High-Quality China Rubber V-Ring Seal Manufacturer & Supplier
Savvy specializes in precision-molded NBR/FKM rubber V-Ring seals or gaskets with standardized profiles (VA/VAX/VS/VE/VL/VLX/RM/RME), manufactured to ISO 3601-3 tolerances. Our rigorous quality control and space-optimized designs ensure a service life of over 12,000 hours in demanding conditions ranging from -40°C to 200°C.
What is a V-Ring?
The V-Ring is a unique, all-rubber seal ring designed for rotary shafts, providing a perfect seal to prevent the ingress of dirt, dust, water, oil, or a combination of these media, while actively retaining grease.
V-Ring seals can be widely used in bearing equipment due to their unique design and performance. It can also serve as a secondary seal to protect the main seal from malfunctioning in harsh environments.
The V-Ring seal is typically stretched by utilizing the inherent elasticity of the rubber and then clamped directly onto the shaft. It rotates with the shaft, generating a centrifugal force. The rubber matrix itself can serve as a side wall or gasket, effectively protecting the bearing housing and even the oil seal of the metal housing. The sealing lip is flexible and elastic, making it suitable for occasions with relatively low contact pressure, and it can generally maintain good sealing performance. Low contact pressure allows the lip to be used under certain dry friction conditions. Due to the influence of centrifugal force, the contact pressure of the lip increases with increasing speed, which means that friction loss and heat are kept at a low value, thus achieving excellent wear performance and extending the seal life.
The flexible lip of the V-Ring seal allows for a certain amount of axial runout and eccentricity, making it easy to install. The V-shaped ring can be stretched and installed on flanges, pulleys, and bearing seats according to size, which can save expensive removal costs. Additionally, some v-ring seals are secured to the end cover or shaft using bolts or clamping bands.
V-Ring Types (Styles)
There are eight primary types or styles of V-rings, including VA, VAX, VE, VS, VL, VLX, RM, and RME.
V-Ring seals offer multiple standard cross-sectional designs to meet diverse installation space and application requirements. Some types adjust their cross-sectional dimensions proportionally with increases in shaft diameter to ensure consistent sealing performance, while others maintain fixed cross-sectional profiles across a broad diameter range. Select the appropriate model based on shaft diameter, rotational speed, media type, and spatial constraints to maximize sealing efficiency and equipment longevity.
VA Type Shaft Sealing Ring
As the most widely used standardized product, the VA ring seal features a straight-back design that achieves a compact profile, requiring approximately 30% less axial installation space compared to the VS ring. With an ultra-wide inner diameter range of 2.5–1,810 mm and compatibility with shaft diameters ranging from 3 to 1,000 mm, its exceptional sealing performance and short axial installation length make it ideal for gearboxes, drive motors, and industrial transmission systems in small- to medium-sized equipment. The VA ring seal holds over 60% of the market share in its category.
VAX Type Heavy-Duty Sealing Ring
Engineered for high-load applications, the VAX ring seal features a reinforced rubber compound and a thickened cross-section design, enabling it to withstand 40% higher radial loads than standard models. Its inner diameter range of 4–180 mm (compatible with shafts of 5–180 mm diameter) incorporates a unique stress distribution structure to counteract centrifugal effects in large bearings operating at speeds above 3,000 rpm. VAX ring seal is primarily used in demanding environments such as wind turbine main shafts and high-speed machine tool spindles.
VE Type Extra-Large Diameter Sealing Ring
VE ring seal with a straight back serves as a pressureless axial rod seal, featuring a very small mounting length that is clamped onto the shaft. The flexible sealing lip seals a counter face at a right angle to the shaft, preventing dirt, dust, and splash from entering the construction.
Designed for heavy industrial equipment, this all-rubber sealing solution accommodates shaft diameters ranging from 450 to 2010 mm. Its multi-layer composite lip design ensures uniform stress distribution across ultra-long circumferences, while optional 304 stainless steel clamping bands provide auxiliary axial fixation. It is widely deployed in marine propulsion shafts, mining rotary kilns, and other large-scale rotating components that require long-term sealing against seawater or abrasive particulates.
VS Type Dynamic Sealing Ring
The VS ring seal with bevel back serves as a pressureless, axial rod seal, which is clamped on a shaft. The flexible sealing lip seals a counterface at a right angle to the shaft, preventing dirt, dust, and splash from entering the construction.
