Slideway oil — also called way oil or way lubricant — is the adhesive, high-tack oil for the sliding surfaces of machine tools: the ways, slides, tables and saddles of lathes, mills, grinders, planers and machining centres. Its job is to stop stick-slip, the judder that ruins surface finish and positioning accuracy on slow, heavily loaded slides. Harlow Lubricants Supplies is an authorised distributor for Shell, Mobil, Texaco and TotalEnergies, with 35 years in lubricant supply, and we stock ISO VG 32 to 460 in 20 L pails, 205/208/209 L drums, 1,000 L IBCs and bulk for UK delivery and export to Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
Need a quote or a data sheet? Tell us the machine and the ISO grade in the manual, and we reply with stock and lead time.
Every drum is genuine, manufacturer-sealed stock supplied with its technical and safety data sheets. Quotes go out the same working day with stock position and lead time against them.
What is stick-slip, and why does slideway oil prevent it?
On a slow-moving, heavily loaded slide the oil film is squeezed almost to nothing. An ordinary oil lets the surfaces grab, release and grab again — the slide moves in tiny jerks rather than smoothly. On a machine tool that shows up directly as chatter marks, poor surface finish and positioning error.
Slideway oils carry tackiness agents that keep the film on a vertical or inclined way instead of draining off, plus friction modifiers that keep the static and dynamic friction close together, which is what actually kills stick-slip. The designation to look for on a data sheet is DIN 51502 CGLP.
Can I use hydraulic oil on the slideways instead?
It will work for a while and it is a false economy. Hydraulic oil has no tackiness agents, so it drains off vertical ways and leaves them dry, and its friction characteristics do not suppress stick-slip. On machines where the slideway and hydraulic systems share a reservoir the manufacturer will specify what to do — follow that, because the wrong choice there can affect both systems.
For hydraulic circuits see our hydraulic oil range.
Which slideway oil grade do I need?
Use the ISO grade in the machine manual. As a general guide, lighter grades suit horizontal ways and faster movement, heavier grades suit vertical or inclined ways and heavier loads where drainage is the problem.
The Mobil Vactra numbering causes regular confusion, so for reference: Vactra No 1 is ISO VG 32, No 2 is ISO VG 68, No 3 is ISO VG 220 and No 4 is ISO VG 320. An old works instruction that says “Vactra 2” means an ISO 68 way oil.
Which slideway oils do you stock?
- Mobil Vactra Oil No 1, 2, 3 and 4 — 20 L, 208 L drum, and 1,000 L on No 2.
- Shell Tonna S3 M in 32, 68 and 220 — 20 L, 209 L, 1,000 L and bulk delivery.
- Texaco Way Lubricant X in 68, 220 and 320 — 20 L and 208 L.
- TotalEnergies Drosera MS 68 and 220 — 20 L, 208 L and bulk.
- Aztec Slideway Lubricant in 32, 46, 68, 100, 150, 220, 320 and 460, plus Manutec Slideway M100 and M220 — 20 L, 205 L and 1,000 L IBC across the range.
What about Fives Cincinnati specifications?
Machine tool builders, Fives Cincinnati among them, publish their own way-lubricant specifications, and many machine manuals reference them rather than an ISO grade alone. If your manual names a builder specification, send it with the enquiry and we will confirm the current approval status against the manufacturer’s data sheet before quoting.
What pack sizes can I buy?
20 L pails suit a single machine or a small shop; 205/208/209 L drums suit a maintenance store; 1,000 L IBCs and bulk suit larger machine shops running centralised lubrication. Prices are quoted per enquiry, the same working day; orders over €10,000 receive a 10% discount and we price-match like-for-like genuine product. UK deliveries normally arrive within 2–5 business days.
Related ranges: cutting fluid for the machining itself, plus hydraulic oil and industrial gear oil.