How to select a Russian analogue of an imported chain

When the analogue task arises

Replacing an imported chain with a Russian one is needed in several typical situations:

• Repair and maintenance. The chain in an imported machine's assembly is worn out, and the original spare part takes long, is expensive or is available only as part of the assembly.
• Supply disruption. The chain was purchased abroad, but logistics and lead times have become unpredictable, and equipment downtime is unacceptable.
• Budget. The price of the imported item together with delivery makes it unprofitable for regular consumption.
• Range normalisation. The enterprise is moving away from a mix of standards and wants to purchase chains to Russian TUs — with predictable parameters and documents.

In all cases the task is the same: to select not a “similar” chain, but a product that matches in purpose and key parameters and works correctly in the assembly. This is an engineering procedure, not a search for an “analogue from a photo”. The general workflow for this area is described on the Import substitution of chains page.

About the wording right away: we offer analogues and replacements and confirm conformity by technical parameters — gauge, pitch, loads. We do not supply products under third-party trademarks.

Step-by-step method

Step 1. Read the marking of the imported chain

The primary data is on the chain itself, the tag, the packaging, in the equipment data sheet or the engineering documentation. Look for three elements:

1. Standard. DIN 763, DIN 766, DIN 764, DIN 762, DIN 5685, DIN 818-2 / EN 818-2 — the designation sets the family: link type, purpose and class.
2. Size. Gauge × pitch, for example 8×24: rod diameter 8 mm, link pitch 24 mm.
3. Strength class. For lifting chains — class 8 (designations T8, G80); for chains of normal strength — class 3 or a version without a class index.

Explanations of the designation systems:

• DIN, EN — European standards: DIN — German, EN — European; on products they are often written together: DIN EN 818-2.
• ISO — the international system; for round-link chains rely on the same features: link type, class, gauge and pitch.
• ANSI — the American system, common for drive (roller) and articulated chains. If the chain is marked ANSI, first make sure it is a welded round-link chain: roller drives are a different type of product.

If the marking is worn off or absent — move on to the measurements.

Step 2. Measure the gauge, pitch and link width

A round-link chain is described by four parameters:

• gauge d — the rod diameter; measure on a straight section of the link, not at the weld and not at the bend;
• pitch t — the internal length of the link; it is more accurate to measure 10 consecutive links and divide by 10;
• outer link width b;
• weight per 1 metre — the check value: it quickly separates adjacent sizes and checks the other measurements.

Record the actual values (for example, “d ≈ 8.0; t ≈ 24”). The measurement procedure is covered in detail in the article How to determine the size of an unknown chain; the Chain identification by measurements tool helps reduce the measurements to sizes.

Step 3. Check the purpose and strength class

The same geometry does not mean interchangeability: one size occurs in different classes. For example, the size 8×24 exists both in the general-purpose line (TU-001 card) and in the T8 lifting line (TU-002 card): the gauge and pitch match, but the purpose and the level of standardised loads are different.

The class is chosen by how the chain works:

• lifting and holding loads (hoists, lifting and load-handling devices) — class 8, designation T8; a sling chain is a separate product (a certified class 8 sling assembly to GOST/EN 818-2 with standard sling coefficients), and our TU-001/TU-002 do not provide for the use of our chains as slings;
• traction and conveyor branches of continuous transport machinery — class 3; for heavy-duty duties — T8 by calculation;
• fastening, securing, fencing, technical tasks — class 3.

A practical rule: a lifting chain cannot be replaced with a technical one of the same size, and a “stronger” one — only after checking the link geometry and the operation in the assembly. The difference between the classes and the safety factor are covered in the article Chain strength classes.

Step 4. Select a version by our TUs

The plant's range is grouped into two lines:

• TU-001 — TU 25.93.17-001-06515248-2020, strength class 3, general purpose: short-link and long-link, calibrated and non-calibrated versions (groups A1, A2, B1, B2). Catalog: general-purpose round-link chains.
• TU-002 — TU 25.93.17-002-06515248-2026, strength class 8 (T8), lifting short-link calibrated chains. Catalog: T8 lifting chains.
• Conveyor and traction versions are collected in a separate category: class 3 — for standard duties, T8 — for heavy-duty: Conveyor chains (traction).

A distinction is important here: DIN, EN, ISO and GOST are reference standards, convenient for describing the correspondence. The product itself is manufactured to our TUs, and the final conformity for the specific size and task is confirmed by a technologist.

