Description
Batch-Traceable Sourcing — every INA NA4906-XL-C3 needle roller bearing we dispatch ships with distributor-level Certificate of Conformity tied to a verifiable production lot, giving import buyers the paper trail customs officers actually ask for.
Technical Specifications
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Designation | INA NA4906-XL-C3 |
| Bearing Type | Needle Roller Bearing with Inner Ring |
| Bore Diameter (d) | 30 mm |
| Outside Diameter (D) | 47 mm |
| Width (B) | 17 mm |
| Weight | 0.101 kg |
| Clearance Class | C3 |
| Seal or Shield Type | Open |
| Number of Rows | 1 |
| Cage Material | Unverified — confirm with current INA catalogue before specifying |
The XL suffix on this designation could not be independently verified against publicly available INA documentation at the time of writing; please request catalogue confirmation when placing an inquiry.
Application Suitability
| Industry | Typical Applications |
|---|---|
| Industrial machinery | Gearbox intermediate shafts, small reducer output stages |
| Material handling | Conveyor idler pulleys, belt tracker pivot assemblies |
| Automotive and heavy vehicle repair | Transmission layshaft positions, steering column U-joint yokes |
| Agricultural machinery | Combine harvester auger drive, baler needle roller supports |
| General MRO | Replacement needle rollers in OEM equipment rebuilds |
What a Wrong Clearance Costs on a 30 mm Needle Roller
Specifying CN where C3 is required quietly shortens bearing life before anyone notices.
On a hot-running gearbox or a conveyor pulley exposed to solar loading, shaft and housing expand at different rates. A standard clearance needle roller has almost no room to absorb that differential growth. Rollers skew against the cage, contact stress spikes, and what looks like a premature cage failure on teardown traces back to a clearance mismatch that was never caught at procurement. The INA NA4906-XL-C3 addresses exactly this thermal expansion window with greater-than-normal radial internal clearance, yet we still see buyers swap it for a CN variant because the base number matched. [NEED_CITE: thermal expansion effects on bearing internal clearance per SKF general engineering guidelines]
How This Needle Roller Matches Compact Radial Load Applications
The NA4906-XL-C3 needle roller bearing operates in envelopes where space is non-negotiable. At 30 mm bore and only 17 mm wide, it fits tight axial pockets on layshafts and pivot points while still delivering the high radial load capacity that needle rollers are known for. We routinely cross-check this designation against OEM drawings for material handling and agricultural equipment rebuilds, confirming that the 47 mm OD seats correctly in housings originally machined for needle-type supports rather than ball bearing upgrades.
Operating Environment and Performance Demands
Radial load dominates in these positions, but shock loading from start-stop cycles or uneven feed material introduces transient peaks that demand full-complement-style contact geometry even within a caged design. Ambient temperature swings in unclimatized workshops and outdoor installations shift the effective clearance, which is precisely why C3 is specified here rather than standard CN. Open-type construction means the INA NA4906-XL-C3 relies on the housing’s own sealing arrangement — a lip seal or labyrinth on the equipment side keeps contaminant ingress from scoring the needle ends. Lubrication intervals must account for the absence of factory-filled grease; the first grease fill after mounting sets the tone for the entire service cycle. [NEED_CITE: needle roller bearing lubrication interval calculation per ISO 281]
Core Specification Breakdown
The C3 radial internal clearance is the defining feature of this variant. Compared to CN, it opens the roller-to-raceway gap enough to absorb thermal shaft elongation without squeezing the needles into a preload condition. Open construction trades ingress protection for lower friction and the flexibility to pack a grease suited to the actual operating temperature, whether that is a lithium-complex EP for conveyor duty or a synthetic PAO for food-grade MRO environments. The single-row needle complement concentrates load capacity radially, so axial guidance must come from adjacent thrust washers or shaft shoulders — a detail that often gets overlooked during field replacements. Needle rollers themselves operate with line contact rather than point contact, distributing stress across a longer raceway path and extending fatigue life under continuous radial load.
The Hidden Cost of the Wrong Substitution
Fitting a CN-clearance needle roller in a C3-specified position does not cause an immediate seizure; it causes a slow thermal bind that shows up as elevated housing temperature three weeks into service. By the time a maintenance technician notices, cage pockets are already worn and the shaft journal has picked up scoring. Under ISO 15243 failure classification, this registers as smearing and cage wear — both classified as mounting or selection errors rather than manufacturing defects, which means no warranty claim applies. Counterfeit units compound the problem further: soft inner rings with case depths below specification collapse under the same load that a genuine INA NA4906-XL-C3 would carry through its full L10 life. [NEED_CITE: bearing failure mode classification per ISO 15243]
How We Support Procurement Engineers on This Bearing
Every INA NA4906-XL-C3 we source passes through authorized distributor channels, so the batch number on the box traces back to the manufacturer’s production facilities without broken custody links. Our cross-reference database aligns clearance, cage type, and dimensional envelope simultaneously — not just the base 4906 designation — so substitution requests get a full three-parameter match rather than a catalog number guess. For import buyers in regions where customs demand origin paperwork, we prepare Certificate of Conformity and country-of-origin documentation before the carton leaves the warehouse. When OEM equipment numbers come in instead of bearing designations, we reverse-look-up the required clearance and confirm whether C3 or another suffix was specified on the original bill of materials. Engineers working through unfamiliar load or speed conditions receive application-based selection guidance before a quotation is issued, reducing the chance of a mismatch reaching the field.
