INTERNATIONAL ISO

STANDARD 683-17

Fourth edition
2023-09

Heat-treatable steels, alloy steels and

free-cutting steels —
Part 17:
Ball and roller bearing steels
Aciers pour traitement thermique, aciers alliés et aciers pour
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décolletage —
Partie 17: Aciers pour roulements
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Reference number
ISO 683-17:2023(E)

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Contents Page

Foreword...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................v
1 Scope.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 1
2 Normative references...................................................................................................................................................................................... 1
3 Terms and definitions..................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
4 Classification and designation............................................................................................................................................................... 2
4.1 Classification............................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
4.2 Designation................................................................................................................................................................................................. 2
5 Information to be supplied by the purchaser........................................................................................................................ 3
5.1 Mandatory information................................................................................................................................................................... 3
5.2 Options/Supplementary or special requirements................................................................................................... 3
6 Manufacturing process.................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
6.1 General............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 3
6.2 Deoxidation, vacuum degassing and hydrogen removal.................................................................................... 4
6.3 Heat-treatment and surface condition at delivery................................................................................................... 4
6.3.1 Heat-treatment condition............................................................................................................................................ 4
6.3.2 Particular surface conditions.................................................................................................................................. 4
6.3.3 Traceability of the cast................................................................................................................................................... 4
7 Requirements........................................................................................................................................................................................................... 4
7.1
7.2
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General............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Chemical composition....................................................................................................................................................................... 4
7.3
7.4
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Hardenability............................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Hardness....................................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
7.5 Microstructure........................................................................................................................................................................................ 5
7.5.1 Austenitic grain size ISO of case-hardening and induction-hardening bearing
683-17:2023
steels.............................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
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7.5.2 Spheroidization and distribution of carbides............................................................................................ 5
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7.5.3 Structure of case-hardening steels in the condition +FP................................................................ 5
7.6 Non-metallic inclusions................................................................................................................................................................... 5
7.6.1 Microscopic inclusions................................................................................................................................................... 5
7.6.2 Macroscopic inclusions.................................................................................................................................................. 5
7.7 Internal soundness.............................................................................................................................................................................. 5
7.8 Surface quality......................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
7.9 Shape, dimensions and tolerances......................................................................................................................................... 6
8 Inspection..................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
8.1 Testing procedures and types of inspection documents................................................................................... 6
8.2 Frequency of testing........................................................................................................................................................................... 6
8.3 Specific inspection and testing................................................................................................................................................. 6
8.3.1 Verification of the hardenability and hardness....................................................................................... 6
8.3.2 Inspection of the surface quality.......................................................................................................................... 6
8.3.3 Dimensional and shape inspection..................................................................................................................... 7
9 Test methods............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
9.1 Chemical analysis.................................................................................................................................................................................. 7
9.2 Hardness and hardenability tests.......................................................................................................................................... 7
9.2.1 Hardness..................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
9.2.2 Verification of hardenability..................................................................................................................................... 7
9.2.3 Retests.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
10 Marking........................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 7
Annex A (normative) Supplementary or special requirements.......................................................................................... 19
Annex B (informative) Designations of the steels given in Tables 3, 5 and 6 and of
comparable grades covered in various designation systems............................................................................ 22

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Bibliography..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................24

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Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO document should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
ISO draws attention to the possibility that the implementation of this document may involve the use
of (a) patent(s). ISO takes no position concerning the evidence, validity or applicability of any claimed
patent rights in respect thereof. As of the date of publication of this document, ISO had not received
notice of (a) patent(s) which may be required to implement this document. However, implementers are
cautioned that this may not represent the latest information, which may be obtained from the patent
database available at www.iso.org/patents. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all
such patent rights.
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
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constitute an endorsement.

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For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to
the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), see
www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html. ISO 683-17:2023
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This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 17, Steel, Subcommittee SC 4, Heat
9ea04587d74d/iso-683-17-2023
treatable and alloy steels, in collaboration with the European Committee for Standardization (CEN)
Technical Committee CEN/TC 459/SC 5, Steels for heat treatment, alloy steels, free-cutting steels and
stainless steels, in accordance with the Agreement on technical cooperation between ISO and CEN
(Vienna Agreement).
This fourth edition cancels and replaces the third edition (ISO 683-17:2014), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes are as follows:
— induction hardening steel 50CrMo4 and stainless steel X30CrMoN15-1 were added;
— requirements for Ca and Ti content have been added for through-hardening bearing steels;
— requirements for O content have been further restricted for through-hardening and induction-
hardening bearing steels;
— option for H content for premium bearing steels has been added for through-hardening, case-
hardening and induction-hardening bearing steels;
— option for verification of microscopic inclusions in Table A.1 for through-hardening bearing steels
has been revised.
A list of all parts in the ISO 683 series can be found on the ISO website.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.

