Craft Bearing Company

What Craft Bearing Company does

Craft Bearing Company, Inc. is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of split cylindrical roller bearings, headquartered and operating out of a single facility at 5000 Chestnut Avenue in Newport News, Virginia. The company designs, manufactures, and warehouses its entire product line domestically, offering the Craft Split Roller Bearing in three progressively heavier duty series — S1 Standard Duty, S2 Heavy Duty, and S3 Extra Heavy Duty — and in two functional types, Held (non-expansion) and Float (expansion), with bore sizes from 1-7/16 inches to 32 inches in both inch and metric dimensions. Its core technical differentiator is split-to-shaft construction: because the bearing splits around the shaft, it can be installed, inspected, and replaced without removing the shaft or disturbing adjacent equipment, converting potential catastrophic failures into routine maintenance. The product incorporates patented design elements including a roller cage with cylindrical pockets that encapsulate and space the rollers, triple labyrinth seals with dovetail-groove O-ring retention, a self-aligning design tolerant of up to 3 degrees of misalignment, and a patent-pending Extended Inner Race for damaged-shaft applications.

The company monetizes exclusively through direct hardware sales, shipping most standard sizes from stock for immediate delivery and producing custom designs on request, with Float and Held bearings priced identically across all sizes. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct: buyers contact the company by phone (757-247-6000) or email ([email protected]), with technical content, catalogs, and installation guides hosted on craftbearing.com. The customer base spans nine heavy-industrial verticals — Mining/Aggregate, Marine, Iron and Steel, Power Generation, Pulp and Paper, Cement, Food Processing, Lumber, and Water and Wastewater Treatment — served globally from the Newport News factory. Competitive positioning is reinforced by ISO 9001:2015 certification, Lloyd's Register Type Approval for marine applications, and U.S. Department of Defense Approved supplier status, making Craft one of a narrow set of split-bearing suppliers eligible for regulated marine and federal defense procurement.

Operationally, Craft Bearing is a small industrial firm (11–50 employees) with no disclosed investors, subsidiaries, parent company, or management team information available in the public record. No funding rounds, M&A activity, or revenue figures have been disclosed, and the company has no software products, applications, APIs, or stated AI/ML capabilities — its competitive identity is built entirely on mechanical engineering IP, domestic manufacturing, and regulatory credentials rather than on software or data advantages.

Name

Craft Bearing Company

Legal name

Craft Bearing Company, Inc.

Website

https://craftbearing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Craft Bearing Company is a privately held U.S. manufacturer of split cylindrical roller bearings, designed and produced in Newport News, Virginia, serving heavy-industrial buyers in mining, marine, steel, power generation, and related sectors worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newport News

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Split Roller Bearing Sales: Direct sales of split cylindrical roller bearings across three series (S1, S2, S3) for standard inch sizes (1-7/16 to 12 inches) and metric sizes (40mm to 300mm). Stock availability for immediate shipment with larger sizes up to 32 inches and custom designs available on request.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Craft Bearing Company manufactures and sells split cylindrical roller bearings under the Craft Split Roller Bearing brand. The product is offered in three progressively heavier duty series (S1 Standard, S2 Heavy, S3 Extra Heavy) and two functional types (Held/Non-expansion and Float/Expansion), with bore sizes from 1-7/16 inches to 32 inches in inch and metric dimensions. The split-to-shaft construction allows installation, inspection, and replacement without removing the shaft or disturbing adjacent equipment.

Product overview

Craft Bearing Company offers a single unified product line—the Craft Split Roller Bearing—manufactured in Newport News, Virginia. The product is available in three progressively heavier duty series (S1 Standard Duty, S2 Heavy Duty, S3 Extra Heavy Duty) and two functional types (Held/Non-expansion and Float/Expansion). These variants enable the same bearing family to address different application requirements: Held bearings anchor shafts and handle thrust loads, while Float bearings accommodate thermal expansion. The portfolio also includes a patent-pending Extended Inner Race specialty component for damaged-shaft applications. Comprehensive supporting documentation covers bearing selection, installation, load ratings, dimensions, torque specifications, and lubrication requirements.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Craft Split Roller Bearing

Quantifiable outcome

• Self-aligning capability handles up to 3 degrees of misalignment as standard
• +2 more outcomes

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Timken Company: US-headquartered engineered bearings manufacturer with comparable heavy-industrial focus (mining, steel, power generation) and a similar emphasis on tapered and cylindrical roller bearings for demanding duty cycles.
• SKF (Cooper Bearings): SKF's Cooper Bearings division manufactures split-to-the-shaft cylindrical roller bearings, directly competing with Craft in the same product category and overlapping heavily in mining, marine, and heavy-industrial end markets.
• RBC Bearings: US-based manufacturer of engineered bearings (including roller and split-type designs) for aerospace, defense, and heavy industry — directly comparable to Craft's domestic, niche engineered-bearing positioning.

Emerging players

• Aurora Bearing: US manufacturer of rod ends, spherical, and custom bearings serving heavy industrial, marine, and defense markets — a smaller, niche US peer comparable to Craft on customer mix and engineered-product focus.
• FYH Bearing: Mounted and insert bearing manufacturer competing in industrial material-handling applications; overlaps with Craft on lighter-duty end uses and on industrial distribution channels.

Broad incumbents

• NTN Corporation: Global bearing and driveline manufacturer with strong presence in heavy industry and marine applications, overlapping with Craft's core vertical mix.
• Schaeffler Group (INA/FAG): Global bearing manufacturer whose INA and FAG brands span rolling-element, plain, and mounted bearings used across the same heavy-industrial verticals Craft serves, though as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Regal Rexnord (Dodge, Browning): Industrial power-transmission and bearing supplier whose Dodge and Browning brands offer mounted roller and ball bearings for mining, aggregate, and material-handling applications overlapping with Craft's primary verticals.
• NSK: Japanese global bearing manufacturer offering cylindrical roller, ball, and specialty bearings into industrial, automotive, and marine markets, overlapping with Craft's industrial customer base.
• JTEKT Corporation (Koyo): Japanese bearing manufacturer (Koyo brand) supplying industrial and automotive markets with tapered, cylindrical, and mounted bearings that overlap with Craft's industrial applications.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/craft-bearing-company-inc.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Craft Bearing Company