Описание
What Makes a Stainless Steel Simplex Roller Chain the Right Choice?
When a conventional carbon steel roller chain would corrode, contaminate, or fail within weeks, the stainless steel simplex roller chain steps in as the engineered solution. Manufactured from AISI 304 or AISI 316 stainless steel throughout — plates, pins, bushings, and rollers — this chain delivers consistent tensile performance and dimensional stability in environments that would rapidly destroy ordinary drive components. In the United Kingdom, industries ranging from North Sea offshore maintenance to Midlands pharmaceutical bottling lines have standardised on stainless steel simplex roller chain as their default specification for corrosive-duty conveyors and power transmission systems.
Ever Power’s stainless steel simplex roller chain range spans both ANSI (SS series) and BS/DIN (BSS series) dimensional standards, covering pitch sizes from 12.7 mm up to 38.1 mm. Whether your procurement team is sourcing a replacement C40SS-1 chain for a compact instrument conveyor or specifying a heavy-duty C24BSS-1 assembly capable of withstanding ultimate tensile loads beyond 96 kN, our technical and commercial teams in the UK can supply, advise, and where needed produce fully custom-dimensioned assemblies to your exact drawings. Every chain leaving our facility is verified against the declared pitch, roller diameter, pin length, and inner plate depth tolerances published in this product page.
Material Composition, Design Principles & Operating Conditions
The mechanical reliability of a stainless steel simplex roller chain depends on the precise co-operation between five structural components: inner plates, outer plates, hardened bushings, ground pins, and case-hardened rollers. In the SS series, all five elements are produced from AISI 304 austenitic stainless steel, offering broad-spectrum resistance to oxidation, many organic acids, and moderate alkaline cleaning agents — exactly the conditions encountered daily on UK food production lines operating under the Food Safety Act and HACCP protocols. The polished surface finish of SS series rollers also reduces product pick-up in open conveyor systems.
For more aggressive duty cycles — North Sea offshore platforms, coastal water treatment sites in Scotland and Wales, or chemical processing plants handling chlorinated solvents — the BSS series steps up to AISI 316L stainless steel. The addition of molybdenum to this grade dramatically raises resistance to pitting and crevice corrosion in chloride-rich and saline atmospheres, translating directly into longer service intervals and reduced unplanned downtime. Both series operate effectively across a temperature envelope from -20 °C to +300 °C, covering everything from cold-store conveyor systems in UK logistics centres to moderate-heat pasteurisation tunnels in dairy facilities.
AISI 304 — SS Series
General corrosion resistance; ideal for food & beverage, pharmaceutical, and light industrial conveying where HACCP hygiene compliance is required.
AISI 316 — BSS Series
Marine-grade with molybdenum; chosen for offshore, coastal chemical plant, and any UK installation exposed to prolonged chloride contact.
Operating Range
-20 °C to +300 °C standard. Suitable for dry-run operation in many hygiene-critical applications without continuous lubrication.
Technical Specifications
The table below lists the complete dimensional and mechanical parameters for our stainless steel simplex roller chain range. Blue chain numbers denote the ANSI-standard SS series; teal chain numbers denote the BS/DIN-standard BSS series. All linear dimensions are in millimetres (mm), load values in kilonewtons (kN), and weight in kilograms per metre (kg/m). UK engineers are encouraged to cross-reference these figures against BS ISO 606 or ASME B29.1 as applicable to their application.
