What oil and lube method does my roller chain need?
Roller chain lubrication selector. Enter the chain, speed and ambient temperature. You get the oil grade range each published source gives, the minimum lubrication type (A, B or C), method settings, a relube and oil-change schedule, and dry-film options whose data-sheet limits fit.
Operating conditions (optional)
Viscosity grade chart
Grades are not equivalent; the chart shows approximate overlap only. Tap the chart to zoom.
How this calculator works
- Chain speed: small-sprocket teeth × chain pitch (in) × RPM ÷ 12 gives ft/min, unless you type a chain speed.
- Oil grade: your ambient temperature is looked up in each source’s own table. Diamond and Renold give ISO VG grades; ACA/ANSI and Tsubaki give SAE grades only. Each source’s answer is shown as published.
- Lube method (Type A, B or C): chain speed is compared with the speed limits for that pitch. Type A is manual (brush or oil can) or drip, Type B is an oil bath or slinger disc, Type C is a pump-fed oil stream. A better type is always acceptable (ACA). The speed limits come from MAXTOP, a chain maker’s simplified speed chart, not the full ANSI table, which sets the type cell by cell from chain, teeth and RPM.
- Relube, wear, applicators, dry films: relube and oil-change intervals and wear limits are quoted from ACA, Diamond and Wippermann; applicators and dry films are checked against each maker’s published pitch, speed and temperature limits.
Sources are linked at the top of the page and in “Notes & sources” in the results.
Worked example
A #60 conveyor chain on a 17-tooth sprocket at 100 RPM, 25 °C ambient, no special conditions ticked.
Inputs: ANSI chain no. 60 · small sprocket teeth 17 · small sprocket RPM 100 · ambient 25 °C.
Calculator output: “In short: for a #60 chain at 106 ft/min and 25 °C ambient, use ISO VG 100 oil (Diamond and Renold), applied Type A: manual (brush or oil can) or drip.” Also listed: SAE 30 (ACA/ANSI) and SAE 30 (Tsubaki); relube every 8 h of running, or often enough that joints never look dry or discoloured (ACA); 3 of 6 applicators fit, first listed Interlube Rotalube. The wear check shows a new #60 chain spans 9.000 in over 12 pitches; replace at 9.270 in (3 %, Diamond).
Frequently asked questions
Can I use grease on a roller chain?
The chain sources on this page (ACA, Diamond, Renold and Tsubaki) call for oil: heavy oil and grease are too stiff to get into the pin and bushing joint. The one exception they list is Renold’s note that special low-temperature greases can be used between −5 and −40 °C; ask your lubricant supplier.
Why do the sources disagree on the oil grade?
Each maker publishes its own temperature table with different band edges, and ACA/ANSI and Tsubaki give SAE grades only. The page shows each source’s range instead of picking one. Diamond notes that the heaviest oil that still flows between the link plates gives the best wear life.
What is a dry film, and when would I use it instead of oil?
A bonded dry film, such as the Henkel MoS₂ and graphite coatings listed under Special conditions, is sprayed or dipped on and stays dry, so it does not fling off or hold dust like wet oil. The page rates them only when you tick a condition such as dusty, fling-off, no wet lubricant or new chain, and only within each data sheet’s temperature limit. On an assembled chain it may not reach the pin and bushing area, two of the three need an oven cure, and none lists NSF H1.
What is a lubricating sprocket like RotaLube, and does it fit my chain?
It is an applicator sprocket that runs in the chain and feeds oil through its teeth to the pins and bushings. The page lists RotaLube ECO Simplex and Extreme, Interlube Rotalube, Bijur Delimon brush oilers and SKF Lincoln brush, guide-block and OCL-M oilers, and marks one as fitting only when the maker’s published pitch, speed and temperature limits cover your chain. For example, RotaLube publishes ECO Simplex for ANSI 35 to 120 chain, 0 to +65 °C, up to 50 m/min.
How do I know my chain is worn?
Measure 12 pitches on a tight span, roller centre to roller centre, and compare with the replacement length shown under “Relube schedule & wear limits” (for a #60 chain: 9.000 in new, replace at 9.270 in at Diamond’s 3 %). Or use the chain wear check.