Featuring an innovative tapered-back design, the VS ring seal increases contact area by 25% compared to the VA type, delivering a stronger radial sealing force. With an inner diameter range of 4–180 mm (suitable for shafts of 5–199 mm), its wear-resistant formulation and contamination resistance excel in harsh environments with sand, dust, or debris. Typical applications include agricultural machinery (such as tractor drive shafts) and commercial vehicle hubs.
VL Type Compact Sealing Ring
VL ring seal with a straight back serves as a pressureless axial rod seal featuring a very small mounting length that is clamped onto the shaft. The flexible sealing lip seals a counterface at a right angle to the shaft, preventing dirt, dust, and splash from entering the construction.
Utilising a patented narrow-profile straight-back design, the VL ring seal reduces axial space requirements by 50% compared to standard models. With an inner diameter range of 99–1810 mm (compatible with 110–2,000 mm shafts), its modular configuration integrates seamlessly with labyrinth seals. The flexible edge design tolerates 0.5–1.5 mm radial runout, making it a critical solution for precision equipment such as industrial robot joints and medical CT scanner gantries where ultra-thin sealing interfaces are essential.
VLX Type Ultra-Compact Sealing Ring
Building on the VL series, the VLX ring seal introduces a revolutionary 0.8mm ultra-thin cross-section, achieving a 65% reduction in axial space compared to conventional designs. Its inner diameter spans 126–1810 mm (for shafts 140–2000 mm), with a dual-lip configuration enhancing sealing redundancy. The fluorosilicone compound enables operation from -50°C to 200°C, making it ideal for aerospace actuators and semiconductor wafer handling robots that require micron-level space constraints.
RM Type High-Temperature Sealing Ring
Specifically formulated with special peroxide-cured FKM rubber, the RM ring seal withstands continuous exposure to 250°C and peak temperatures of up to 300°C. Its spiral reinforcement grooves maintain seal integrity during thermal expansion and are compatible with shaft diameters ranging from 300 to 2000 mm. The RM ring is widely adopted in industrial furnaces, turbocharger bearings, and pyrolysis equipment. Our RM ring seal provides exceptional resistance to thermal cycling and hot media leakage.
RME Type Chemically Resistant Sealing Ring
An advanced variant of the RM series, the RME ring seal is used for large shaft diameters and fixed sections. For easy installation and cost savings, the structure of the opening and tightening belt is selected. The lip slides on the shaft end face to prevent the intrusion of water, dust, and oxide scale.
The RME ring is used for large, high-speed rolling mills and papermaking equipment. Its dynamic sealing edge features laser-engraved microchannels for lubricant retention, extending service life in aggressive environments. Designed for shafts ranging from 300 to 2000 mm, it is mandatory in chemical processing pumps, pharmaceutical reactors, and oil refinery valve stems that require FDA/REACH compliance.
V-Ring Materials
The most commonly used materials for rubber V-Rings are nitrile/NBR and FKM/Viton. The hardness (durometer) of NBR and FKM rubber is generally 60 Shore A. HNBR, EPDM, and PTFE are rarely used in specific scenarios.
1. NBR – Excellent oil resistance, good elasticity, suitable for mineral oil, grease, and other media, the working temperature is generally -40℃～100℃. Widely used in the seals of automobiles, bearings, pumps, and other equipment, and is a common material for V-type water seals (such as VA type, VL type).
2. FKM/Viton – High temperature resistance (up to 200℃), strong chemical corrosion resistance, suitable for harsh media such as synthetic oil, acid, alkali, etc. Used for water seals in high temperature or chemical corrosion environments (such as VA type, VL type).
3. HNBR – Hydrogenated and modified based on NBR, the temperature resistance is significantly improved (-40℃～150℃), while retaining excellent oil resistance, and stronger oxidation resistance and chemical corrosion resistance. Suitable for sealing scenarios with higher temperatures or chemical environments, such as high-temperature oil pressure equipment and chemical pumps.
4. EPDM – Outstanding water and steam resistance, temperature resistance range -40℃～150℃, suitable for non-oily media such as water and air. Used for sealing in water treatment equipment or humid environments.