If your documentation specifies the previous TU of the same line — TU 25.93.17-001-26518198-2016 — the products are equivalent to it in size range and load norms: we manufacture to the current TU-001, and the confirmation of technical equivalence is arranged via a manager.

Step 5. Check the load table

The set of standardised loads is set by the TU itself, and it differs between the lines:

• TU-001 (class 3): proof (WLL) and breaking (BL) — two columns;
• TU-002 (T8): acceptance proof, technological and breaking — three columns; the technological load is taken as in the TU table (whole kN), not recalculated from the breaking load.

Typical mistakes when comparing: comparing the WLL of one chain with the BL of another; taking the breaking load as the working load; carrying numbers from the table of one TU directly into the table of another. How to read the columns — in the article Chain load tables. For class 8 the working load is not standardised in the TU — agree the design safety factor for your task with a technologist.

Step 6. Prepare the enquiry

Collect the source data: the designation of the imported chain or the measurements, the purpose of the assembly, loads, length, coating, quantity. The manager will verify the parameters, involve a technologist if necessary and prepare a quotation. If there is no suitable size in the catalog, we will make it to parameters, a drawing or a sample. What to specify and how to send the enquiry — in the section below.

Mapping table: standard → reference → our analogue

The table shows typical correspondences. Each row leads to a page analysing the specific standard; the final conformity for your size and task is confirmed by a technologist.

Below the table:

• DIN, EN and GOST are given as reference standards; manufacturing is to our TUs.
• The full list of standard analyses is collected in the hub Analogues of imported chains.
• A comparison of the two most common standards — in the article Analogues of DIN 763 and DIN 766.

Tools: selection and decoding

Analogue selection — /tools/podbor-analoga

Analogue selection for an imported chain suggests which sizes of our TUs are closest to your imported chain:

1. Choose the imported standard from the list: DIN 763, DIN 766, DIN 764, DIN 762, DIN 5685-1/-3, DIN 818-2 / EN 818-2, EN 818-1, GOST 30188-97.
2. Optionally specify the gauge d in millimetres — only items of that diameter will remain.
3. Study the result rows: size (gauge × pitch), group, class, breaking load, weight per 1 m. From a row you can go to the size card.
4. If there are no items for the specified gauge, click “Show all sizes” and look at the full range, or check the parameter with a manager.

The correspondence in the tool is given for reference — the technologist confirms it finally.

Designation decoding — /tools/rasshifrovka

Designation decoding builds and explains the designation to our TUs:

1. Choose the line — TU-001 (class 3) or TU-002 (T8).
2. Specify the version (group) and the size.
3. The tool will show the designation (you can copy it), the decoding of the elements — type, class, gauge × pitch × width — and the item's specifications; use the button to open the size card.

The tool is useful when you need to obtain a correct designation for an enquiry or to understand a designation from a specification based on our range.

What to check with a manager before ordering

• Purpose and assembly: lifting a load, a conveyor branch, fastening or another task — the class and TU depend on this.
• Loads: working load and duty; for critical load-handling operations the composition and formalisation of documents are agreed separately with a technologist and the occupational safety service.
• Coating: uncoated, grease, zinc plating, paint — for the operating conditions, to order.
• Length and packaging: measured cut lengths, reel, set; whether repeatability from batch to batch matters.
• Documents: QC accompanying documents, certificates and declarations — on request within the order; for tender supplies, discuss the document set in advance.
• Assembly geometry: operation with a sprocket, permissible pitch deviations, mating with existing parts.

How to prepare the enquiry:

1. Send the chain designation or the source parameters: standard, gauge × pitch, class, length, coating, quantity; if there is no designation — the measurements from step 2.
2. Describe the purpose and operating conditions — lifting, conveyor, fastening, load duty.
3. Attach a drawing or a photo of a sample if manufacturing to geometry is needed.
4. Send the enquiry via the Contacts page. The manager will prepare the price and supply terms individually — prices are not published on the website.

A short algorithm

1. Read the marking: standard, gauge × pitch, class.
2. Measure: d, t, b and the weight per 1 m.
3. Determine the purpose and class: TU-001 (class 3) or TU-002 (T8).
4. Check the loads against the table of your TU.
5. Verify the correspondence with the tools and send the manager an enquiry with the purpose, coating and documents.