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INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 683-17:2023(E)

Heat-treatable steels, alloy steels and free-cutting steels —

Part 17:
Ball and roller bearing steels

1 Scope
This document specifies the technical delivery requirements for five groups of wrought ball and roller
bearing steels as listed in Table 3, namely
— through-hardening bearing steels (steels with about 1 % C and 1 % to 2 % Cr),
— case-hardening bearing steels,
— induction-hardening bearing steels (unalloyed and alloyed),
— stainless bearing steels, and
— high-temperature bearing steels.

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This document is applicable to the products and heat-treatment conditions given in Table 1 and the
surface conditions given in Table 2.
(standards.iteh.ai)
2 Normative references
The following documents are referredISO 683-17:2023
to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
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constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
9ea04587d74d/iso-683-17-2023
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 377, Steel and steel products — Location and preparation of samples and test pieces for mechanical
testing
ISO 404, Steel and steel products — General technical delivery requirements
ISO 642, Steel — Hardenability test by end quenching (Jominy test)
ISO 643, Steels — Micrographic determination of the apparent grain size
ISO 3763, Wrought steels — Macroscopic methods for assessing the content of non-metallic inclusions
ISO 3887, Steels — Determination of the depth of decarburization
ISO 4885, Ferrous materials — Heat treatments — Vocabulary
ISO 4948-1, Steels — Classification — Part 1: Classification of steels into unalloyed and alloy steels based
on chemical composition
ISO 4948-2, Steels — Classification — Part 2: Classification of unalloyed and alloy steels according to main
quality classes and main property or application characteristics
ISO 4967, Steel — Determination of content of non-metallic inclusions — Micrographic method using
standard diagrams
ISO 4969, Steel — Etching method for macroscopic examination

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ISO 5949, Tool steels and bearing steels — Micrographic method for assessing the distribution of carbides
using reference photomicrographs
ISO 6506-1, Metallic materials — Brinell hardness test — Part 1: Test method
ISO 6508-1, Metallic materials — Rockwell hardness test — Part 1: Test method
ISO 6929, Steel products — Vocabulary
ISO 9443, Surface quality classes for hot-rolled bars and wire rod
ISO 10474, Steel and steel products — Inspection documents
ISO 14284, Steel and iron — Sampling and preparation of samples for the determination of chemical
composition
ISO 23825, Method for evaluating the nodularity of spheroidal carbides — Steels for cold heading and cold
extruding
ASTM A892, Standard Guide for Defining and Rating the Microstructure of High Carbon Bearing Steels
JIS G0555, Microscopic testing method for the non-metallic inclusions in steel
SEP 1520, Microscopic examination of carbide structure in steels by means of diagram series

3 Terms and definitions

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For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in ISO 377, ISO 4885, ISO 4948-1,
(standards.iteh.ai)
ISO 4948-2, ISO 6929, ISO 9443, ISO 14284 and the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following addresses:
ISO 683-17:2023
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://​w ww​.iso​.org/​obp
https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/1d980d1d-9e79-4fa0-a907-
9ea04587d74d/iso-683-17-2023
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://​
w ww​.electropedia​.org/​
3.1
ball and roller bearing steel
steel for rings and/or rolling bodies which use balls and rollers to maintain the separation between the
moving parts of the bearing

4 Classification and designation

4.1 Classification
The classification of the relevant steel grades is allocated in accordance with ISO 4948-1 and ISO 4948-2.
All steel grades covered by this document are special steels.

4.2 Designation
For the steel grades covered by this document, the steel names given in the relevant tables are allocated
in accordance with ISO/TS 4949.
NOTE Designation of steels covered by this document and of comparable grades covered in various other
designation systems are given in Annex B.