Depending on the different material, it can be used in the following working conditions:
Speed: ≤19m/s; Pressure: ≤40MPa; Temperature: -40℃～+200℃; Medium: mineral oil, air, water, emulsion, grease, etc.
V-Ring Sizes
Our V-Ring catalog features eight standardized styles (VA, VAX, VS, VE, VL, VLX, RM, and RME) with numerous part numbers, catering to a diverse range of industrial applications. Dimensions are precision-engineered in millimeters, without inches, but are also suitable for use in the US and UK, with shaft compatibility spanning 3 to 2,000 mm. The V-Ring size chart details cross-sectional widths (1.5–30 mm) and axial space requirements (2.5–85 mm) by series. Critical numerical ranges include VS seals for compact shafts with diameters of 5–200 mm and VE types for heavy-duty shafts with diameters of 450–2,000 mm. Match shaft diameter, speed, and environmental needs to the size chart for optimal sealing performance.
Optimize seal performance with precise dimensional matching. Below are key sizing parameters, design, and selection guidelines for the V-Ring types:
| Types | Shaft Range (mm) | Inside Diameter (mm) | Outside Diameter (mm) | Height (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA | 3-2000 | 2.5-1810 | 5.5-1840 | 3-25 |
| VAX | 200-2000 | 192-1810 | 227.6-1845.6 | 31 |
| VS | 5-200 | 4-180 | 8-196 | 5.2-20.5 |
| VE | 450-2000 | 439-1844 | 499-1904 | 32.5 |
| VL | 110-2000 | 99-1810 | 112-1823 | 10.5 |
| VLX | 140-2000 | 126-1810 | 136-1820 | 8.5 |
| RM | 300-2000 | 294-1844 | 320-1870 | 100 |
| RME | 300-2000 | 294-1844 | 336-1886 | 65 |
V-Ring Advantages
- All rubber elastomer material without metal parts.
- Reduced design work, no installation and processing requirements.
- Eliminated the requirements for shaft matching surface processing and surface accuracy and hardness, and the shaft surface does not need to be hardened.
- Simple installation and disassembly, providing convenience and reliability.
- Small surface contact pressure and low friction result in reduced friction loss and heat, leading to a longer service life.
- Has both sealing and dustproof functions.
V-Ring Selection
Five Key Selection Criteria to Choose the Right V-Ring Seals:
1. Shaft Diameter Match – Measure precisely and cross-reference with series specifications (e.g., VA: 3–1,000 mm, VLX: 25–450 mm).
2. Material Compatibility – NBR: oil/grease resistance (-40°C to 100°C) for hydraulic systems; FKM: chemical/heat resistance (-20°C to 230°C) for chemical pumps or engines.
3. Dynamic Requirements – Select VAX for high-speed (>3,000 rpm) or RM/RME for extreme temperatures (>200°C).
4. Axial Space Constraints – Choose VA/VL for tight spaces (mounting length <5mm).
5. Environmental Factors – Pair with PTFE backup rings in environments with no abrasion or E/P particle-laden conditions.
V-Ring Seal Installation
To install rubber V-rings correctly, start by thoroughly cleaning the shaft surface to remove dirt and debris. Apply a thin layer of silicone-free grease to the sealing lip for lubrication. Slide the V-ring onto the shaft using a tapered plastic sleeve (avoid using metal tools) and align its V-shaped opening toward the pressurized side (for static seals) or opposite the direction of rotation (for dynamic seals). Ensure the seal sits evenly without overstretching—gentle hand rotation should confirm smooth contact. For multi-seal setups, use alignment tools to maintain spacing. Finally, perform a low-speed test run (≤500 rpm for 10 minutes) to check for leaks or uneven wear.
On mounting, the V-ring can be stretched up to 200%. While mounting the V-ring, no sharp tooling may be used. Shock vulcanized seals may not be stretched. Up to a peripheral speed of 7 to 8 m/s, V-rings do not need any extra support. At higher speeds, additional support such as a tie-rip or clamping band may be necessary. Up to 12 m/s axial support is sufficient; for speeds from 12 to 15 m/s, radial retention is required. With speeds exceeding 15 m/s, the lip will come off from the counterface due to centrifugal force.
Need custom solutions? Our engineers specialize in hybrid designs (V-ring + labyrinth) for extreme ±5mm axial play.