Speed Rings: The Small Skateboard Component That Can Make a Big Difference
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When people talk about skateboard hardware, the conversation usually focuses on trucks, bearings, wheels and bushings. One of the smallest components is often overlooked entirely: the speed ring washer.
A speed ring is simply a thin washer positioned between the bearing and the truck hanger or axle nut. It looks insignificant, costs very little and rarely gets any attention.
But its job is important.
A well-made speed ring provides a clean, consistent bearing interface, helps prevent unwanted contact between the bearing and truck hardware, and contributes to the smooth rotation that skateboarders expect from a properly assembled setup.
So what should a speed ring actually be made from?
What Does a Speed Ring Do?
A skateboard bearing needs to rotate around the axle while remaining properly supported.
Without a washer, the bearing's inner race can make direct contact with the truck hanger on one side and the axle nut on the other. Although bearings are designed to handle this kind of assembly, a properly manufactured speed ring creates a more controlled interface.
The washer effectively gives the bearing's inner race a dedicated surface to sit against.
This is particularly important because the inner race is the part that should be clamped by the axle nut. The outer race needs to remain free to rotate with the wheel.
A good speed ring therefore needs to be:
- Flat
- Smooth
- Consistent in thickness
- Correctly sized
- Resistant to deformation
- Resistant to corrosion
- Free from sharp or poorly finished edges
It is a simple component, but precision matters.
Why Stainless Steel Is Such a Good Choice
For a premium skateboard speed ring, stainless steel is one of the strongest choices.
Stainless steel combines several properties that are particularly useful for skateboarding: strength, dimensional stability, corrosion resistance and durability.
Skateboards are exposed to moisture, sweat, dirt and sometimes salty coastal environments. A component that sits directly beside a bearing should ideally not become rusty or develop a rough surface over time.
This is one reason stainless steel makes so much sense for speed rings.
304 Stainless Steel
304 stainless steel is an excellent choice for a high-quality commercial speed ring.
It offers:
- Good corrosion resistance
- Good strength
- Excellent availability
- Good machinability
- Relatively low production cost
For most skateboarders, a properly manufactured 304 stainless speed ring will provide everything necessary. In fact, the quality of the manufacturing can be more important than simply choosing a more exotic grade of steel.
440C: The Premium Option
For a more performance-focused component, 440C stainless steel becomes particularly interesting.
440C is a hardenable stainless steel known for its high hardness and wear resistance. It is commonly associated with applications where durability and resistance to wear are important.
For a speed ring, this means the material can maintain its shape and surface characteristics extremely well. A polished, properly finished 440C speed ring could therefore make an excellent premium skateboard component.
However, there is an important caveat.
Harder doesn't automatically mean faster. A skateboard bearing isn't going to suddenly become dramatically faster simply because the washer is made from 440C instead of 304 stainless steel. The real advantage is long-term durability, dimensional stability and the ability to maintain a high-quality bearing contact surface.
What About 316 Stainless Steel?
316 stainless steel is another interesting option.
Its major advantage is excellent corrosion resistance, particularly in environments where exposure to moisture and salts is a concern. For skateboarders living near the ocean or in hot, humid climates, this can be attractive.
The downside is that 316 is generally more expensive and isn't as hard as hardened 440C.
For a speed ring, the choice becomes one of priorities:
- 304 — excellent balance of price and performance.
- 316 — excellent corrosion resistance.
- 440C — premium hardness and wear resistance.
Why Aluminum Isn't Necessarily Better
Aluminum is lightweight, corrosion resistant and easy to manufacture. Those characteristics sound attractive.
However, a speed ring is already an extremely small component. Saving a tiny amount of weight by using aluminum provides virtually no meaningful advantage to the skateboarder. Steel is substantially harder and more resistant to deformation.
Aluminum can therefore make sense for certain specialized applications, but for a conventional premium speed ring, stainless steel is generally the more logical choice.
What About Brass?
Brass speed rings can look fantastic and have good corrosion resistance. They also have interesting material characteristics and can provide a premium aesthetic.