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 ISO 683-17:2023(E)

5 Information to be supplied by the purchaser

5.1 Mandatory information

The manufacturer shall obtain the following information from the purchaser at the time of enquiry and
order:
a) the quantity to be delivered;
b) the designation of the products form (billets, bars, wire rod, wire, tubes, rings, discs, etc.);
c) either the reference to the dimensional standard and the dimensions and tolerances selected
from it (see 7.6) or the designation of any other document covering the dimensions and tolerances
required for the product;
d) a reference to this document, i.e. ISO 683-17:2023;
e) the designation of the steel grade (see Table 3);
f) the symbol for the heat-treatment condition on delivery (see 6.3.1 and Table 1);
g) designation for an inspection certificate 3.1 (see 8.1.1) or, if required, an inspection certificate 3.2
in accordance with ISO 10474.

5.2 Options/Supplementary or special requirements

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A number of options are specified in this document and listed below.
a) (standards.iteh.ai)
If another surface condition than 'hot-worked' or a special surface quality is required, the surface
condition (see Table 2), and the surface quality (see 7.5).
ISO 683-17:2023
b) Any requirement concerning the hardenability (+H) (see 7.3 and Table 5) and the verification of
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hardenability and if agreed the information about calculation of the hardenability (see 9.2.2).
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c) Any supplementary requirement that shall be conformed with, the symbol and, where necessary,
the details of this supplementary requirement (see Annex A).
EXAMPLE 50 hot-rolled round bars according to ISO 1035-1 with nominal diameter of 50,0 mm, nominal
length of 8 000 mm and with tolerance class S on diameter of ± 0,40 mm and tolerance class L2 on length of
+100/0 mm in accordance with ISO 1035-4 and with hot-worked surface made of steel grade ISO 683-17, 100Cr6
(see Table 3) in annealed condition to achieve spheroidized carbides (+AC), with an inspection certificate 3.1 in
accordance with ISO 10474:

50 round bars ISO 1035‑1/-4 – 50,0 S × 8 000 L2

steel grade ISO 683‑17 - 100Cr6+AC

inspection certificate ISO 10474 - 3.1

6 Manufacturing process

6.1 General
Within the restrictions given by the requirements in 6.2 and 6.3, the manufacturing process of the steel
and of the products is left to the discretion of the manufacturer.
If requested, the purchaser shall be informed about the steel making process used.
Remelting of the steel may be agreed upon at the time of enquiry and order.

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6.2 Deoxidation, vacuum degassing and hydrogen removal

All steels shall be deoxidized.
Vacuum degassing and hydrogen removal treatment for premium applications is at the discretion of the
manufacturer.

6.3 Heat-treatment and surface condition at delivery

6.3.1 Heat-treatment condition

The products shall be delivered in one of the heat-treatment conditions given in Table 1, row 2 to row
10, as agreed at the time of enquiry and order. If there is no agreement, the products shall be delivered
in the untreated condition.

6.3.2 Particular surface conditions

If agreed upon at the time of enquiry and order, the products shall be delivered in one of the particular
surface conditions given in Table 2, row 3 to row 9.

6.3.3 Traceability of the cast

Each product shall be traceable to the cast, see Clause 10.

7 Requirements
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7.1 General
(standards.iteh.ai)
Table 1 gives a survey of combinations of usualISOheat-treatment
683-17:2023 conditions at delivery, product forms
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according to Tables 3 to 6 (chemical composition, hardenability, maximum hardness,
hardness range). 9ea04587d74d/iso-683-17-2023
In addition to this document, the general technical delivery requirements of ISO 404 shall apply.

7.2 Chemical composition

The chemical composition determined by cast analysis shall conform with the values in Table 3.
Permissible deviations between the limiting values for cast analysis and the values for product analysis
are given in Table 4.
The product analysis shall be carried out when specified at the time of the enquiry and order (see 9.1
and Clause A.2).

7.3 Hardenability
Where the steel is not ordered according to hardenability requirements, i.e. where the steel type
designations of Table 3 and not the designations given in Table 5 are applied, the requirements for
hardness specified in Table 6 (see also Table 1, column 9) shall apply, as appropriate, for the particular
heat-treatment condition. In this case, the values of hardenability given in Table 5 shall be for guidance
purposes only.
Where the steel is ordered to hardenability requirements by using the designations given in Table 5,
the values of hardenability given in Table 5 shall apply in addition to the requirements cited in Table 1,
column 9 (see footnote b to Table 3).

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 ISO 683-17:2023(E)

7.4 Hardness
The hardness in the usual conditions of delivery is given in Table 6.

7.5 Microstructure

7.5.1 Austenitic grain size of case-hardening and induction-hardening bearing steels

Case-hardening steels and induction-hardening steels shall have a fine grain size of 5 or finer in
accordance with ISO 643. For verification of the grain size, see Clause A.3.

7.5.2 Spheroidization and distribution of carbides

7.5.2.1 For deliveries in treatment conditions +AC and +AC+C, the carbides of the through-hardening
steels shall be spheroidized and the carbides of the stainless and high-temperature bearing steels
shall be predominantly spheroidized. Case-hardening steels may show remnants of incompletely
spheroidized carbides. For the degree of spheroidization, see Clause A.4.

7.5.2.2 For distribution of carbides, see Clause A.5.

7.5.3 Structure of case-hardening steels in the condition +FP

The structure shall consist of ferrite-pearlite. Bainite contents up to 10 % are, however, permissible.
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7.6 Non-metallic inclusions
(standards.iteh.ai)
7.6.1 Microscopic inclusions
ISO 683-17:2023
The characterization of non-metallic inclusions is critically important to the fatigue life of bearings.
Therefore, https://standards.iteh.ai/catalog/standards/sist/1d980d1d-9e79-4fa0-a907-
all bearing steels shall have a certain degree of cleanliness. The requirements for the content
of non-metallic inclusions apply9ea04587d74d/iso-683-17-2023
in every case; however, verification requires a special agreement, see
Clause A.6.

7.6.2 Macroscopic inclusions

If verification is agreed, then the method and acceptance limits shall be agreed at the time of enquiry
and order.

7.7 Internal soundness

Where appropriate, requirements relating to the internal soundness of the products shall be agreed at
the time of enquiry and order, see Clause A.7.

7.8 Surface quality

7.8.1 All products shall have a smooth surface finish appropriate to the manufacturing process
applied.

7.8.2 Ground or peeled/turned or machined products shall be free from surface discontinuities
detrimental to practical use and surface decarburization.

7.8.3 If hot-rolled, forged, cold-reduced or rough-machined products are ordered for peeling or
grinding to avoid

a) surface decarburization, and

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ISO 683-17:2023(E)

b) surface defects,
the machining allowances shall be agreed upon at the time of enquiry and order.
Alternatively, for round bars and rod, the permissible depth of surface discontinuities may be specified
in accordance with ISO 9443.

7.9 Shape, dimensions and tolerances

The shape, dimensions and tolerances of the products shall conform with the requirements agreed upon
at the time of enquiry and order. The agreements should, as far as possible, be based on corresponding
International Standards (see bibliography) or, otherwise, on suitable national standards.

8 Inspection

8.1 Testing procedures and types of inspection documents

8.1.1 Products conforming with this document shall be ordered and delivered with inspection
certificate 3.1 or 3.2 as specified in ISO 10474. The type of document shall be agreed upon at the time of
enquiry and order. If the order does not contain any specification of this type, an inspection certificate
3.1 shall be issued.

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8.1.2 The specific inspections and tests described in 8.2 and 8.3 shall be carried out and the results
shall be confirmed in the inspection certificate.

(standards.iteh.ai)
In addition, the inspection certificate report shall cover:
a) confirmation that the material conforms with the requirements of the order;
ISO 683-17:2023
b) results of the cast analysis for all elements specified in Table 3 for the steel grade concerned;
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c) the results of all inspections and tests ordered by supplementary requirements in accordance with
Annex A;
d) the symbol letters or numbers connecting the inspection document with the relevant test unit.

8.2 Frequency of testing

The amount of testing, the sampling conditions and the test methods to be applied for the verification of
the requirements shall be in accordance with Table 7.

8.3 Specific inspection and testing

8.3.1 Verification of the hardenability and hardness

The hardness requirements given for the relevant heat-treatment condition in Table 6 (see also Table 1,
column 9, sub-column 9.2) shall be verified.
For steels ordered with the symbol +H in the designation (see Table 5), in addition, the hardenability
requirements according to Table 5 shall be verified.

8.3.2 Inspection of the surface quality

Unless otherwise agreed at the time of enquiry and order (see Clause A.8), the extent of testing and the
test method is left to the discretion of the manufacturer.

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