FRANTZ Sterling^® Steel Ball has been manufacturing carbon steel balls in Sterling IL since 1947. Sterling^® Steel Ball products earned a national reputation for quality, precision, and performance.

This is our Hardened Carbon Steel Ball value to you:

• Quality Manufacturing and Sourcing
  Hardened carbon steel ball products are domestically manufactured or globally sourced providing product that meets Sterling^® Steel Ball standards. In other words, we stand behind what we sell and provide our customers with peace of mind.


• Inspection
  Sterling^® Steel Ball operates a state of the art test lab to measure our products against ABMA standards including roundness, surface roughness, case depth, and hardness. This service assures an additional level of quality beyond that available from traditional distributors and provides value from a supplier whose reputation has been built over decades manufacturing steel balls. Click for further details on our Steel Ball Quality.


• Drilling Capabilities
  Sterling^® Steel Ball utilizes high speed technology to drill holes of various diameters and depths into spheres of various sizes and materials. In addition to drilling our precision manufactured balls, we can drill hardened carbon steel balls of various materials to your specification. Click for further details about our Drilled Ball capabilities.


• Finishing Options
  Sterling^® Steel Ball utilizes heat treating technology to harden steel balls to your desired specification. In addition to hardening manufactured balls, choose from plain, polished or various plated finishing options.


• Sterling Armor^®
  For applications where corrosion is an issue, FRANTZ offers Sterling Armor^®; a patented heat treating process that changes the physical microstructure within the steel surface of the ball to provide corrosion protection superior or equivalent to stainless steel in most environments. Finishes include gloss black or dull patina. Sterling Armor^® is a cost effective solution to your hardened carbon steel ball corrosion challenges. Click for more information about Sterling^® Armor.

When you're looking for a cost efficient ball selection look to our hardened carbon steel balls. Many sizes available for immediate shipment, or have our engineering service develop the precision ball to fit your exact specifications.

Manufacturing, sourcing, and quality are handled at our plant in Sterling, IL, USA. Balls are carburized and hardened, with a highly polished surface finish. They feature a minimum hardness of 60 Rc with ball sphericity to .0001" and will fit a wide range of applications.

• Drawer slides
• Quick connect fittings
• Bicycles
• Door closures
• Conveyor rollers
• Seat slides
• Steering columns
• Casters and wheels
• Tool cases
• Turn signal switches
• Fishing lures
• Seat swivels
• Lawn mowers
• Patio door slides
• Lazy susans
• Hinges

• Manufactured to stringent ABMA Spec. 10 standards
• Full range of ball sizes (1/8" to 1")
• High quality carbon steel material
• Available grades (100, 200, 500, 1000, 2000)
• Full traceability of material
• Case hardened carbon steel

• Carbon (core) 0.10 to 0.20%
• Manganese 0.60 to 0.90%
• Silicon 0.10 to 0.20
• Sulphur 0.50% maximum
• Phosphorus 0.040% maximum

• Hardness for carbon steel balls, as measured on the ball's surface is Rockwell "C" 60 (minimum) or specified by customers. See chart for minimum case depth.

Ball Diameter		Minimum Case Depth	Ball Diameter		Minimum Case Depth
at least	but not		at least	but not
1/8"	3/16"	.025"	3/8"	7/16"	.055"
3/16"	7/32"	.030"	7/16"	1/2"	.065"
7/32"	1/4"	.035"	1/2"	9/16"	.070"
1/4"	3/8"	.045"	9/16"	3/4"	.075"
			3/4"	1½"	.080"

Ball Diameter		No. of Balls per lb.	No. of Balls per kg.
Decimal	Fraction
.1250	1/8"	3440	7584
.1875	3/16"	1020	2249
.2500	1/4"	430	948
.3125	5/16"	220	485
.3750	3/8"	128	282
.4375	7/16"	80.3	177
.5000	1/2"	53.8	119
.5625	9/16"	37.8	83
.6250	5/8"	27.5	61
.6875	11/16"	20.7	46
.7500	3/4"	15.9	35
.8125	13/16"	12.5	28
.8750	7/8"	10.0	22
.9375	15/16"	8.16	18
1.0000	1"	6.72	14

Ball Grade	Allowable Lot Diameter Variation	Allowable Ball Diameter Variation	Allowable Deviation from Spherical Form	Maximum Surface Roughness Arithmetic Avg.
100	.0002"	.0001"	.0001"	5
200	.0004"	.0002"	.0002"	8
500	.001"	.0005"	.0005"	N/A
1000	.002"	.001"	.001"	N/A
2000	.004"	.002"	.002"	N/A

Hardened Carbon Steel Balls by FRANTZ. Simply better.