However, brass is significantly softer than hardened steel. That means it can be more susceptible to deformation or surface marking over long-term use. For a performance-oriented speed ring, stainless steel remains the safer choice.
It's Not Just About the Material
Perhaps the biggest misconception about speed rings is that the material grade is everything. It isn't.
A beautifully specified piece of stainless steel can still make a poor speed ring if it has been manufactured badly.
- Flatness matters.
- Thickness consistency matters.
- Surface finish matters.
- Dimensional accuracy matters.
A washer that isn't perfectly flat can create uneven contact with the bearing race. A rough surface can potentially introduce unnecessary friction or damage bearing surfaces. A poorly finished inner or outer edge can also create problems during assembly.
This is why manufacturing quality is just as important as the material specification.
Polishing Makes a Difference
A good speed ring should have a clean, smooth bearing-contact surface. The goal isn't to make the washer look shiny simply for cosmetic reasons — a controlled surface finish helps provide a consistent interface between the washer and bearing.
For a premium product, the washer should also have cleanly finished edges rather than sharp stamping burrs. This is particularly important because inexpensive washers are often produced rapidly by stamping or cutting sheet material. If the finishing process isn't controlled, tiny burrs and imperfections can remain.
Stamped vs Machined
There are two broad approaches to producing washers.
Stamping is extremely efficient for large-scale production. A sheet of material can be processed into thousands of washers quickly and economically. For a standard skateboard speed ring, a well-produced stamped washer can work perfectly well.
Machining, however, provides greater control over dimensions and finishing, although it comes with significantly higher production costs. For a premium skateboard component, the ideal manufacturing process depends on the quantities being produced and the tolerances required.
There is no automatic rule that says machined equals better. Quality control is what matters.
The Importance of Thickness
Speed rings don't need to be thick — their thin profile is part of the design. The washer needs to provide enough material to maintain its shape under axle pressure without unnecessarily increasing the overall bearing stack height.
Consistency is particularly important. If one washer is noticeably thicker than another, the relationship between the bearing, truck hanger and axle nut can change slightly. For that reason, precision manufacturing and quality control are more important than simply making the washer thicker.
Does a Better Speed Ring Make Your Board Faster?
This is where marketing claims need to be treated carefully.
A speed ring doesn't magically increase bearing speed. Your wheels aren't going to suddenly spin twice as long because you changed from a basic washer to a premium stainless version. The primary purpose is to provide a good, reliable interface for the bearing.
The benefits of a high-quality speed ring are better described as:
- Consistency
- Durability
- Smooth assembly
- Resistance to deformation
- Corrosion resistance
- Better long-term bearing performance by maintaining the correct mechanical interface
Those are meaningful benefits without making exaggerated claims.
So What's the Best Material?
For most skateboarders, 304 stainless steel is arguably the best overall choice when cost, performance and durability are considered together.
For a premium component, hardened 440C stainless steel is an excellent choice where maximum hardness and wear resistance are priorities. 316 stainless steel is particularly attractive where corrosion resistance is the primary concern.
Ultimately, however, the best speed ring isn't simply the one with the most impressive material specification. It's the one that has been manufactured correctly. A flat, accurately sized, properly finished 304 stainless washer can be a better skateboard component than a poorly manufactured 440C washer.
Small Component. Serious Attention to Detail.
Skateboarding is full of components that are easy to overlook. Speed rings are a perfect example.
They cost very little compared with a set of trucks or wheels, but they form part of the mechanical system that allows those components to work together correctly.
For manufacturers, this is a useful reminder that premium skateboard hardware isn't always about adding complexity. Sometimes it's about taking a component that everyone else considers insignificant and getting every small detail right.
Because when it comes to skateboard hardware, the difference between an ordinary component and a premium one can be measured in fractions of a millimetre — but the attention to detail is immediately noticeable when everything works together.
Small parts matter.
Explore Our Hardware
If this article got you thinking about the quality of your full setup, here's where to look:
- Trucks — The foundation of how your board turns and feels underfoot.
- Wheels — Speed, grip and roll quality all start here.
- Accessories — Bearings, hardware and the small components that keep everything running smoothly.
- Complete Setups — Everything matched and dialled in from the start.