What is the difference between mineral and synthetic oils?
Broadly speaking, two types of lubricating oil dominate the market: mineral and synthetic oils. While both reduce friction and wear, they differ significantly in their origin, structure and performance. In this article, we take a closer look at the two types of lubricants, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and which type of lubricating oil you should actually choose for which purpose.
What are mineral oils?
Mineral lubricating oils are extracted from crude oil through a refining process. It is a natural process in which the oil is separated and the individual components are sorted by boiling point. The heavier, thicker components are separated out and used for products such as lubricants. For decades, this has been the traditional solution.
Advantages and disadvantages of mineral lubricants
The refining process results in a non-uniform molecular structure, which can often lead to varying properties. In practice, this means you get a range of different products with different viscosities, and in some cases the oil will be more sluggish at low temperatures. On the other hand, one of the major advantages of mineral lubricants is that they often have natural lubricity, which makes them suitable for a wide range of applications. In general, mineral lubricants are also more cost-effective than synthetic alternatives.
What are synthetic oils?
Unlike mineral oils, synthetic oils are produced through a complex chemical process. This process makes it possible to control the properties of the lubricant, which often makes those properties more stable at both high and low temperatures. The more uniform the properties, the less friction. And the less friction, the lower the energy consumption.
Advantages and disadvantages of synthetic lubricants
One of the advantages of synthetic lubricants is that they retain their lubricity at high temperatures and remain fluid at low temperatures. Synthetic lubricants generally also offer better wear protection, which extends the service life of moving parts. On the other hand, some synthetic lubricating oils can be more expensive than mineral oils.
Synthetic or mineral lubricating oil?
Whether you should choose synthetic or mineral lubricants depends on what the lubricant is going to be used for. What are its operating conditions? How long is the maintenance horizon for the machines or equipment to be lubricated? And what options do you have for storing the lubricant?
As a general rule, if you work at high temperatures or in more variable temperature conditions, synthetic lubricating oils offer additional benefits. The same applies if you want to optimise the performance of your machines. In these cases, investing in synthetic lubricants can pay off.
But if cost is the deciding factor and temperature variations are moderate, mineral lubricants may be the most sensible choice.
In other words, there is no clear-cut answer as to whether you should choose mineral or synthetic lubricants. You should take a holistic view of the lubrication process and consider all the factors involved.
Get advice on choosing the right lubricating oil
We are happy to help you choose the right lubricating oils for your business, whatever industry you work in. We are advisers, not salespeople. For us, it is always about making sure you get the lubrication solution that gives you the best performance and operational reliability, even if that means pointing you in a different direction than us. You can count on that.