ABEC stands for Annular Bearing Engineers’ Committee. This committee established the standards used for bearings by the Anti-Friction Bearing Manufacturers Association (AFBMA).
The ABEC rating of skate bearings is based on a scale that is used to measure the precision of a ball bearing. The scale uses odd-numbered levels 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9, with 9, and the higher this number is, the tighter the tolerance of the bearing and the better the degree of precision of the bearing. For example, the ABEC rating of a size 608 size bearing is established with the following information:
How close the bore is to 8mm in microns.
How close the outer diameter is to 22 in microns.
How close the width is to 7mm in microns.
The accuracy of rotation in microns.
The ABEC rating or any other ratings system is not the only consideration when choosing bearings for inline skating. The bearing construction material (steel,ceramic or a combination), the load (forward and backward spinning motion) and impact resistance will affect bearing performance in inline, roller skating or other roller sports activities.
