Drive & Conveying
Stainless Steel Pulleys
CNC-machined 304 and 316L stainless steel pulleys for timing drives, V-belt power transmission, food-grade conveyor systems, and marine rigging. Custom OD, bore, keyway, tooth profile and surface finish. From single prototypes to production runs. ISO 9001 · XRF verified · FDA compliant.
- ISO 9001 Certified
- Custom OEM Solutions
- Fast Global Shipping
- Technical Support
Product Range
Types of Stainless Steel Pulleys
The pulley type determines the belt or rope it mates with, the tooth or groove geometry required, and whether it transmits synchronous motion, friction-based power, or simply redirects a load. Mismatching type to application produces rapid wear, belt skip, or rope fatigue, not a gradual performance decline but a sudden failure.
Stainless Steel Single Pulley
Compact Design
Precision Machined
A streamlined solution for simple load redirection and light-to-medium lifting tasks. The sheave groove radius is precisely machined to 0.53x the rope diameter, providing an optimal bearing surface that prevents rope pinching and fatigue. These pulleys are widely used in food-grade manufacturing and pharmaceutical cleanrooms where hygiene, easy sterilization, and long-term durability are the top priorities.
Stainless Steel Double Pulley
Mechanical Advantage
Block & Tackle
Features a dual-sheave configuration designed to provide mechanical advantage and reduce the force required for heavy lifting. Each sheave rotates independently on self-lubricating stainless bearings, allowing for complex block-and-tackle setups without friction loss. Built for heavy-duty industrial use, the robust 316L housing ensures structural integrity under high-load cycles in harsh chemical or maritime conditions.
Stainless Steel V-Belt Pulley
SPZ · SPA · SPB
Friction drive
Precision-engineered with angled flanks that grip the V-belt through friction as tension increases. We specialize in SPZ, SPA, SPB, and SPC profiles, ensuring all groove angles strictly adhere to ISO 4183 standards. This high-precision machining reduces belt wear and heat accumulation, extending the service life of your power transmission system. Ideal for industrial machinery requiring reliable torque in washdown or corrosive environments.
Stainless Steel Swivel Pulley
360° Rotation
Marine Grade 316
Designed for rigging and lifting applications that require frequent changes in load direction. The 360-degree swivel eye prevents rope twisting and tangling, ensuring smooth operation under high tension. Manufactured from 316L stainless steel with sealed internal bearings, these pulleys offer maximum resistance to saltwater corrosion and UV exposure. Perfect for marine, offshore, and outdoor architectural rigging.
Timing Pulley Pitch Reference
Common Synchronous Belt Profiles
Timing belt pitch (distance between tooth centres) and tooth profile are two independent specifications. A 5M pitch pulley exists in both HTD and GT profile geometries, and they are not interchangeable. Always specify both pitch and profile when ordering.
| Roller Dia. | Wall Gauge | Roller Cap. | Frame Cap./ft | Bearing Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1⅜″ (35 mm) | 16 ga (1.5 mm) | 90 lbs | ~180 lbs | Semi-precision SS |
| 1⅝″ (41 mm) | 16 ga (1.5 mm) | 100 lbs | 235 lbs | Delron/SS non-precision |
| 1¾″ (45 mm) | 11 ga (3 mm) | 290 lbs | ~400 lbs | Semi-precision SS |
| 2½″ (63 mm) | 11 ga (3 mm) | 594 lbs | ~800 lbs | ABEC-1 316 SS sealed |
| 3½″ (89 mm) | 7 ga (4.5 mm) | 1,000+ lbs | Custom | ABEC-3 precision SS |
| Custom | Per spec | Per calc | Per calc | Per application |
* GT2 and GT3 profiles are not HTD — tooth geometry differs at root radius and flank angle.
* Specify number of teeth (not OD) + pitch + profile when ordering timing pulleys.
* V-belt pulleys: specify belt profile (SPZ/SPA/SPB/SPC or A/B/C/D) + pitch diameter + number of grooves.
