaft does. Which direction thrust acts, roughly how fast it turns, and how hot the housing runs in service. Those three facts are what let us confirm 32 against 33, and 25° against 30°.
Send the numbers and a photo to +91 92740 95891 and we will identify the designation with you.
Single-Row vs Double-Row Angular Contact Bearings
Neither is universally better. The honest split is that double-row wins on simplicity and space, single-row pairs win on control.
| Factor | Single-row angular contact | Double-row angular contact |
|---|---|---|
| Axial load direction | One direction per bearing; needs a second bearing to catch the reverse | Both directions from one bearing |
| Typical mounting | Matched pairs, back-to-back (DB), face-to-face (DF) or tandem (DT) | Single self-contained, non-separable unit |
| Axial space | More, two bearings plus fitting allowance | Less, marginally narrower than the equivalent pair |
| Clearance and preload | Set at assembly; shims or ground spacers let you dial it in | Fixed at manufacture; not adjustable in the field |
| Achievable precision | Higher, P5 and P4 classes with controlled preload are routine | Standard precision; adequate for general industry |
| Assembly risk | Higher, wrong pairing or wrong preload ruins the arrangement | Lower, little to get wrong beyond fitting it square |
| Part count and stock | Two items, and they must be a matched set | One item |
| Best suited to | Machine-tool spindles and anywhere preload must be specified | Pumps, gearboxes, fans, general rotating plant |
When a Different Bearing Type Is the Better Answer
Part of specifying well is knowing when to walk away from a type. Judged against the alternatives:
- Deep groove ball bearing
Cheaper, faster, quieter, and entirely adequate when thrust is incidental. If your axial load is a small fraction of the radial load, you are paying for capability you do not need. - Double row deep groove ball bearing, 42-series
Similar envelope, higher radial capacity than a single row, but far less thrust capacity than an angular contact design. Choose it when the load is radial-dominant but heavy. - Matched pair of tapered roller bearings
Substantially higher combined capacity than any ball bearing of the same envelope, and adjustable preload. The price is lower speed capability, higher friction, and an assembly that must be set correctly. Right choice for heavy shock at low to moderate speed. - Self-aligning ball bearing or spherical roller bearing
The answer when housings cannot be held square to each other. An angular contact bearing has essentially no misalignment tolerance; forcing one into a misaligned housing will fail it early no matter how good the bearing is. - Four-point or double-direction thrust bearing
For thrust-dominated duty where radial load is minor. If the axial load dwarfs the radial, a dedicated thrust bearing plus a radial bearing beats a compromise part. - Cylindrical roller bearing
The highest radial capacity per unit envelope, with essentially no thrust capability in the plain NU and N designs. Pair it with a bearing that locates the shaft axially.
Tell us the machine, the loads and the speed on WhatsApp and we will say plainly if this is the wrong type - including when the honest answer is that we should quote you something else.
Temperature Limits and the Polyamide Cage Ceiling
This is the specification most often missed on a double row angular contact ball bearing order, and the one most likely to cause an early failure that gets blamed on the bearing.
Every bearing on this page uses a TVH cage, glass-fibre reinforced polyamide 66, which limits continuous operating temperature to about +120 °C. The rings and balls will take considerably more. The cage will not.
Lubricant chemistry pulls that ceiling down further, because certain additives attack polyamide:
- Grease, or mineral and hydraulic oils without EP additives
Up to roughly +120 °C. - Industrial and automotive gearbox oils with EP additives
Roughly +110 °C. - Automotive rear-axle and differential oils
Roughly +100 °C.
Note that this is bearing temperature, not ambient. A bearing in a hot housing, under load, generating its own friction heat, runs materially hotter than the room. If you cannot measure it, measure the housing surface near the outer ring and treat the bearing as warmer.
“Another supplier says 150 °C. Why do you say 120 °C?”
A fair question, and the answer is not that their bearing is better. A 150 °C figure on a double row angular contact ball bearing refers to a different execution of the same bearing, not a different quality of it:
- A different cage material
Steel or machined brass cages have no polymer softening point in this range. The number is a property of the cage, not of the steel rings, and every maker’s polyamide-caged version sits around the same 120 °C. - A heat-stabilised ring set
Marked with suffixes such as S1, S2 or X26 depending on the maker. This means the rings stay dimensionally stable at higher temperature. Dimensional stability at heat is a different property from being stronger, and stabilised bearings are not automatically a like-for-like upgrade. - A trade-off you should make deliberately
Polyamide cages are quieter, lighter, more tolerant of momentary lubrication starvation and cheaper. Below 120 °C they are the better engineering answer, which is why they are the standard execution.
