GOST 801-78 PDF

Full title and description

GOST 801-78 — "Сталь подшипниковая. Технические условия" (Bearing steel. Technical conditions). National (Soviet / interstate) standard that specified technical requirements, assortment, acceptance and testing rules, marking and packaging for bearing steels and rolled products intended for manufacture of bearing rings, balls and rollers.

Abstract

GOST 801-78 established grades, chemical compositions, mechanical and technological requirements, heat-treatment and supply conditions for bearing steels (commonly designated ШХ… grades such as ШХ15, ШХ4, ШХ15СГ, ШХ20СГ), and for associated forms (hot-rolled bars, calibrated bars, tubes, billets, forgings and wire). The standard defined test methods, acceptance rules, and marking/packaging requirements for products used in manufacture of rolling elements and bearing components. The standard has been superseded by a modern replacement standard in 2023.

General information

• Status: Replaced / superseded (was in force historically; superseded in 2023).
• Publication date: Approved 17 August 1978; introduced 1 January 1982; reissued edition published 2004 (with multiple amendments during service life).
• Publisher: USSR State Committee for Standards / Interstate (MGS) standard system; later distributed by national standards publishers (Издательство стандартов and successor bodies).
• ICS / categories: 77.080.20 (Metallurgy — Ferrous metals; steels for rolling-element bearings and related products).
• Edition / version: Designation GOST 801-78 (original 1978 edition); reissues and corrigenda issued (notable amendments: Oct 1987, Mar 1989, Jan & Nov 1990, Jul 1999, Sep 2001) and a reprint/reissue in 2004.
• Number of pages: Approximately 23 pages (typical published text length).

Scope

The standard covered hot‑rolled and calibrated bearing steels (diameter or thickness up to 250 mm), cold‑finished and special‑surface treated steel (drawn or non‑drawn), and — with respect to chemical composition limits — also castings, slabs, tubes, sheets, forgings and wire intended for manufacture of bearing rings, balls and rollers. It established grades, chemical limits, mechanical property limits, surface quality groups, dimensional tolerances, heat‑treatment and testing/acceptance procedures for industrial production and procurement.

Key topics and requirements

• Designation and list of bearing steel grades (e.g., ШХ15, ШХ4, ШХ15СГ, ШХ20СГ and variants for remelted/vacuum or ESR products).
• Chemical composition limits for each grade (carbon, chromium, silicon, manganese and other controlled elements).
• Assortment and dimensional tolerances for hot-rolled, calibrated (cold-drawn) bars, tubes, forgings and wire intended for bearings.
• Surface quality grouping (surface finish classes) and allowable non‑metallic inclusion levels.
• Requirements for heat treatment, hardenability/procailability checks (including methods such as end‑quench tests), and specified hardness ranges for supplied conditions.
• Acceptance rules, sampling and test methods (chemical analysis, mechanical tests, metallography, non‑metallic inclusion assessment).
• Marking, packaging and delivery conditions for traceability and safe transport/storage of bearing steel products.

Typical use and users

Used by steelmakers, rolling mills and specialty steel producers, bearing manufacturers (balls, rollers, rings), suppliers of bearing‑grade bars and tubes, heat treatment shops, quality laboratories, design engineers and procurement specialists in industries requiring rolling‑element bearings (automotive, railway, aerospace, machine tools, heavy industry). Engineering and quality departments use the standard to specify material for bearing component production and acceptance.

Related standards

Preceded by and replaced ГОСТ 801-60. In modern practice it has been superseded by a later standard (GOST 801-2022 / Rolled products from bearing steel. Specifications). GOST 801-78 also referenced many normative documents for testing and dimensions (examples include standards on dimensional tolerances, surface quality, test methods and related metallurgical norms used in bearing‑steel production and inspection).

Keywords

GOST 801-78; bearing steel; bearing grades; ШХ15; ШХ4; ШХ15СГ; steel for bearings; technical conditions; chemical composition; hardenability; acceptance; rolled products; balls; rollers; rings.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: GOST 801-78 is a Soviet/interstate technical standard titled "Сталь подшипниковая. Технические условия" (Bearing steel. Technical conditions) that defined grades, requirements and test/acceptance rules for steels used to make rolling‑element bearings.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers bearing steel grades (chemical composition), assortment (hot‑rolled, calibrated bars, tubes, forgings, wire), surface quality, dimensional tolerances, heat‑treatment requirements, test methods, acceptance rules, marking and packaging for products intended for manufacture of bearing rings, balls and rollers.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Steel producers, rolling mills, bearing manufacturers, metallurgical and heat‑treatment shops, quality/inspection laboratories, design and procurement engineers specifying materials for bearings and related components.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: Superseded. GOST 801-78 was the operative standard from the late 1970s and through reissues; it was replaced by a modern standard published in 2023 (GOST 801-2022). Records show the historic standard’s formal validity ended in 2023 and the new GOST 801 series is the current normative document for bearing steel specifications.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it belonged to the body of metallurgical standards covering steels and rolled products for bearings and was associated with predecessor and successor documents (e.g., replaced ГОСТ 801-60 and later replaced by GOST 801-2022). It also references and works together with other GOSTs that govern dimensions, surface quality, test methods and metallurgical procedures.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: Bearing steel; ШХ15; ШХ4; ШХ15СГ; technical conditions; hardenability; chemical composition; rolled products; balls; rollers; bearings.