ГОСТ 23258-78 (state standard) regulates the naming of greases names and introduces their designations. It provides that each grease must be given a name (Litol, Orion, Graphitol and etc.) and a designation containing five letter and number indexes.

The name is assigned to the grease in approving (revising) the regulatory and technical documentation. So, in revising ТУ (technical specifications) greases ВНИИ НП-286M, ВНИИ НП-288, ВНИИ НП-505 they were given names: Эра, СВЭМ, Старт. The introduction of verbal names prevents accidental mistakes when ordering and applying of greases. It’s easy to confuse of greases name like a ВНИИ НП-223 and ВНИИ НП-232, but it’s impossible to make a mistake in the names of greases Солидол, Лита and etc. The name of the grease can reflect its features (Криогель, Зимол – frost-resistant), composition (Литол, Лита – thickened with lithium soup), application area (СВЭМ – grease for electro-machines) and etc. The designation of the grease name briefly characterizes its purpose, composition and properties.

The designation consists of five alphabetic and numeric indexes, which are arranged with in the following order and indicate:

grease group (subgroup) in accordance with purpose;

the type of thickener;

recommended (conditional) temperature range of application;

type of dispersion medium;

grease consistency.

The first index of the grease designation – the group (subgroup) of the grease in accordance with purpose (table №1).

The second index of the grease designation (table №2).

Complex soup is designated by the lowercase letter “k”, which is written before the index of the corresponding soap (kKa, kPa, etc).

A mixture of two or more thickeners is designated by a composite index (ka-Na, Li-Bn, Ci-Pg etc.). In the first place put the thickener index which is part of the grease in greater quantities.

M, O, H indexes are used only in cases when the thickener, which is part of one of the three groups (soaps, organic and nonorganic substances), isn’t provided for in the list given in table №2.

Composition and main characteristics of greases on various thickeners are given in table №3.

The third index of designation of the grease is the recommended temperature range of application, which is indicated by a fraction: in the numerator (without a minus sign) – the minimum, and in the denominator – the maximum temperature, reduced by 10 times.

For instance, the 3/13 index corresponds to a temperature range of application from -30 to 130 degree Celsius.

The minimal temperature of application is the temperature at which the viscosity of the antifriction grease, as defined in ГОСТ 7163-63, is 2000 Pa-s. For pre-production, highly specialized, briquette, preservation, rope, thread greases, the minimal temperature is indicated in accordance with the technical documentation for the grease.

The maximum temperature of application is the temperature which recommended in the technical documentation for the grease.

The recommended temperature range has an indicative nature, since the permissible temperatures of application depend not only on the grease properties, but also on the design and operating conditions (speed, load, time to change the grease) of the friction unit, etc.

The fourth index of designation of the grease is the type of dispersion medium and solid additives which is indicated the lowercase letters of the Russian alphabet in accordance with indexes are shown in table №4.

The mixture two or more oils are indicated by composite index (nk, ue, etc.) in the first place put the oil index which is part of the type of dispersion medium in greater concentration.

The “p” index is applied in cases when a synthetic or other oil that is part of the dispersion medium synthetic is not included in the list.

When making oil-based greases, the “n” index isn’t indicated – it’s only used when marking on a mixture of oil and some other oil.

If there are solid additives in the grease, their designation is put through a dash after the temperature range index or the dispersion medium index.

The fifth index of designation of the grease – consistency class is indicated the Arabic number (table №5).

Lubricants with a penetration that is intermediate between the consistency classes are referred to the nearest class. The consistency of the classes provided for in the ГОСТ 23258-78 coincide with the NLGI-ASTM recommendations.

If the consistency class is immediately after the index of the temperature range, then put a dash in front of it.

Examples of the grease designation:

The grease CKa2/7-3:

С – general purpose antifriction grease used at temperatures up to 70 Celsius degree (solidol);

Ка – the grease thickened of the calcium soap;

2/7 – the grease is recommended to application at temperatures from -20 to 70 Celsius degrees (the grease viscosity at -20 Celsius degrees is close to 2000 Pa-s); the index of the dispersion medium is absentee, therefore, the grease was produced on petroleum oil;

2 – the consistency of the grease belongs to the 2nd class (penetration at 25 Celsius degrees is 265-295).

The grease KT6/5k-g4:

К – the rope grease;

Т – the grease thickened of the solid hydrocarbons;

6/5 – the temperature range of exploitation from -60 to 50 Celsius degree;

к – the grease was produced on silicon-organic liquid;

г – graphite is used as an additive;

4 - the consistency class of the grease – 4 (penetration at 25 Celsius degree is 175-205).