If your duty runs above roughly 120 °C - kiln and dryer fans, hot-gas blowers, furnace conveyors, some paper-machine and calender positions - a polyamide-caged bearing is the wrong specification and we will say so. The correct answer is a machined brass or steel cage (FAG suffix M or MA, or the appropriate steel-cage execution), and depending on the temperature a heat-stabilised ring set. Those are not listed on this page but we will quote them. Tell us the operating temperature.
Radial Internal Clearance: CN or C3?
Internal clearance is the small amount of free movement between rings and balls before load is applied. On a double row angular contact bearing it is set at manufacture and cannot be adjusted afterwards - which makes choosing it correctly a purchasing decision, not a fitting decision.
- CN, normal and unmarked
The default, and correct for the large majority of applications: normal fits, moderate temperature, no significant temperature difference between inner and outer ring. Every designation listed on this page is the normal-clearance execution unless the designation says otherwise. - C3, greater than normal
Specify when the inner ring will run appreciably hotter than the outer, when you are using a tight interference fit on the shaft that will squeeze clearance out, or where thermal growth would otherwise preload the bearing in service. Common on electric motors and on shafts fitted with an adapter sleeve.
Getting this wrong is quietly destructive. Too little clearance in a hot-running application preloads the bearing continuously, raises friction, drives temperature up further and shortens life - a failure that looks like a lubrication problem but is not. If your old bearing carried a C3 suffix, somebody chose it deliberately: order C3 again rather than a normal-clearance substitute. Ask us and we will check availability and quote it.
Shaft and Housing Fits: Choosing the Tolerance to Machine To
A bearing is only as good as the seats it sits on, and the fit is chosen from the load pattern - which ring sees a load that rotates relative to it - not from feel or habit.
The rule underneath all of it: the ring that experiences a rotating load needs an interference fit, or it will creep and spin on its seat. The ring that experiences a stationary load can take a looser fit, and often should, so it can be assembled and can move slightly to redistribute wear.
Which case is yours?
- Rotating inner ring, load fixed in direction
The ordinary case: a rotating shaft carrying belt tension, gear force or rotor weight. The inner ring sees a rotating load, the outer ring a stationary one. Interference on the shaft, looser in the housing. - Stationary inner ring, rotating outer ring
Wheels, idler pulleys, tensioners. Now it reverses: interference in the housing, looser on the shaft. - Out-of-balance or rotating load direction
Vibrating screens, unbalanced rotors. Both rings can see rotating load; both seats want interference, and this is worth discussing before machining.
Tolerance classes for the ordinary case
For a solid steel shaft with a rotating inner ring and a stationary load, at the bore sizes on this page:
| Load level | Shaft seat | Housing seat |
|---|---|---|
| Light equivalent load only a few per cent of C |
j5 or js5 | H7 - the outer ring can be displaced axially |
| Normal the ordinary industrial band, roughly 5-15% of C |
k5, or m5 toward the upper end | J7, or H7 in a split housing |
| Heavy or shock above roughly 15% of C |
m5, n6 or p6 | K7 or M7 - the outer ring is no longer free to move |
You now have C for every size in the table above so the load level is a division rather than a guess: a 3308 rated 67 kN under a 6 kN equivalent load is about 9% of C, which sits in the normal band.
One honest caveat on the bands: manufacturers draw the light/normal/heavy boundaries at slightly different percentages of C, so a duty sitting close to a boundary is worth confirming rather than reading off a table. The tolerance classes themselves are standard practice across makers. If your case is marginal, send us the load, speed and shaft material and we will work through it with you before you machine anything.
Two further points that matter as much as the tolerance class:
- Shoulder height and fillet radius
The shaft or housing shoulder must be high enough to support the ring face properly, but the transition fillet must be smaller in radius than the bearing’s own chamfer or the ring will sit on the fillet instead of the shoulder and rock. These abutment dimensions are size-specific; ask us for the figures for your designation rather than eyeballing it. - Surface finish and roundness
A seat within tolerance but out of round transfers that shape into the raceway. Ground finishes are normal on bearing seats; a turned finish is a compromise. - A worn seat is not a fit
If the old outer ring polished itself bright on the outside, the housing bore is beyond tolerance. A new bearing in that housing fails the same way. Sleeve it, bore and bush it, or replace the housing.
Removing the Old Bearing Without Damaging the Seat
Every replacement job starts with a removal, and more shafts are ruined getting the old bearing off than fitting the new one on.
- Pull on the ring that is interference-fitted. If the bearing is tight on the shaft, the puller legs must grip the inner ring. Pulling on the outer ring drags the load path through the balls, which will mark the raceways - irrelevant if you are scrapping the bearing, but it can also crack the ring and send fragments out under tension.
- Never lever against the cage. The TVH polyamide cage will break long before the rings move, and the pieces go into the housing.
- Use heat if the fit resists. An induction heater on the inner ring expands it faster than the shaft can follow. Applied quickly, this releases a tight fit without force. Do not apply a flame - localised overheating distorts the shaft seat.
- If the outer ring is stuck in the housing, warm the housing rather than the ring, so the bore grows away from the bearing.
- Keep the old bearing intact. Do not cut or split it if you can avoid it. Its wear pattern is the best diagnostic evidence you have - see the failure-diagnosis section below - and its markings identify the replacement.
- Inspect and measure the seats immediately. Before ordering anything, check the shaft seat and housing bore for scoring, fretting corrosion and bright polished areas. Those tell you whether you need a bearing or a repair.
Fitting a Double Row Angular Contact Ball Bearing
A correctly specified bearing fitted badly fails as reliably as the wrong bearing. The essentials:
- Check the seats before the bearing comes out of its wrapper. Shaft and housing must be clean, burr-free.
- Apply force only to the ring you are fitting. Pressing on the shaft, force goes through the inner ring; into the housing, through the outer ring. Force must never pass through the balls from one ring to the other - that is how a new bearing arrives already indented.
- Prefer heat to hammering. An induction heater or a controlled oil bath at 80 to 100 °C expands the inner ring enough to slide on. Keep well below the cage’s limit - do not use a flame, and do not exceed roughly 120 °C on these polyamide-caged bearings.
- Seat it square and fully home. The inner ring must sit flat against the shaft shoulder with no gap. A cocked bearing loads one row far more than the other and will not deliver its rated life.
- Locate axially on both sides. A double row angular contact bearing normally serves as the locating bearing, so it must be clamped against a shoulder and a cover or circlip. It cannot do its job floating in the bore.
- Charge with grease before closing up and turn the shaft by hand. It should feel smooth with no notch or catch. A gritty feel means contamination got in during fitting; stop and investigate rather than running it.
Lubrication and Relubrication
Every bearing on this page is open, so lubrication is entirely down to the housing arrangement and to you.
- Grease
Suits most industrial duty. A lithium-complex or lithium-soap grease of appropriate consistency covers the great majority of applications. Fill roughly 30 to 50% of the free space in the bearing and housing - packing a housing solid is a classic cause of overheating, because churning grease generates heat with nowhere to shed it. - Oil
The better choice at higher speeds or where heat must be carried away, and what makes published reference speeds achievable. Circulating oil also removes wear debris, which grease does not. - Relubrication interval
Falls sharply with speed and temperature - as a working rule, grease life roughly halves for every 15 °C rise in operating temperature. A bearing running at 100 °C needs attention many times more often than the same bearing at 70 °C. - Watch the additive question
If the bearing shares an oil bath with gears, EP additives in that oil lower the permissible temperature for a polyamide cage, as set out above. This is a real constraint in gearbox positions, not a theoretical one. - Cleanliness beats quantity
Contamination is the leading practical cause of premature bearing failure. A clean grease gun, a clean nipple and a wiped fitting surface do more for bearing life than a more expensive bearing will.
Sealed and Shielded Versions
Sealed and shielded double row angular contact ball bearings do exist in the FAG catalogue, and it is worth knowing the designations even though the range on this page is open:
- −2RSR
Contact lip seals on both sides. Grease-filled and effectively maintenance-free; lower speed capability because the seal rubs. - −2Z
Sheet-metal shields on both sides. Non-contact, so speed is barely affected, but it keeps out coarse debris only, not moisture or fine dust. - −2HRS
The sealed execution of the X-life −BD−XL design, for example 3208-BD-XL-2HRS-TVH.
