To compute bearing loads, the forces which act on the shaft being supported by the bearing must be determined. These forces include the inherent dead weight of the rotating body (the weight of the shafts and components themselves), loads generated by the working forces of the machine, and loads arising from transmitted power.

For shafting, the static tension is considered to be supported by the bearing, and any loads acting on the shafts are distributed to the bearings. The applied bearing loads can be found by using following formulas:



When two or more loads are applied simultaneously, The radial loads on bearings A and B can be calculated using the following equations: