Using the Spring Finder to Replace an Existing Compression Spring
When replacing compression springs one wants a good compression spring replacement it is most important to prioritize the compression spring dimensions for your application and narrow it down from there. The spring finder at The Spring Store is set up to search compression springs online, the spring finder prioritizes the outside diameter, length and rate of the compression spring you are looking for. If any of the other dimensions are high priority you can click on “search more fields” and use these fields to narrow the search.
When replacing a compression spring it is most important to make sure the compression spring will fit properly in your application and will perform adequately for your application. The outside diameter and free length will determine the fit of the spring and the “rate” will determine the function of the spring.
If you do not know the rate of your spring you can use the Spring Creator to determine that value. Simply enter in your dimensions and hit calculate.
Enter your dimensions
Spring fits in a 0.500 inch diameter hole and needs to be approximately 2 inches long. The force (rate) is unknown
*Account for Tolerances
*Range of Search starts wide and narrows with each added search criteria. This first search brought back too many results, 502
Too Many Results
*Range of search - Start with a wide range of search criteria and narrow it down from there. You can see in the above example that I started with a free length range of 1.5-2.5 inches and an outside diameter of 0.450-0.485 inches since I have some room in my design. This brought me back 502 possible results, much too large of a range to search through. You should narrow this down to a smaller range, we would always recommend narrowing one search field down and then the other. Below I will show examples of how to narrow down the results.
*Always account for tolerances in your spring. If you need a compression spring to fit inside a space or over a shaft allow for 0.005 - 0.025 of an inch of tolerance on the compression spring. In the example above this spring needs to fit inside a 0.500 diameter hole so we are searching for outside diameters up to 0.485
Narrow 1 dimension at a time
In this search we kept the OD range consistent and narrowed down the Free Length range.
By narrowing down the free length in my search for a compression spring, I simplified the results from 502 to 153, still too high. From here I will tighten up the outside diameter search criteria
153 Results
Narrow the second dimension
In this search we narrowed the OD range down to 0.475-0.485 and left the free length at 1.75-2 inches.
By narrowing down the outside diameter range I have reduced my results to 99 options. We do not recommend trying to navigate 99 options so I would take another look at my application for my next priority.
99 Results
What is my next priority?
Enter the new values in the “search more” field
Questions to Ask Yourself…..
Is your spring fitting over a shaft?
Do you know the force profile required?
Does your application require a particular material type such as stainless steel?
Do you know the wire thickness?
Do you have a max solid height requirement?
For this example we will assume I need stainless steel and I have a max solid height of 0.500 inch.
28 Results
Now that we have a manageable amount of results, 16, how do we choose the ones to order?
Ships Today
Once you have a manageable amount of results you can choose springs based on priority.
Need the springs with the fastest delivery? Choose the springs that have the “Ships Today” logo to the right of the part number.
Ships Today Options
End Types
Need ground ends on your spring? Narrow the results by choosing spring with the -CG- in the part number. End types are also shown in the far right column.
Ground Ends Options
You can continue to narrow down your results using any of the items in the table.
Once you have found the springs that best fit your application you can add them to cart and order the springs directly online.
We make it fast and easy to order your springs directly from the table. Simply click on the part number and add the desired quantity to your cart.
The check out process is fast and simple
Receive the springs fast and test them in your application. Each spring is labeled with the part number you chose to help you narrow down the best spring for your application.
Order higher volumes of the ideal spring on our website for the best pricing and lead time. We have thousands of springs ready to ship today at great prices.
Still Need More Help? We are here for you
If I do not have calipers to measure your spring or are having a hard time using the Spring Finder we are here to assist you.
We can do all the measurements and searching for you, simply mail in your spring and we will find the perfect replacement.