Everything listed on this page is open. Choose open when the housing already provides sealing and lubrication, when you want to control grease type and interval yourself, or when you need the full speed rating. Choose sealed when the housing is exposed, when relubrication access is poor, or when nobody is realistically going to grease it on schedule.
If your application wants a sealed version, tell us the size and we will check availability and quote it - we will not tell you a sealed variant exists in a size before confirming it does.
Cross-Reference: The 3200/3300 and 5200/5300 Series
The same bearing turns up under several naming conventions, which is why a search for one number often finds nothing.
3200/3300 and 5200/5300: dimensionally the same bearing
The 3200 and 3300 designations follow the ISO convention used across Europe and Asia. North American catalogues have historically listed the same bearings as the 5200 and 5300 series - so a 5204 has the boundary dimensions of a 3204, and a 5308 those of a 3308. If a drawing or an old spares list specifies a 5200- or 5300-series number, the corresponding 3200/3300 bearing is the part you are looking for.
One caution that is often left out: dimensional equivalence is not capacity equivalence. Some 5200-series designs use a different ball complement from their 3200-series counterparts, and the published radial capacity can differ. Treat the 52../53.. number as identifying the envelope, then check the rating against the table above before you substitute.
Where These Bearings Are Used, and Why
The pattern is consistent: a shaft carrying real thrust as well as radial load, in a housing with no room for a bearing pair.
- Centrifugal pumps
Impeller hydraulic thrust acts along the shaft and reverses during start-up and upset conditions. Bidirectional capacity in one bearing is exactly the requirement, which is why this is the type’s single most common home. - Compressors and blowers
Pressure differential across the rotor produces steady axial thrust alongside rotor mass and any imbalance. - Gearboxes and speed reducers
Helical and bevel gears generate axial thrust as a by-product of transmitting torque, and it reverses when the drive reverses. Watch the EP-additive temperature limit here. - Electric motors and generators
Used where the rotor must be located axially rather than allowed to float, particularly on vertical shafts where rotor weight is itself an axial load. - Fans, especially overhung wheels
Airflow thrust plus a cantilevered mass, which is a moment load. The two axially separated rows and the resulting rigidity are what handle it. Check operating temperature carefully on hot-gas and dryer fans. - Machine-tool rotary tables and indexing heads
Combined stiffness in a compact unit, where a full duplex spindle arrangement is more than the job needs. - Agricultural, material-handling and process machinery
Gearboxes and drive heads on harvesters, conveyors and elevators, and roller and calender drives in textile, plastics and packaging plant - positions with combined loading in tight envelopes, where shock and contamination are routine and the heavier 33-series section is often the right call. - Automotive and vehicle wheel hubs
The classic mass-production application for this bearing type: bidirectional thrust from cornering, radial load from vehicle weight, in a compact hub. Vehicle hub units are usually purpose-built rather than catalogue parts, but the geometry is the same one described on this page.
Suitability is decided by the specific bearing, not by the bearing type. Bore, series, contact angle, clearance, operating temperature and speed all have to line up with the application.
If Your Bearing Failed Early, Read the Old One First
A bearing that failed before its time is telling you something, and fitting an identical replacement without listening usually buys the same failure again. What the evidence tends to mean:
- Even matte wear on both raceways
Normal end of life, or lubricant that was past its interval. Review the relubrication schedule. - Wear heavily on one row only
Sustained thrust in one direction beyond what the bearing was sized for, or a bearing fitted the wrong way in an arrangement that cares. Re-check the axial load figure against C in the table above. - Evenly spaced dents at ball pitch
True brinelling from fitting force passed through the balls, or from a static shock load above C₀. A handling and installation problem, not a bearing quality problem. - Fine fluting or ridges across the raceway, with rising noise
Electrical discharge, common on inverter-driven motors. The fix is a shaft grounding brush or an insulated or hybrid-ceramic bearing, not a better steel bearing. - Blue or brown discoloration, distorted or melted cage
Overheating. Either the temperature exceeded the polyamide cage’s limit, the housing was over-packed with grease, or clearance was too tight for the operating temperature. Consider C3, a metal cage, or both. - Dull scoring with embedded particles
Contamination. Sort the sealing and the greasing hygiene before blaming the bearing. - Bright polish on the outer ring’s outside face
The outer ring has been turning in the housing. The housing bore is worn beyond tolerance and needs repair; a new bearing alone will not fix it. - Rust or reddish staining
Moisture ingress, often through condensation during idle periods. Consider a sealed execution or an improved housing seal.
