Roll-neck grease is chosen for water and shock, not for the drop point
A hot-strip or section-mill roll neck sees impact, scale and water. Lithium complex became the default because plants already knew it. Calcium sulfonate complex is specified when washout and inherent extreme pressure are the failure. They are not drop-in swaps. Fire-resistant hydraulic fluid near the caster is a third product. This page routes the duty; it is not a mill manual.
LiX or CaSX is a plant decision
The comparison we publish for formulators is lithium complex or calcium sulfonate on a roll neck, next to the build pages for lithium complex and calcium sulfonate. Read those before asking for “steel mill grease” as if it were one NLGI grade.
What the TDS should carry: NLGI grade for the centralised system (often 1 or 2, sometimes softer), four-ball weld, water washout, and base-oil viscosity. A 260 °C drop point does not mean the bearing runs at 260 °C. The dropping-point note is the correction.
Caster, cranes and hydraulics
Continuous caster
Oscillation bearings see heat and water in a tighter space than a roll neck. Do not assume the roll-neck grease is approved there.
Cranes and tables
Often a more ordinary EP grease, until radiant heat or water says otherwise. High-temperature options are on the HT grease page.
Fire-resistant hydraulics
HFC (water-glycol) and HFDU (synthetic ester) are specified where a mineral leak is a fire. Fire-resistant hydraulic formulation and the HFC vs HFDU note.
Morgoil / oil-film bearings
Where the mill uses circulating oil rather than grease, that is a bearing-oil brief, not a grease brief. Say which stands are greased.
Methods, not slogans
Public patents and papers cited as field references. Lubechem does not own these inventions and this page is not a formula.
- ASTM D217, D2265, D2596, D1264, D6185 — Penetration, drop point, weld, washout, grease compatibility. Compatibility is the purge decision.
- IS 7623 — Indian multipurpose grease standard. A mill grease may need more than the minimum multipurpose file.
Steel mill questions
Is calcium sulfonate always better than lithium complex in a steel mill?
No. It is better where water, rust and shock are the reason the lithium grease is failing. On a dry, well-relubed stand, lithium complex can be the correct and cheaper grease.
Can we mix the two during a changeover?
Do not top one onto the other. Check compatibility and purge. Mixed thickener systems are a common cause of a soft, leaking grease that then gets blamed on the new product.
Does Lubechem sell mill grease?
Lubechem Consultant writes the formula for the manufacturer. The mill buys finished grease from its supplier.
Name the stand and the fluid that failed
Roll neck, caster or hydraulic. Attach the current TDS and what the bearing looked like.
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