What this product reference covers.
Lubricating grease is a base oil held in a thickener matrix with additives, selected by consistency, temperature, speed, load, water and compatibility needs.
Products within the family.
Names used in commerce can overlap. Use the nominated standard and exact grade rather than relying on a generic product label.
Lithium / lithium-complex
Lithium / lithium-complex is a recognised lubricating grease category whose exact composition, grade limits and suitability must be confirmed from the governing specification and equipment requirement.
Calcium sulfonate complex
Calcium sulfonate complex is a recognised lubricating grease category whose exact composition, grade limits and suitability must be confirmed from the governing specification and equipment requirement rather than inferred from the generic label.
Polyurea
Polyurea is a recognised lubricating grease category whose exact composition, grade limits and suitability must be confirmed from the governing specification and equipment requirement rather than inferred from the generic label.
Aluminium-complex and specialty greases
Aluminium-complex and specialty greases is a recognised lubricating grease category whose exact composition, grade limits and suitability must be confirmed from the governing specification and equipment requirement rather than inferred from the generic label.
What the product is built from.
| Component | Technical role |
|---|---|
| Base oil | Provides the lubricating film released from the thickener structure. |
| Thickener | Retains oil and establishes consistency, mechanical stability and water response. |
| Performance additives | Provide wear, oxidation, corrosion, load-carrying and tackiness performance. |
| Solid lubricants where specified | Support boundary lubrication in selected slow-speed or shock-loaded duties. |
Define the decision before selecting the panel.
- 01
Confirm new lubricating grease identity, grade and fitness for the intended application.
- 02
Detect contamination, degradation, mixing or storage-related change.
- 03
Investigate abnormal equipment, combustion, filtration or handling behaviour.
- 04
Establish a representative baseline for later comparison.
- 05
Support specification, maintenance and root-cause decisions with corroborated evidence.
What each result contributes.
“High” and “low” are directional investigation prompts, not pass/fail decisions. Corroborate them using the correct specification, baseline and companion evidence.
Open ASTM, ISO, IS/BIS, DIN and companion methods →| Test / parameter | Typical methods | Why it matters | Possible causes when high | Possible causes when low |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Worked penetration / consistency | ASTM D217 / ISO 2137 | Classifies consistency and detects softening or hardening. | Softer grease, oil addition, shear or contamination. | Hardening, oil loss, oxidation, low temperature or wrong grade. |
| Dropping point | ASTM D2265 / ISO 6299 | Characterises thickener response to heat; it is not a service-temperature limit. | Higher-temperature thickener system or formulation difference. | Incompatible mixing, degraded thickener or lower-temperature product. |
| Oil separation | ASTM D6184 / product method | Assesses tendency for base oil to bleed from the thickener structure. | Heat, storage, overworking, contamination or incompatible mixing. | Strong retention; excessive retention can also limit oil release. |
| Wear metals / ferrous debris | ASTM D7303, PQ and ferrography procedures | Provides machine-wear evidence when sampling is representative. | Active wear, corrosion, dirt or maintenance debris. | Stable condition or poor debris capture in the submitted sample. |
| Water / contamination | ASTM D6304 or grease-specific procedures | Screens ingress that can alter consistency, corrosion protection and life. | Washdown, seal failure, condensation or poor storage. | Dry service or sampling away from the ingress zone. |
| Worked penetration / consistency | ASTM D217; ISO 2137 | Classifies grease consistency and detects softening, hardening, shear or incompatible mixing. | Higher penetration means softer grease: shear, oil addition, heat or incompatible mixing. | Lower penetration means harder grease: oil loss, oxidation, cold exposure or incompatible mixing. |
| Dropping point | ASTM D2265; ISO 6299 | Characterises thickener response to heat for identity and compatibility checks; it is not a maximum service temperature. | Different high-temperature thickener or formulation; compare with product type rather than ranking alone. | Lower-temperature thickener, contamination, degradation or incompatible grease mixing. |
| Oil separation | ASTM D6184; product-specific bleed test | Assesses tendency of base oil to separate from the thickener during storage under defined conditions. | Heat, overworking, weak thickener structure, contamination or incompatible mixing. | Strong retention; excessively low release can also restrict oil delivery in some bearings. |
| Grease compatibility | ASTM D6185 primary protocol | Compares penetration, dropping point and storage stability of mixtures before changing grease type. | No high/low universal direction; excessive softening, hardening or oil separation indicates incompatibility risk. | Small changes suggest compatibility under the test, but field purging and application validation remain necessary. |
| Wear / load-carrying performance | ASTM D4172; ASTM D2783 or application-specific gear/EP test | Characterises anti-wear or extreme-pressure performance for product qualification and comparative investigation. | For scar diameter: poor anti-wear response, contamination or depleted/additive-incompatible oil. | For scar diameter: stronger film/additive response; results do not directly predict a specific machine's wear rate. |
| Ferrous debris / PQ index | Direct-reading ferrous density / PQ method; laboratory procedure | Responds to ferromagnetic debris including particles larger than routine ICP can efficiently detect. | Active gear, bearing, liner or steel-component wear; corrosion scale or maintenance debris. | Stable wear or little ferrous debris; a low value does not exclude non-ferrous or very fine wear. |
| Analytical ferrography / wear-particle morphology | ASTM D7690 or documented microscopic procedure | Examines particle size, shape, colour and concentration to distinguish rubbing, cutting, fatigue, corrosion and contaminant debris. | More severe particles, increasing concentration or a morphology consistent with active distress. | Few captured particles; poor agitation, settling or sampling away from the wear path can reduce recovery. |
Five-step evidence analysis.
Move from a trustworthy sample to a tested failure hypothesis, proportionate maintenance response and documented confirmation. Each step increases or reduces diagnostic confidence.
Choose a representative sampling procedure →- 01Validate the evidence: confirm asset identity, a repeatable live-zone sampling point, operating state, oil hours, make-up volume and recent maintenance for rolling bearings. Repeat the sample when identity, container, flushing or handling is doubtful.
- 02Establish the correct baseline: confirm the declared lubricating grease grade, base chemistry and additive profile. Compare method-consistent results with new oil, the previous stable sample and rate of change rather than a universal limit.
- 03Build the contamination pattern: Evaluate water, dirt, process material and incompatible grease using penetration, FTIR, elemental profile and texture. Require an independent companion signal, inspection finding or filter observation before assigning a source.
- 04Test and localise the failure hypothesis: Correlate debris, morphology, oil separation and oxidation with bearing temperature, noise, purge appearance and relubrication. Check whether the proposed mechanism explains the full pattern, including contradictory or absent evidence.
- 05Select and verify proportionate action: Correct product, quantity, interval or sealing, inspect the bearing and collect a representative purge-zone follow-up. Record the intervention, resample at a risk-based interval from the same point and confirm that the trend responded as expected.