Photograph the failed bearing and send it with the designation. Diagnosing the cause is the difference between one replacement and an annual one.
Common Selection Mistakes
- Ordering on bore alone
Ten of the thirteen bore sizes in this range belong to two different bearings. Bore plus outer diameter is the minimum viable check. - Assuming a whole range shares one contact angle
Twenty sizes here are 30° and three are 25°, and the suffix is the only visible indicator. - Substituting 30° for a 45° −DA design
Same dimensions, materially different axial capacity and a split inner ring. Not an equivalent. - Ignoring operating temperature with a polyamide cage
The most common cause of an early failure on this bearing type, and completely avoidable. - Dropping a normal-clearance bearing in where the original was C3
The C3 was chosen for a reason that has not gone away. - Stepping up a bore size and expecting more capacity
3213 to 3214 moves you from 30° to 25° and from 86 kN to 82 kN. 3208 to 3209 moves you from 51 kN to 50 kN. - Expecting a 33-series bearing to fit a 32-series housing
Same shaft, larger hole required, every time. - Fitting a new bearing into a worn seat
If the old outer ring was polished from spinning, the housing is the fault. - Comparing on price against a filling-slot bearing
A cheaper double row angular contact bearing may be a slotted design with limited reverse thrust capacity. Ask before you compare. - Treating calculated rating life as a prediction
It assumes clean lubricant, correct fits and square alignment. Real installations fail on those, not on the rating.
Why Buy Your Angular Contact Bearings From SparesZone
- Genuine FAG, the whole range on one page
Twenty-three sizes from 20 mm to 80 mm bore across both dimension series, with dimensions, contact angle, load ratings, speed and mass shown for every one - no clicking between listings to compare a 3210 against a 3310. - The specifications are published, not withheld
C, C₀, Cu, limiting speed and mass for every size are on this page. The dynamic and static ratings were cross-checked against two independent sources and agree on every size. Where we could not confirm a figure - the fatigue limit load, speed and mass of the 3312 - we say so instead of printing a number. - We work through the identification with you
Send the old bearing number, a photograph, or your bore and housing measurements on WhatsApp. Two candidate bearings at the same bore is the single most common reason people get this wrong, and that conversation is what prevents it. - We will tell you when we are the wrong supplier
If your duty needs a metal cage, a 45° design, a sealed execution or a size outside 20 to 80 mm, we will say so and quote it separately instead of selling you the nearest thing on the shelf.
Double Row Angular Contact Ball Bearings - Frequently Asked Questions
It is a single non-separable bearing with two rows of balls whose contact lines are tilted in opposite directions. Because the two rows oppose each other, it carries heavy radial load and axial thrust from either direction at once - the duty two single-row angular contact bearings in an O-arrangement would otherwise share - in slightly less axial space, with rigid axial guidance and with clearance already set at the factory.
Any shaft carrying axial thrust alongside radial load. In practice that means centrifugal pumps, compressors and blowers, helical and bevel gearboxes, fans, electric motors that must be located axially, machine-tool rotary tables and vehicle wheel hubs. The angled raceways let the bearing resist a push along the shaft, which a deep groove ball bearing does only incidentally.
Yes - that is the defining property. The two rows face opposite ways, so whichever direction thrust acts, one row takes it in compression while the other unloads. No counter-bearing is needed, unlike most single-row angular contact bearings which handle thrust one way only.
Basic dynamic load rating C runs from 20.6 kN on the smallest size (3204, 20 mm bore) to 150 kN on the largest (3313, 65 mm bore in the heavier 33-series). Basic static rating C₀ runs from 12.9 kN to 119 kN. Every size has its own C, C₀, fatigue limit load Cu and mass published in the load rating table on this page. Note that C does not rise uniformly with bore: the 3208 at 40 mm bore is rated 51 kN while the 3209 at 45 mm bore is rated 50 kN.
From 0.154 kg for a 3204 to 4.1 kg for a 3313. Mass is listed for every size in the load rating table. It is also a practical identification check: at a shared 90 mm outer diameter, a 3210 weighs 0.672 kg and a 3308 weighs 0.969 kg, which any scale will separate.
Limiting speed runs from 16,100 rpm on the smallest size (3204) down to 3,650 rpm on the largest (3216). Every size has its own limiting and reference speed listed on this page. Two things to watch: the heavier 33-series runs slower than the 32-series at the same bore - 6,500 rpm on the 3310 against 7,800 rpm on the 3210 - and the three 25° sizes drop sharply, with the 3214 limited to 4,150 rpm against 5,700 rpm on the smaller 3213. Published speeds assume favourable lubrication; a grease-packed housing runs well below them.
Limiting speed (nG) is a mechanical ceiling set by the cage and the internal design - treat it as a hard maximum you must not exceed. Reference speed (nθr) is a thermal reference derived under defined test conditions, indicating where the bearing reaches a reference operating temperature; real cooling, lubrication and load move it either way. On the smaller sizes here the limiting speed is the higher of the two, and from about the 3208 upward they cross over.
No. Bore only gives you the shaft size. Ten of the thirteen bore sizes in this range belong to two different bearings - a 50 mm bore is either a 3210 with a 90 mm outer diameter or a 3310 with a 110 mm one. Measure the outer diameter as well; within this range every bore-plus-outer-diameter pair resolves to exactly one designation. Width is your cross-check.
Dimension series - the second digit of the designation. At the same bore the 33-series has a larger outer diameter, a greater width and a heavier ring cross-section, so more load capacity and longer life under the same load. At 55 mm bore the 3211 is rated 61 kN and the 3311 is rated 116 kN, a 90% increase which works out to roughly seven times the calculated rating life. The cost is a bigger housing bore, more axial space and a higher price. A 33-series bearing will not fit a housing bored for the 32-series equivalent.
Twenty of the twenty-three sizes are 30°, being the −BD X-life design. The three largest 32-series sizes - 3214-B-TVH, 3215-B-TVH and 3216-B-TVH at 70, 75 and 80 mm bore - are the −B design at 25°. The suffix tells you: B means 25°, BD means 30°, and DA means 45° with a split inner ring. Opening the angle shifts capacity from radial toward axial and generally lowers the speed limit.
A filling slot is a notch machined into a ring shoulder so extra balls can be loaded during assembly. It raises radial capacity but interrupts the raceway shoulder, which limits thrust capacity in one direction and lowers the speed limit. Every bearing listed on this page is a non-filling-slot design - both the −B and −BD executions - which is what makes their bidirectional thrust capability real rather than nominal.
It depends on the load pattern, not on the bearing size alone. For the ordinary case - rotating inner ring with a load fixed in direction - a solid steel shaft usually wants j5 or js5 under light load, k5 or m5 under normal load, and m5 to p6 under heavy or shock load, with the housing at H7, J7 or K7 respectively. The ring that sees a rotating load needs the interference fit. Because C is published for every size on this page, you can classify the load level by dividing your equivalent load by C rather than guessing.
BD - modified internal construction, 30° contact angle, no filling slot. XL - X-life, Schaeffler’s premium execution with better steel, finer raceway finish and an optimised cage, carrying higher load ratings than the conventional design. TVH - one-piece window cage in glass-fibre reinforced polyamide 66. L285 - a Schaeffler trailing execution index; Schaeffler does not publish a public definition, but it does not affect bore, outer diameter, width or contact angle, so it never changes whether the bearing fits.
About +120 °C continuous, limited by the polyamide 66 cage rather than by the rings or balls. EP-additive lubricants pull it lower - roughly +110 °C with industrial and automotive gearbox oils, roughly +100 °C with rear-axle and differential oils. That is bearing temperature, not ambient. Above this range you need a machined brass or steel cage instead, which we quote to order.
Because a 150 °C figure describes a different execution of the same bearing, not a better one. It refers to a steel or machined brass cage, which has no polymer softening point, usually combined with a heat-stabilised ring set. Every maker’s polyamide-caged version sits around 120 °C, including ours. Below that temperature a polyamide cage is quieter, lighter and more tolerant of brief lubrication starvation, which is why it is the standard execution. Above it, tell us the operating temperature and we will quote the metal-caged version rather than sell you this one.
