Rolling-contact fatigue tests were performed on SAE 52100 207-size deep-groove ball bearing determine the relation between bearing fatigue life and actual bearing component hardness differences and the effect of actual component hardness differences on bearing fatigue life scatter. The 207-size bearings with inner and outer races from the same heat of SAE 52100 material and with nominal Rockwell C hardnesses of 63 were assembled with SAE 52100 balls from the same heat of material tempered to nominal Rockwell C hardnesses of 60, 63, 65, and 66. Test conditions included an inner race speed of 2750 rpm, a radial load of 1320 pounds, which produced maximum Hertz stresses of 352 000 and 336 000 psi at the inner and the outer races, respectively, and a highly purified naphthenic mineral oil as the lubricant. Subsequent to testing, the bearings were disassembled, and all component hardnesses were measured. The bearings were regrouped according to their actual values of AH for Rockwell C hardness increments of 0. 5 and 1. 0, where AH is the difference between the actual hardness of the rolling elements in the bearing and the actual hardness of the inner race. The fatigue life and scatter results were compared with component hardness combinations and data previously obtained from the five-ball fatigue tester. The following results were obtained