Oil seal with stainless steel spring

An oil seal with stainless steel spring is a radial shaft seal whose lip spring is made of stainless steel instead of standard spring steel. The stainless spring resists corrosion, making this seal suitable for assemblies exposed to water, moisture and more aggressive media.

Why a stainless steel spring?

The garter spring keeps the sealing lip pressed against the shaft and compensates for wear. Standard seals use spring steel (e.g. SAE 1074); this version uses stainless steel wire, typically AISI 302/304. When a spring corrodes it loses its radial force and the seal starts to leak, so a stainless spring is the safer choice wherever rust is a risk.

When to choose an oil seal with stainless spring

• Assemblies in contact with water or constant moisture
• Pumps and equipment in humid and corrosive environments
• Replacing a seal whose spring has previously corroded
• With FKM (Viton) seals, which manufacturers often supply with a stainless spring

How to choose the size

Size is written as d × D × b (in millimetres):

• d – inner diameter: shaft diameter
• D – outer diameter: housing bore diameter
• b – width: ring height, i.e. installation depth

Example: an oil seal 35x72x10 mm fits a Ø 35 mm shaft, a Ø 72 mm bore and has a width of 10 mm. Pick your size from the table below or narrow it down with the filters.

When replacing, also check the shaft surface where the lip runs. A worn or grooved shaft shortens the life of the new seal.