Dimensionally, yes. The 3200 and 3300 designations are the ISO convention used in Europe and Asia; North American catalogues list the same envelopes as 5200 and 5300. A 5208 has the boundary dimensions of a 3208. Capacity is a separate question - some 5200-series designs use a different ball complement and can have a different radial rating - so check the load rating as well as the dimensions before substituting.
The boundary dimensions are standardised to DIN 628-3, so any manufacturer’s 3308 is 40 × 90 × 36.5 mm and will physically fit. What is not standardised is the suffix - contact angle, cage material, internal clearance and whether the design has a filling slot can all differ on a same-numbered bearing from another maker, and some ranges vary their contact angle from one size to the next within the same design. Send us whatever designation you have and we will identify the FAG equivalent and flag any difference that matters.
Not in the range listed on this page - every size here is open with a TVH polyamide cage. FAG does make sealed and shielded executions (−2RSR contact seals, −2Z shields, −2HRS sealed X-life) and they are sourced to order. Tell us the size and we will check availability rather than assume the variant exists.
Normal (CN) is correct for most applications and is the execution listed here. Choose C3 when the inner ring will run appreciably hotter than the outer, when a tight interference fit on the shaft will squeeze clearance out, or where thermal growth would preload the bearing in service - common on electric motors. If the bearing you are replacing carried a C3 suffix, order C3 again; somebody specified it deliberately.
No. Internal clearance on a double row angular contact bearing is set at manufacture and is not field-adjustable. That is the trade for its convenience. If your application needs a specific preload you can set and verify, a matched pair of single-row angular contact bearings with ground spacers is the correct arrangement instead.
Effectively not at all. The angled raceways are intolerant of a shaft that is not square to the housing, and a cocked bearing loads one row far harder than the other. If your housings cannot be held true to each other, use a self-aligning ball bearing or a spherical roller bearing rather than forcing an angular contact design to cope.
A double row angular contact bearing takes thrust in both directions, so there is no wrong way round for load capacity. What matters is that the inner ring seats flat and fully against the shaft shoulder and that the bearing is clamped axially on both sides, since it normally serves as the locating bearing. Press only on the ring you are fitting - never let fitting force pass through the balls.
Pull on the ring that is interference-fitted - normally the inner ring on a rotating shaft - so the force never passes through the balls. Never lever against the polyamide cage; it will break before the rings move. If the fit resists, an induction heater on the inner ring expands it faster than the shaft can follow and releases the fit without force. Do not use a flame. Keep the old bearing intact, because its wear pattern is your best diagnostic evidence.
No. A double-row unit is more compact, simpler to fit and harder to get wrong, but its clearance is fixed. A matched single-row pair takes more axial space and more skill to assemble, yet lets you set and verify preload and reach higher precision classes - which is why machine-tool spindles still use pairs. Compactness and simplicity against control and precision.
On this bearing type the usual causes are operating temperature above the polyamide cage’s limit, contamination, a worn housing bore letting the outer ring turn, fitting force passed through the balls, clearance too tight for the running temperature, or electrical discharge on an inverter-driven motor. The wear pattern on the old bearing usually identifies which. Send us a photograph and the designation and we will read it with you.
Twenty-three sizes, 20 mm to 80 mm bore. The 32-series covers all thirteen bore sizes from 3204 to 3216; the 33-series covers 20 mm to 65 mm from 3304 to 3313. Full dimensions, contact angle, load ratings and mass for every size are in the tables above, with current price on each product card below.
Ask us. The FAG double row angular contact range extends beyond 80 mm bore and includes sealed, metal-caged, C3, higher-precision and 45° split-inner-ring executions that we source to order. Send the designation or your dimensions on WhatsApp and we will quote.
Related Categories
Two Bearings Share Your Bore Size - Let’s Make Sure You Order the Right One
Send your existing bearing number, or your shaft and housing measurements, and we will work out the exact FAG designation, contact angle and load rating with you. If your duty needs something not listed here - a metal cage, a sealed version, a 45° design - we will tell you that instead of pointing you at the nearest fit.
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