Documentation & Authenticity
- Supplier Certificate of Conformity listing the INA NA4906-XL-C3 batch number, tied to the specific shipment carton
- QR code verification pathway through INA official mobile tools, allowing warehouse staff to confirm authenticity before breaking the seal
- Dimensional inspection reports available for bore, OD, and width tolerances when contract specifications require incoming quality checks
- Country-of-origin statements prepared for import declarations, matching HS code requirements in destination markets
- Material traceability documentation confirming bearing steel grade used in inner ring and needle roller production
Storage, Handling & Mounting
- Keep the INA NA4906-XL-C3 in its original sealed packaging until the moment of mounting; early exposure to humid workshop air risks corrosion on the unsealed raceways before grease is applied
- Handle open-type needle rollers with clean lint-free gloves — fingerprint moisture on the 30 mm bore or needle surfaces creates etch corrosion that shows up under vibration within weeks
- For interference-fit inner ring mounting on this 17 mm wide bearing, induction heating to the manufacturer-recommended temperature range avoids axial force damage to the cage that cold-press methods can cause
- Fill the housing grease cavity only after the INA NA4906-XL-C3 is seated and the shaft rotated by hand; pre-packing before mounting traps air pockets that starve needle-to-raceway contacts during first-run
- In dusty material handling environments, verify that the equipment-side lip seal or labyrinth is intact before closing the housing — the open bearing relies entirely on external sealing for contamination defense
Request a Quotation or Technical Review
Start with the Operating Data
Share your load spectrum, operating speed range, and housing temperature readings so we can confirm that C3 clearance is the correct specification for your application, or flag if a different suffix variant is needed. If you have the OEM equipment number rather than the bearing designation, provide that and we will cross-reference the original clearance and cage requirements against our interchange database.
Reach our technical sales team through the inquiry form on our company contact page or via the direct email listed in our distributor profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How do I verify that an INA NA4906-XL-C3 is genuine when it arrives?
A: Scan the QR code on the INA packaging using the brand’s official mobile application. The response returns batch and production origin data that should match the Certificate of Conformity included in the shipment documentation package. If the QR resolves to a generic redirect page rather than INA’s own verification portal, treat the unit as suspect and contact us before mounting.
Q: Can I substitute a different brand for this INA needle roller bearing?
A: Cross-brand substitution is possible, but the replacement must match on all three parameters: the 30x47x17 mm envelope, the C3 clearance class, and the cage design. Base-number matching alone misses clearance suffixes and cage material differences that affect thermal behavior and speed capability. Send us your current designation and we will return a cross-reference comparison covering those three alignment points.
Q: When should I choose C3 clearance over standard CN for a needle roller?
A: C3 is specified when the operating temperature differential between shaft and housing is large enough to reduce internal clearance toward zero. Typical triggers include outdoor equipment exposed to direct solar heating, gearboxes running above moderate sump temperatures, or shafts carrying adjacent heat sources such as brake drums. If your equipment runs in a climate-controlled environment at steady speed, CN may suffice — share your thermal data and we will confirm.
Q: Does the open design of the NA4906-XL-C3 mean I need to add seals?
A: The bearing itself does not include integral seals or shields. Sealing responsibility falls to the equipment housing design — lip seals, labyrinth rings, or V-ring arrangements must be in place and in good condition before the INA NA4906-XL-C3 is installed. Running an open needle roller without adequate external sealing in contaminated environments leads to rapid abrasive wear on the needle ends and raceway surfaces.
Q: What documentation comes with a bulk order?
A: Each bulk shipment includes a Certificate of Conformity tied to the production batch, dimensional inspection data on request, country-of-origin paperwork for customs clearance, and HS code details for import classification. For contracts requiring additional third-party inspection, coordinate the inspection scope before we confirm the production allocation.
Confirm Your C3 Needle Roller Requirement
Send us your application parameters or OEM equipment number, and our engineering team will return a clearance-verified quotation with full traceability documentation within one working day. Contact details are available on our company profile page.