Bore & Keyway Specification Guide
Getting the Bore Right
A timing pulley with a bore 0.05 mm too large causes runout that doubles the tooth load on one side at every revolution. Over a thousand cycles per hour in a food plant, this creates fatigue failure at the belt teeth. This type of failure looks like a belt problem until you measure the pulley runout.
Bore & Keyway Selector
Standard bore tolerance
H7 (±0.012–0.018 mm typical)
High-precision bore
H6 (±0.008–0.011 mm) — on request
Keyway standard
DIN 6885 / ISO 3912 — machined
Set screw bore
DIN 6885A key + 2 × set screw M3–M12
Taper-lock bore
TL 1008–4040 profiles — on request
Custom bore OD
Any bore up to 200 mm from drawing
Runout verification
CMM face / bore / pitch circle on batch
Material Specification
Choosing the Right Grade
A pulley described as “stainless steel” without a grade callout may be 410 martensitic (magnetic, low corrosion resistance), 430 ferritic (moderate resistance), or 304/316L austenitic. In food or chemical environments, the grade determines whether the pulley lasts two years or ten. Profab XRF-verifies grade on every production batch.
304 Stainless — General Hygiene Service
The standard specification for stainless timing and V-belt pulleys in food processing, pharmaceutical packaging lines, and general industrial environments where cleaning is periodic and chloride exposure is absent. Excellent weldability for conveyor pulley drum fabrication.
Food & Washdown Standard
316L Stainless — Chloride & Acid Resistance
Required when the pulley operates in chloride-containing wash environments, coastal/marine installations, chemical processing drives, or food lines using hypochlorite sanitisers. The 2–3% molybdenum addition raises PREN to ≥ 24, preventing crevice corrosion at the bore-to-shaft interface and key seat grooves. These two points where moisture accumulates and initiates corrosion in high-humidity or washdown environments.
Corrosive / Chloride Service
17-4PH — Where 304/316L Lacks Strength
Specified for small-diameter timing pulleys in high-torque, high-speed medical devices, defence systems, and aerospace applications where the tooth root stress exceeds the fatigue limit of 316L at the required belt tension. Also used in miniature pulleys where the wall section between bore and tooth root is insufficient in 304 but acceptable in 17-4PH. Available H900, H925, H1025, and H1150 tempers.
Surface Finish
Applications
Diverse Applications of Stainless Steel Pulleys
Stainless roller conveyors are specified wherever carbon steel would corrode, where daily washdown with caustic or acid CIP chemistry is required, or where food safety regulations mandate documented material compliance for product-contact surfaces.
01
Food Processing Lines
304 flat-face and crowned conveyor pulleys for meat, poultry, seafood, and ready-meal lines that require daily high-pressure washdown. FDA/USDA-compliant surface finish Ra ≤ 0.8 µm. Timing pulleys for servo-driven portioning, slicing, and weighing systems where belt-skip under product load would cause weight-out-of-spec rejections. 316L on seafood and marination lines with hypochlorite sanitisation. Continuous-weld end disks, no hollow cavities that trap food residue.
02
Pharmaceutical & Medical
316L timing pulleys for tablet press drives, filling machine indexing mechanisms, and cleanroom conveyor systems. Electropolished surface finish Ra ≤ 0.4 µm for product-contact applications. 17-4PH for high-speed dispensing cam drives and miniature surgical instrument drive systems where the tooth geometry must be maintained under cyclic load without surface fatigue.
03
Marine & Offshore
316L sheave blocks for yacht running rigging, commercial vessel cargo handling, and offshore platform cable guide systems. Sealed 316L stainless bearings inside the sheave for maintenance-free operation in saltwater. Wire rope groove radius matched to rope diameter to prevent wear concentration. Single, double, and triple sheave blocks with swivel eye, fixed eye, or becket configurations.
