Thrust ball bearings are designed to take axial (thrust) loads at high speeds, but they cannot handle any radial loads. These bearings feature bearing washers with raceway grooves in which the balls move.

Thrust ball bearings are classified into “flat seat” and “aligning seat” types, based on the shape of the housing washer (outer ring seat), and as single-direction or double-direction. Spherical and aligning seat washers help to provide tolerance for mounting errors.