| Chain No. | Pitch P (mm) | Roller Dia. d1 max (mm) | Width b/w Inner Plates b1 min (mm) | Pin Dia. d2 max (mm) | Pin Length L max (mm) | Inner Plate Depth h2 max (mm) | Ult. Tensile Strength Q min (kN) | Avg. Tensile Strength Q0 (kN) | Weight per Metre q (kg/m) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C40SS-1 | 12.7 | 7.95 | 7.85 | 3.96 | 16.6 | 12 | 9.8 | 12 | 0.72 |
| C50SS-1 | 15.875 | 10.16 | 9.40 | 5.08 | 20.5 | 15 | 16.2 | 21.3 | 1.22 |
| C60SS-1 | 19.05 | 11.91 | 12.57 | 5.94 | 25.3 | 18 | 21 | 25.3 | 1.80 |
| C80SS-1 | 25.4 | 15.88 | 15.75 | 7.92 | 32.7 | 24 | 36 | 45.7 | 3.10 |
| C100SS-1 | 31.75 | 19.05 | 18.9 | 9.53 | 39.8 | 30.18 | 58.9 | 66.6 | 4.55 |
| C120SS-1 | 38.1 | 22.23 | 25.22 | 11.1 | 50.3 | 35.7 | 92.8 | 98.3 | 6.87 |
| C08BSS-1 | 12.7 | 8.51 | 7.75 | 4.45 | 16.8 | 11.8 | 12 | 12.2 | 0.82 |
| C10BSS-1 | 15.875 | 10.16 | 9.65 | 5.08 | 19.2 | 14.6 | 14.9 | 16.2 | 1.07 |
| C12BSS-1 | 19.05 | 12.07 | 11.68 | 5.72 | 22 | 16 | 17.4 | 17.7 | 1.33 |
| C16BSS-1 | 25.4 | 15.88 | 17.02 | 8.28 | 35.6 | 21 | 40.6 | 46.7 | 3.10 |
| C20BSS-1 | 31.75 | 19.05 | 19.56 | 10.19 | 40.4 | 26 | 56 | 64.3 | 4.18 |
| C24BSS-1 | 38.1 | 25.4 | 25.4 | 14.63 | 53.4 | 33.4 | 96 | 115.6 | 7.48 |
Blue = SS (ANSI) series | Teal = BSS (BS/DIN) series. All dimensions subject to standard manufacturing tolerances.
Six Reasons UK Engineers Specify Our Stainless Steel Simplex Roller Chain
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Exceptional Corrosion Resistance
Stainless steel construction resists rust, oxidation, and chemical attack in wash-down environments, saltwater installations, and acid-exposure conditions that would destroy carbon steel chains in days.
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Tight Dimensional Tolerances
Every chain is manufactured to declared pitch, roller diameter, and pin length tolerances — ensuring drop-in interchangeability with existing BS and ANSI sprockets on UK production lines without re-engineering.
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Wide Temperature Range
Operating reliably from -20 °C to +300 °C, this chain handles cold-store conveyors in UK logistics centres and moderate-heat ovens in bakery and canning facilities with equal consistency.
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HACCP & Hygiene Compliance
The polished stainless surface eliminates product contamination risk and withstands high-pressure hot-water cleaning agents, aligning with UK Food Standards Agency and HACCP hygiene requirements.
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High Tensile Loads
With ultimate tensile strengths ranging from 9.8 kN (C40SS-1) to 115.6 kN (C24BSS-1), there is a chain in this series to match virtually any power transmission load requirement across UK industry.
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Reduced Maintenance Intervals
Stainless construction resists elongation caused by corrosion-accelerated wear, meaning fewer replacement cycles per year, lower unplanned downtime costs, and a lower total cost of ownership versus carbon steel alternatives.
Where Is Stainless Steel Simplex Roller Chain Used in the UK?
Across the length and breadth of the United Kingdom, this chain series has proven itself in four core industry verticals where no alternative material can match its combination of hygiene, strength, and environmental durability. Food and beverage manufacturers — from artisan breweries in Edinburgh to large-scale meat processing plants in the East Midlands — depend on AISI 304 SS chains on wash-down conveyors, scaling lines, and pasteuriser tunnels. Marine and offshore operators serving the North Sea, Irish Sea, and the offshore renewable energy sector increasingly specify AISI 316 BSS chains for deck machinery, subsea positioning guides, and tidal zone conveyor systems where saltwater immersion is inevitable.
🥩 Food & Beverage
Wash-down conveyors, bottling lines, pasteuriser tunnels, poultry processing, and bakery ovens. HACCP-compliant stainless steel eliminates contamination risk at every contact point.
⛵ Marine & Offshore
North Sea platforms, coastal water treatment, tidal renewable installations. AISI 316 BSS resists chloride pitting that terminates standard chain life within months.