04
Industrial Automation
Stainless steel HTD 5M and GT3 timing pulleys for automated packaging lines, palletisers, pick-and-place gantries, and servo positioning systems operating in wash-down or high-humidity environments where aluminium timing pulleys corrode in the bore and develop runout within twelve months. 304 pulleys for the majority of applications; 316L for drives in chemical plant automation where acidic or chlorinated atmospheres are present.
05
Automotive & High-Performance Engines
316L V-belt pulleys for pump and fan drives in chemical plants where acid fumes and chloride-containing process atmosphere would corrode carbon steel drive components within months. Stainless pulley surfaces resist the surface pitting that creates stress-concentration points. Solid bar construction with no weld seams that could be undercut by chemical attack.
06
Architectural & Structural
316L sheaves for glass curtain wall cable tensioning systems, retractable roof mechanisms, architectural rope tension facades, and outdoor escalator drives where long-term visual appearance and absence of corrosion staining are client requirements. Electropolished 316L sheave blocks maintain mirror or satin finish without progressive pitting that occurs on 304. Custom sheave groove geometry for proprietary cable system profiles.
Why Profab
Your Reliable Stainless Steel Pulleys Manufacturer
01
Continuous-Weld Frame
Profab specifies 304 or 316L stainless steel for every structural and product-contact component. You receive a material declaration confirming the grade of every component, not a description of the product as “stainless steel” while the axle is carbon steel. This is the specification that prevents the bearing failure and corrosion contamination event that halts a food processing line for a HACCP audit.
02
Continuous-Weld Frame
Stitch-welded frames leave gaps at cross-brace connections. Gaps that trap product residue, moisture, and cleaning fluid, creating ideal conditions for biofilm formation and bacterial growth that cannot be removed by standard CIP cycles. Profab frames are continuously welded at all joints, with weld zones dressed to remove rough weld bead profiles. Frame bottom rails are under-bent to ensure water runs off instead of pooling. This design eliminates horizontal flat surfaces. These surfaces are the most common source of bacterial harbour points on conveyor structures during EHEDG inspection.
03
Per-Order Custom Manufacturing
Catalogue conveyor rollers are stocked in fixed between-frame widths and standard roller pitches. If your existing frame is a non-standard BF width, or your product mix requires a non-standard roller pitch to guarantee three-roller support, catalogue rollers will not fit correctly. Profab manufactures per order to ensure a perfect fit. Every roller is cut to your specific between-frame width and roller pitch. We also offer custom axle retention types like spring-loaded, tapped, and hex. This makes us the correct partner for existing non-standard systems. For OEM production runs, we provide the dimensional consistency your quality standards demand.
How to Order
From Inquiry to Delivery
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Send Specs
Series, thread size, grade, hand, safety catch, quantity. DXF or drawing for custom items.
Respond Within 24 Hours
We will work on the best solution base on your request and send you a specific quote within 24 hours.
Production
7–15 days standard. Samples before full production run on new custom parts. QC report before shipment.
Delivery
Sea, air, or express courier. Material certs and inspection report inside every box. Tracking same day.
FAQ
Common Questions
Not seeing your question? Email us at [email protected] and we typically reply same day.
What sheave groove radius should I specify for my wire rope size?
For wire rope, the groove radius should be approximately 0.53–0.55 × the rope nominal diameter. This provides adequate rope bearing surface without pinching the outer wires. A groove radius smaller than 0.53× concentrates the rope contact onto a small arc, accelerating fatigue wear and corrosion at the contact zone.
Can you supply complete pulley assemblies, including pulley, shaft, bearings and housing?
Yes. Profab manufactures complete conveyor pulley assemblies: drum, shaft, end disks, and sealed stainless bearings in a take-up or fixed housing. For marine sheave blocks, complete assemblies include the sheave, block body, swivel eye or fixed eye, and sealed 316L bearings.
What bore tolerance do you machine as standard, and when should I specify tighter?
Profab machines bore to H7 tolerance as standard. This produces a clearance fit with an h6 shaft, allowing the pulley to be slid onto the shaft and located by keyway or set screw. H7 is the correct tolerance for virtually all pulley-to-shaft applications.
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