Lubricating grease vs lubricating paste

Lubricating grease vs lubricating paste

Lubricating grease and lubricating paste are both means of lubricating an application that needs a firmer type of lubricant than a lubricating oil can deliver. The difference between lubricating grease and lubricating paste is mainly that lubricating grease contains approx. 3-4% of solid lubricants, while lubricating paste contains up to approx. 50% of solid lubricants. Lubricating paste is thus usually a thicker type of lubricant, with extra good adhesion. 

Properties of lubricating paste

Lubricating paste is usually especially useful for high loads, temperatures, sliding bearings and applications with vibrating or slow movements. Metal-free lubricating pastes (eg OKS 250) and OKS 252 can also be used for rust protection of screws, and for screw connections. A lubricating paste consists of one or more base fats/base oils, as well as different types of solid lubricants. The solid lubricants can act as thickeners, but their main task is to add properties to the lubricating paste that a lubricating grease/lubricating oil does not have. 

Properties of lubricating grease

Grease is an excellent lubricant when you need a more effective adhesion than a lubricating oil can deliver. Lubricating grease contains a base oil, as well as thickeners and various additives. The mixture and amount of these respective components control which properties the lubricating grease gets. As a rule, there is no lubricating grease mixture that works optimally all applications, but you should always choose lubricating grease based on an established requirement specification for this, and according to the type of application/machine to be lubricated.