💊 Pharmaceutical
Cleanroom conveyor systems, tablet coating drums, packaging lines. Non-shedding stainless surfaces comply with UK MHRA GMP requirements for sterile manufacturing environments.
⚗️ Chemical & Petrochemical
Solvent-exposed conveyor drives, acid-wash lines, effluent treatment facilities. Stainless steel simplex roller chain tolerates dilute acid and alkaline contact that carbon steel cannot survive.
Customer Success Stories
Case Study — UK Food Processing, Yorkshire
40% Reduction in Annual Chain Replacement Costs at a Yorkshire Poultry Plant
A mid-sized poultry processing facility near Harrogate, North Yorkshire, had been replacing carbon steel roller chains on its evisceration and chilling conveyor lines every six to eight weeks due to rapid corrosion from continuous chlorinated water wash-down cycles. After consulting Ever Power’s UK technical team, the plant maintenance manager specified a full switch to C60SS-1 stainless steel simplex roller chains across fourteen conveyor runs. The chains were installed during a scheduled shutdown in February 2023.
By December 2023, not a single replacement had been required on any of the fourteen runs. The annual chain procurement budget for those lines dropped by 38%, and planned maintenance windows were extended from six-weekly to six-monthly inspections. The facility’s HACCP audit score for conveyor line hygiene also improved, as the stainless roller surface eliminated the rust particulate contamination noted on previous audits. The maintenance manager noted that the price per metre was higher than carbon steel but the total cost of ownership over twelve months was substantially lower.
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We have been sourcing C80SS-1 chains from Ever Power for our canning line in Bristol for two years. The consistency of the pin diameter tolerances means we never get abnormal sprocket wear. Delivery to our UK warehouse has always been on schedule.
— Head of Engineering, Beverage Manufacturer, Bristol, England
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Our offshore maintenance vessel operates in the North Sea year-round. The C16BSS-1 chains on the deck crane drive have now completed 18 months without a single rust pit or measurable elongation. That performance simply was not achievable with anything else we tried.
— Procurement Manager, Marine Services Company, Aberdeen, Scotland
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As a pharmaceutical contract manufacturer operating to MHRA GMP standards, we cannot afford chain-related contamination events. Ever Power’s stainless steel simplex roller chain gave us documented material certification and the surface finish quality our QA team required. Recommended without reservation.
— Facilities Manager, Pharmaceutical Manufacturer, Cheshire, England
Our Manufacturing Capability & Custom Chain Services
Ever Power operates a dedicated stainless steel chain production facility with CNC precision grinding equipment, automated assembly lines, and in-house tensile testing rigs capable of verifying loads up to 200 kN. This infrastructure means we can fulfil standard catalogue orders rapidly — but more importantly, it means we can manufacture stainless steel simplex roller chains to non-standard specifications when your application demands something the catalogue does not offer.
Our custom chain services include: modified pitch lengths for retrofitting legacy machinery, extended pin configurations for attachment chain designs, custom barrel and bent attachment plates for conveyor engineering projects, special surface treatments including electropolishing for ultra-hygienic pharmaceutical applications, and material certificates to EN 10204 3.1 for regulated industry customers. UK buyers specifying chains for food export lines, offshore equipment, or GMP-regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing frequently take advantage of our bespoke drawing-to-delivery service, with typical lead times of 3–6 weeks for custom orders and stock availability on all standard SS and BSS series sizes. If you need a non-standard pitch or a unique attachment design for a project in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, or anywhere across the UK, contact our team directly.
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18+ Years Experience
Stainless steel chain engineering since 2006
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Custom Design Service
Non-standard pitch, attachment, and surface specs
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EN 10204 3.1 Certs
Material certification for regulated industries
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UK Stock & Delivery
Standard sizes in stock, dispatched to any UK postcode
Frequently Asked Questions
Ready to Specify Stainless Steel Simplex Roller Chain for Your UK Project?
Send us your chain number, quantity, and delivery postcode — we’ll respond with pricing and lead time within one working day.
📩 Get a Quote — sales@gear-chains
Ever Power · Stainless Steel Simplex Roller Chain · Supplied to the United Kingdom
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