Bearing steel for extreme demands

Bearing steel is an essential grade for demanding applications that require extreme strength, durability, and fatigue resistance. Ovako’s BQ-Steel® (Bearing Quality Steel) leads the way by offering extended performance, higher loads, and high cleanness made by possible by our clean steel program that ensures purity of production. Below you’ll find details on why BQ-Steel® bearing steel is the standard across demanding industries — both within the bearing sector and beyond.

The demand for BQ-Steel® (Bearing Quality) has for many decades been driven by the bearing industry. It is optimized for fatigue strength by a strict control of steel cleanness. The same approach to enhanced fatigue performance is now being applied in many other applications.

Fatigue strength and cleanness of Bearing steel

The extended performance, higher loads, and high cleanness are a result of the Ovako clean steel program. Purity of production means that the material has significantly smaller inclusions compared to conventional steel. The result is a dramatic increase in the fatigue strength of the bearing steel.

The drive to reduce component dimensions while supporting increased loads is a major challenge for manufacturers seeking energy savings, better resource utilization and lower weight. The high strength and fatigue resistance offered by bearing steel facilitate the manufacture of components to meet the requirements of today and tomorrow. This is especially important for applications where high cyclic loading is an issue.

Inclusions affect fatigue life in Bearing Steel

Steel quality has a tremendous impact on the fatigue life of a component. In conventional steel, non-metallic inclusions can be as large as 100 µm or even bigger. When a component is subjected to varying loads these large inclusions may cause fatigue cracks to initiate in highly stressed areas, leading ultimately to material failure.

Through continuous research and development, Ovako  was able to introduce a clean, bearing steel (BQ-Steel) with inclusions typically less than 20 µm. The fatigue strength of BQ-Steel is from 600 to over 800 MPa, depending on the loading direction. In contrast, conventional steels have a fatigue strength of between 300 to 500 MPa. The rolling direction has a strong influence on fatigue properties for most steels. BQ-Steel is no exception. For an improved isotropic performance, we therefore recommend IQ-Steel for the most demanding applications.

Research and development in Bearing Steel

Through extensive research and development in bearing steel, Ovako has developed a detailed understanding of how small defects influence material performance. By studying the connection between steel cleanliness, inclusion characteristics, and fatigue strength, we have built a comprehensive database that supports continuous improvement in clean bearing steel production.

These insights have led to significant gains in the fatigue performance of our bearing steel grades. As a result, manufacturers can reconsider traditional design approaches and create lighter components with high reliability. Improved bearing steel purity enhances service life, supports higher load capacities, and enables more efficient and sustainable engineering solutions for demanding applications.

Ovako Customer Service and Bearing Steel Supply

The BQ process can be applied to all our bearing steel grades. We work closely with customers to optimize the steel supply chain to meet their requirements, including multiple product packages. Bearing steel is available in tubes, bars, wire and rings.

Our services are underpinned by a detailed understanding of the industrial applications of our products, while paying as much attention as possible to your needs through regular direct contact. Ovako can advise you on how to best implement BQ-Steel for your components in demanding applications.

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