Ball Bearings Make The World Go Around...a Lot More Smoothly!

Thanks to modern technology, companies continue to create, design, and manufacture countless products that make life much easier and far more efficient. Some of these products are so large they would not fit in your garage, while some are small enough to hold in the palm of your hand. Though many of these products are extremely different in size, shape, and purpose, those that have moving parts rely on the technology of bearing steel balls.

Ball bearings allow two surfaces to roll across one another’s surface instead of slide across. Rolling across a surface eliminates most of the resistance and friction that would normally exist between the two surfaces. A typical individual probably uses 10 to 20 products that operate using ball bearings. The computer, ceiling fan, blender, microwave, and sliding glass door uses some form of bearing in their operation. Cars, bicycles, office chairs, and the washer and dryer all depend on ball bearings. Even the valves on aerosol cans have 2 small bearing balls that make spraying possible. Next time you use your fishing reel or you drive your remote control race car, realize their quiet and smooth operation depends on bearing balls.

Bearing steel balls come in many different sizes; some are small enough to fit on the head of a pin, while other steel balls can be several feet in diameter. Two of the most interesting uses for ball bearings are earthquake-proof buildings and magnetic ball bearings. There are 267 large pillar columns providing the primary support base for the San Francisco International Airport. Each one of those construction columns has a five foot steel ball bearing at its base. Each ball is placed in a large concave indentation, which permits the bearing to roll with seismic activity while still maintaining a fairly stable foundation for each airport terminal pillar. Magnetized bearings are used in products that have the need for high speed moving parts. Some electronic devices and products require parts to revolve as fast as 50,000 revolutions per minute. Normal bearings would melt down or eventually freeze up, but the magnetic field of the bearings floats the moving part away from the bearing so it is free from friction.

Bearing balls come in many sizes and they are made from different materials. Some bearings are made from steel and other metals, others bearings might be made from plastic or ceramic material. Lighter products such as fishing reels may have plastic or ceramic bearings, while inline skates or bicycles require steel bearings, which are stronger and able to carry a much heavier bearing load. There is a definite correlation between bearing material and its ability to carry a load.


The advent of ball bearings has changed the world we live in. Bearing steel balls are molded and pressed into perfectly shaped balls that eventually go through the grinding, heating, coating, and lubrication that makes steel ball bearings so round, strong, and free from faults and flaws. The more perfect the bearing, the less friction its causes. Whether you want to provide earthquake proof buildings or create the high speed revolutions of computers, bearing technology will be the leading edge to a better and more efficient world.