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"HOW CAN I DETERMINE WHAT TYPE OF OIL SEAL I NEED?"
Oil seals (or rotary seals) come in a range of materials and types, some of the most common materials we are asked for are: nitrile, highly saturated nitrile, Viton®, silicone and PTFE. Our website listings are for Nitrile and Viton®, but we are able to source and supply the above and more, on demand.
Oil seals can be difficult to get right, especially if you do not have the original machine specifications to advise. There are a few ways to identify oil seals, from the design of them, size and material. With hundreds of different oil seals available on the market, we offer as standard the four most common design types: Nitrile or Viton® material, in either single or double lipped. How to determine your seal can be found below.
Nitrile oil seals (also known as acrylonitrile butadiene rubber seals or NBR) are the most commonly used material and are a very good general purpose use to to the flexibility of use across a range of different components. Nitrile has a strong resistance against fats, hot water, gasoline and different oils. The temperature range of nitrile oil seals is fairly narrow, generally between -30°C to 100°C, meaning nitrile oil seals are a bad choice for components seeing extreme temperature changes. Nitrile will generally be black in colour, but other colours can be sourced if necessary, this is how to differentiate between materials. See below image.
Viton® oil seals (also known as FKM) are fluorocarbon based fluoroelastomer material, containing vinylidene fluoride as a monomer. Viton® seals are best suited for diverse sealing jobs that require high temperature and chemical resistance, being able to withstand temperatures between -20°C to 210°C. Viton® seals will generally be brown in colour, or have FKM stamped on the top of the seal. See below image.
"The primary function of an oil seal is to protect & enhance the life span of bearing systems by retaining the lubricant, overall reducing friction."
R1 - An R1 oil seal is a totally metal encased seal, generally with a nitrile lip. The outer metal shell can be offered in mild steel, or stainless steel, whilst the inner lip can be offered in nitrile, Viton®, PTFE and leather.
R4 - An R4 oil seal is a single lipped, metal cased seal. The single lip can be offered in either nitrile or Viton® and comes with a spring type sealing lip.
R6 - An R6 oil seal is a double lipped, metal cased seal. The double lip can be offered in either nitrile or Viton® and comes with a spring type sealing lip.
R21 - A R21 oil seal is a single lipped, rubber coated seal with a metal inner. The seal can be offered in nitrile, Viton® and silicone and comes with a spring type sealing lip.
R23 - A R23 oil seal is a double lipped, rubber coated seal with a metal inner. The seal can be offered in nitrile, Viton® and silicone and comes with a spring type sealing lip.
For more information, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.
"SO, NOW I HAVE DETERMINED THE MATERIAL AND TYPE OF OIL SEAL, HOW DO I KNOW THE SIZE?"
Once you have determined the type of seal you are after, you would need to let us know the size of the seal. Most seals will have numbers written on them, generally, these are your metric sizes in the order of inner diameter, outer diameter, width. See image below highlighting the numbers stamped onto the oil seal. If you are unable to read the numbers on your seal, simply get a vernier and measure the inside diameter, outer diameter and the width.
Last Modified: 11th OctReplacing a critical component can be difficult to get right, especially if you do not have the original machine specifications. Thankfully, there are a few ways to identify oil seals; from their design, size and material. As there are hundreds of different oil seals available on the market, this guide will cover the four most common design types. Typically available with either a single or double lip, in Nitrile or Viton Rubber Material.
Firstly, the oil seals covered in this guide classify the single lip as the inner diameter at the bottom of the component. The single lip is vital to the function of the seal by containing the oil, grease or lubricant. The only difference between a single and double lip is the additional rubber lip on the top of the oil seal which helps prevent dust or dirt from coming close to the shaft. Identifying the oil seal lip can be misinterpreted with a visual inspection alone. For or this reason, you should press along the inner diameter at the top of the seal, if you feel a ridge with a slight movement or give it is highly likely you have a double lipped oil seal.
Industry retailers use unique codes to identify oil seals worldwide. The most common lip style designations are 21 (single lip) and 23 (double lip), please read our Oil Seal Cross Reference Guide for more detailed information.
Fully covered outer diameter for excellent sealing. This oil seal is fully enclosed in a rubber material and is the most widely used type of oil seal. Great resistance to thermal cycling, temperatures and different chemical resistance.
Economic metal outer diameter for standard applications. This is an economical oil seal where the metal is exposed on one side and offers a closer fitting between the oil seal and housing or bore. Due to this, it has limited use with sealing thin liquids or gases.
The same design as type B with an additional inner case for greater structural rigidity. This type of oil seal is typically used in heavy-duty engineering machinery or large diameter sized seals
The same design as type A with corrosion protected metal case and stainless-steel garter spring. Suitable for use with a wide range of fuels and chemicals.
Nitrile or NBR is black in colour, whereas, Viton or FKM is usually a brownish colour. To understand the main comparisons between the two compounds read our Nitrile vs. Viton article.
Finally, Polymax part codes follow the same pattern as our O-rings - inner diameter, outer diameter and height. This is different from the industry-standard convention, whereby imperial oil seals follow - outer diameter, inner diameter and height.
We hope the information in this article helps you identify the correct oil seal for your application. If you have any queries feel free to call one of our sales engineers on . Polymax stock over 6,000 oil seals available to buy online, browse our oil seal selection today.
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