Needle roller thrust bearings are fitted with a form-stable cage to reliably retain and guide a large number of needle rollers. Needle roller thrust bearings provide a high degree of stiffness within a minimum axial space. In applications where the faces of adjacent machine components can serve as raceways, needle roller thrust bearings take up no more space than a conventional thrust washer.

Needle thrust roller bearings may be complete bearing assemblies with thrust washers and roller cage assemblies, or needle roller and cage assemblies. The rolling needle is hardened and finely ground for optimal load distribution. When these requirements are not met, the use of thrust washers is strongly recommended.