The outer raceway of the bearing is spherical, and its curvature center aligns with the bearing center. Therefore, the inner ring, ball, and cage can freely rotate around the center of the bearing, providing self-aligning properties. This is suitable for applications where shaft and housing alignment is difficult, and where shafts are prone to deflection, such as in transmission shafts. Due to the small contact angle, the axial load capacity is also small. Generally, stamped cages are used.

The permissible self-aligning angle of the self-aligning ball bearings, under normal load conditions, is approximately 0.07 to 0.12 radians (4-7 degrees). Please note that there are special cases where these self-aligning angles are not achievable based on the related installation dimensions around the bearing.