Bearings are made of bearing steel, which is used to manufacture rolling elements and bearing rings. Bearing steel has high and uniform hardness and wear resistance, as well as high elastic limit. The requirements for the uniformity of chemical composition, content and distribution of non-metallic inclusions, and distribution of carbides in bearing steel are very strict, making it one of the most demanding steel grades in all steel production.
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has included some common bearing steel grades in international standards, dividing bearing steel into fully quenched bearing steel, surface hardened bearing steel, stainless bearing steel, high-temperature bearing steel, etc.
Among bearing steels, GCr15 is the most produced bearing steel in the world. Since its inception over 100 years ago, its main components have remained largely unchanged. With the advancement of science and technology, product quality has continued to improve, accounting for over 80% of the world's total bearing steel production. Unless otherwise specified, bearing steel basically refers to GCr15.
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