Advancement of Skateboard Bearing Technology

Believe it or not, advancements in skateboard bearing size technology have pushed the envelope of modern bearing development.

Due to the extreme loads experienced in modern street skateboarding, the development of skateboard bearings has accelerated over the past ten years.

Manufacturers in other industries—such as aerospace, automotive, and machinery—have also learned from extreme skateboarders.

Our Advantages as a Professional Manufacturer

As a professional skateboard bearing manufacturer, we have two major advantages over other industrial counterparts.

First, our skate bearings are priced lower since we are the producer; we aim to expand sales through low margins and quickly gain more market share.

Second, we can customize according to customers' requirements, including printing the client's logo on the bearing shield, providing custom packaging, and producing non-standard sizes. You can learn more about us below.

Standard Skateboard Bearing Sizes

Standard skateboard bearing sizes include the following types:

608 Skateboard Bearings

Generally in the skateboard industry, 608 bearings (8 × 22 × 7 mm) are the most popular and widely used.

A vast majority of customers choose this specification, although some other miniature ball bearings with similar dimensions have also been used.

  • Inside diameter: 8 mm

  • Outside diameter: 22 mm

  • Width (unsealed): 7 mm

  • Width (two shields): 7 mm

  • Typical use: Commonly used for inline skate wheels, scooter wheels, and skateboard wheels, and sometimes for quad speed skate wheels.

627 Bearings

  • Inside diameter: 7 mm

  • Outside diameter: 22 mm

  • Width (unsealed): 7 mm

  • Width (two shields): 7 mm

  • Typical use: Often used in artistic and recreational quad roller skate wheels and sometimes in quad speed skate wheels.

688 Bearings

Lately, the inline industry has been using 688 bearings—micro bearings—for wheels with microhubs.

The rationale is to reduce wheel and bearing weight while maintaining fairly low rolling resistance.

  • Inside diameter: 8 mm

  • Outside diameter: 16 mm

  • Width (unsealed): 4 mm

  • Width (two shields): 5 mm

  • Typical use: Extra-light microbearing used in some newer fitness and speed skate wheels.

698 Bearings

  • Inside diameter: 8 mm

  • Outside diameter: 19 mm

  • Width (unsealed): 6 mm

  • Width (two shields): [not specified]

  • Typical use: Another extra-light microbearing option, similar to the 688 but with a slightly larger outer diameter for greater load capacity; also used in newer fitness and speed skate wheels.

Bearing Brands in the Market

There are many bearing brands on the market, and bearings are available in various materials, such as stainless steel.

Note that some bearings are produced in the same factory but marketed under different brand names.

Some brands include NMB, Powell Swiss (commonly called Bones bearings), GMN, Fafnir, Black-Hole, YAKs, Twincam, M&A Smith Stealth, (Super) Sonic, Terminator, Hyper (Boss & RPM), FKD, NHBB, GMBH, DF, and Grizzly.

Regardless of brand, choose the skateboard bearing size that suits your skateboard best—there is no need to chase brands.