Spherical plain bearings have an inner ring with a sphered convex outside surface and an outer ring with a correspondingly sphered but concave inside surface. The design makes them particularly suitable for bearing arrangements where alignment movements between shaft and housing have to be accommodated, or where oscillating or recurrent tilting or slewing movements must be permitted at relatively slow sliding speeds.

Spherical plain bearing are widely used in engineering hydraulic cylinders, forging machine tools, construction machinery, automation equipment, automobile shock absorbers, hydraulic machinery and other industries.