Fountain Valley Skating Center
9105 Recreation Circle Fountain Valley CA 92708
714-847-0022 * info@fountainvalleyskatingcenter.com

Guide To ABEC Rated Skate Bearings

Fountain Valley Skating Center's pro shop offers the best quality skate gear at affordable prices. Our highly-trained staff is available for consultation to provide the best product for your specific needs.

What Does ABEC Mean?

The ABEC scale is a system for rating the manufacturing tolerances of precision bearings. The system was developed by the Annular Bearing Engineering Committee or Council (ABEC) of the American Bearing Manufacturers Association (ABMA). The American Bearing Manufacturers Association was formerly known as the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association.

Bearings rated under the ABEC system are typically called "precision bearings", and they are rated with a number from 1 to 9, with the higher number assigned to bearings manufactured against a higher standard of precision (high number = tighter tolerances = more expensive bearing).

What Does Tolerance Mean?

Tolerance is the amount of variation from an absolute exact measurement that is permitted during the manufacturing process.

Other Rating Systems:

ABEC is only one system for rating bearing tolerances. The International Standards Organization (ISO) and the German National Standards Organization (DIN) use similar scales to rate the precision of bearings. In the ISO and DIN systems, a smaller number means a tighter tolerance and a larger number means a looser tolerance. This is just the opposite of the ABEC system. See the following table for equivalents.

ABEC	ISO	DIN
ABEC 1	Normal	P0
ABEC 3	Class 6	P6
ABEC 5	Class 5	P5
ABEC 7	Class 4	P4
ABEC 9	Class 2	P2
Key: ABEC = ABMA system for rating ball bearing tolerances ISO = International Standards Organization DIN = German National Standards Organization

We carry professional skate products by these and other well-respected manufacturers:

Yes, we accept personal & business checks (21 day hold for bank clearances) 10% Restock on all returns, no exceptions Restock fee waived for store credit Credit processing: 5-7 working days California residents add 7.75% sales tax Prices subject to change without notice Some product may be subject to back order Prices do not include shipping Call for a shipping quote Sorry no shipments to A.P.O.'s or F.P.O.'s FVSC only ships to billing address of credit card $25.00 minimum product order No refunds on shipping & handling Ordering from this Web site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions