Reference

OEM Cross-Reference: Decoding Bearing Part Numbers

By CHKZ Bearings Editorial 2026-08-03 10 min read

A distributor receives an inquiry: "We need 500 pcs of SKF VKBA 6543, please quote." If you don't know that VKBA 6543 is SKF's house number for a Ford Focus / Mondeo front truck hub unit cross-referenced as Moog 513253 and Timken HA590331, you can't quote in time and the customer goes elsewhere. This guide walks through the six most-encountered bearing brand naming conventions so you can decode any part number at a glance.

SKF — VKBA, BAH, BTH Series

Sweden's SKF uses different prefixes for different product types. The two most relevant for wheel hub bearings:

SKF VKBA numbers don't reveal dimensions — you must look up the catalog. To save time, distributors keep an Excel mapping of the top 200 VKBA numbers to actual ID/OD/width.

Timken — HA590, SET, JLM Series

Timken (USA) uses three prefixes that matter to hub bearing distributors:

Reading a SET number

"SET4" on a Timken catalog page is shorthand for "the matched pair L44649 + L44610 with proper races and grease." When sourcing, the SET number is what trailer manufacturers list on their parts manual, but factories and freight forwarders refer to the individual cone+cup.

FAG / INA / Schaeffler — 7-digit and F-Series

Germany's FAG (now part of Schaeffler Group, alongside INA) uses two main conventions:

For distributors sourcing into European trucking markets, the F-series is the highest-margin product family in the bearing aftermarket. Browse our heavy-duty truck catalog for full coverage.

NSK — BWD, BWKH, BWX Series

Japan's NSK uses width-coded prefixes:

The leading number is always the bore in mm. NSK part numbers are shorter and more readable than SKF or FAG; once you learn the BWD/BWKH split you can decode 80% of NSK references on sight.

NTN — HUB, AU Series

NTN's most common aftermarket designations:

Koyo (JTEKT) — DAC, KWD, KOYO Series

Japan's Koyo (now JTEKT) uses the same DAC dimensional naming as the rest of the industry, plus their own KWD prefix:

Moog — 5xxxxx Series

Moog (Federal-Mogul, USA) truck hub units are typically 6-digit numbers in the 5xxxxx range. Moog numbers are the most common reference U.S. distributors and aftermarket retailers use:

Examples in our catalog: 512460 Hyundai Tucson, 513253 Ford Focus, 515036 Ford F-250 Super Duty 4WD.

OEM Numbers — The Real Source of Truth

End customers (workshops, fleets) most often look up bearings by their original equipment number from the vehicle service manual:

When in doubt: send the customer's OEM number to us, and we'll match it within 24 hours. Search our homepage cross-reference table on the homepage, or email a reference list for same-day match.

The Distributor's Quick-Decode Cheat Sheet

Three rules cover 90% of the inquiries you'll get:

  1. If the number starts with DAC, BWD, KWD, or has the ID OD WIDTH format → it's a wheel hub bearing (DAC type), passenger car application.
  2. If the number is 5-6 digits starting with 512/513/515 or HA590 → it's a truck hub unit with potential ABS sensor.
  3. If the number starts with F-2, F-5, 566, or BTH → it's a heavy-duty truck CTHU.

Our 219-SKU catalog is structured by these categories. Every product page lists the corresponding OEM, SKF, Timken, FAG, NSK, NTN, Koyo, and Moog references — eliminating guesswork from your sourcing.

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