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Calculating Grease Quantity, Frequency

Grease Calculator Helps You Determine How Much Grease is Enough
Noria Corporation
Tags: greases, bearing lubrication, electric motor lubrication
Use this handy tool as a general guideline for establishing grease frequency and volume in bearings. If
you need help creating precision calculations for your equipment, consider Noria's Lubrication
Program Development services.

Grease Volume and Frequency Calculator

Units of Measurement
 Imperial  
 Imperial  Metric

Sizing Source Operating Temperature:

Bearing Size 175°F (79.4°C) - 200°F (93.3°C)

Bearing Type: Particle Contamination:

Ball Heavy, non-Abrasive

Width: Moisture:
18  mm < 80% Humidity

Outer Diameter: Vibration:

100  mm > 0.4 ips

Shaft Diameter: Position:

65  mm Vertical

Shaft RPM:
1500
 
The values calculated are based on the data that is input and may not re ect actual in-service
environments. To increase the accuracy of regrease volumes and frequencies we recommend
the use of condition-based tools such as grease analysis and ultrasound.

Regrease Volume Frequency

10.72 gr 1 Week(s)

To calculate grease quantity, you need the bearing’s physical dimensions (primarily the outside
diameter and width). Once you have these two measurements (in inches), you multiply them together
and then multiply by 0.114. The resulting answer is the grease quantity in ounces. This formula can be
used with metric measurements as well; just use 0.005 instead of 0.114. The result will be grease
quantity in grams. This formula works for all bearings and is widely accepted as the best way to
calculate grease quantity.

Once the required grease volume has been calculated, you will need to determine how often to apply
that amount of grease. This timeframe is known as the regreasing frequency. This calculation is more
complex. The machine’s operating conditions must be collected along with some additional bearing
information.

Temperature is known to affect both grease and oil, so naturally one of the rst correcting factors that
must be collected is operating temperature. The hotter the environment, the more frequently the
grease must be replenished. The ambient contamination (how dusty the environment is) and moisture
(how humid the environment is) work in a similar manner. The dirtier and wetter the environment, the
more often the bearing must be regreased.

Simple things like the bearing’s physical position and vibration will also affect the grease’s run-out and
frequency of reapplication. If the bearing is mounted on a vertical shaft, the grease has a tendency to
run out of the bearing quicker, thus needing to be replenished more often. When the bearing is
subjected to vibration, it causes the oil in the grease to separate from the thickener, allowing it to drain
away from where it is needed much faster. Therefore, these two correcting factors — position and
vibration — should be taken into consideration.

The nal correcting factor is that of the bearing element shape. This is important because each
different element stresses the grease differently. For instance, a ball rolling across the race churns the
grease differently than a spherical element, which churns the grease much more heavily.

Below is a chart of these correcting factors and how they operate together. Once they have been
calculated properly, the nal pieces of the puzzle are the bearing ID and speed of rotation. Through
some simple math, you are left with a run-time (in hours) frequency for regreasing.

 
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