A roller bearing uses a rolling element to reduce rotational friction and to support a load. Rather than use balls as the rolling element, a roller bearing relies on cylinders to carry either a load. Roller bearings provide a good balance between cost, size, weight, carrying capacity, durability, accuracy, and coefficient of friction. Thrust roller bearings only carry axial loads but can handle heavy loads with high axial rigidity. The thrust roller bearings, roller, and cage assemblies rest between the raceway rings. Spherical thrust roller bearings rely on convex rollers and have a self-aligning capability because of the barrel-shape of the rollers. The bearings consist of one row of rollers and have a larger contact angle. Tapered roller thrust bearings utilize tapered rollers while cylindrical roller thrust bearings have single row, double row, 3 row, 4 row, and duplex roller types.

Spherical roller thrust bearings have specially designed raceways and asymmetrical rollers. The bearings can accommodate axial loads acting in one direction and simultaneously acting radial loads. The load is transmitted between the raceways via the rollers at an angle to the bearing axis, while the flange guides the rollers .