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ABEC skate bearings - what does it mean?

ABEC skate bearings - what does it mean?

Is it worth to take ABEC number into account while choosing bearings?

ABEC scale is a standard that specifies the production parameters of ball bearings - tolerances between the inner and outer ring of the bearing and ball components. This scale is created by Annular Bearing Engineering Committee (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA) to introduce standard reference point to evaluate quality of machine bearings. This means that we cannot really expect the ABEC scale to be applied to bearings not intened to be used in machines and be a single, objective way to determine their quality.

So, what does ABEC mean for skating?

There are five classes of tolerance: 1, 3, 5 , 7 and 9 (every other is just a marketing trick). The higher the rating, the greater the precision, efficiency and the speed capabilities. Nonetheless, this standard does not specify the type of grease, the number of balls or the quality of the materials from which the components of the bearing are made of - therefore a higher standard does not necessary mean a faster bearing.

ABEC bearing standard specifies many parameters. One of them is theeccentricity (roundness) of the track in the inner ring. The maximum allowableeccentricity :

  • ABEC 1 : 0.0075mm
  • ABEC 3: 0.0050mm
  • ABEC 5: 0.0035mm
  • ABEC 7: 0.0025mm
  • ABEC-9 : 0.0012mm

As you can see these values ​​are very low. Higher ABEC grade means that tolerance is lower - achieving a lower tolerance requires a longer and more precise work of machinery which greatly increases the cost of bearings production.

To not get in to details, just know that manufacturing bearings with ABEC 7 or higher grade, made from high quality materials is very expensive process.

Therefore, it can be stated that:

  • Cheap skates with ABEC-9 inscription on the frame
  • Cheap ABEC-7 or ABEC-9 sold in the price of branded ABEC 3

will not have anything to do with the given ABEC class or, indeed their tolerance will based on ABEC scale, but the materials used in their manufacture are low quality that the final speed of the bearing will be the same as the ABEC 3 made by well-known brand.

Similarly as in the case of wheels, bearings purchase should be limited to proven companies and in both cases, low price means low quality.

ABEC scale in practice

Like in case of wheels, you should choose bearings of a trustworthy brand if you want to buy good quality parts. In this case, qualit follows the price. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to write-off a renown manufacturer skaters just because they come with ABEC5 bearings, for example. On the other hand, the fact  that cheap pair of skates displays large ABEC9 (or even 11) sticker on a frame doesn't translate to anything meaningful when it comes to their quality.

In practice, if you are buying a pair of skates, it is best to completely ignore the bearings and their rating. The impact they have on skating experience is minimal compared to quality and hardness of wheels, rigidity of the frame, the boot and energy transfer. Even if you'll put ABEC1 machine bearings in to a good pair of skates, the skating experience will be orders of magnitude better than in bad quality skates with ABEC9 bearings. Even if you would put a premium set of bearings in to such low quality skates, they wouldn't turn them in to good ones.

What you should be aware of if you plan to change bearings? First of all, ask yourself what type of skating activity you do the most. The faster you want to skate, the better roll you need and thus, higher grade bearings made out of better materials. It is also worth to take a look how shields are made - if there are two, or only one, if they can be taken off or not, as it impacts cleaning process. Furthermore, there is no point in buying ceramic bearings for aggressive skating, where speeds are low, or to use ABEC5 ones in a top tier pair of speedskates.

It is possible to find decent bearings in almost all price ranges, even if you have low budget. Last but not least - it is better to drop a bit more cash on a better quality product and skate it for a long time (with proper maintenance and cleaning) than to buy cheap set that will fall apart within one season.

We invite you to take a look at bearings available in our shop.