Buy Grease Nipples Online in Australia
Grease nipples — also called Zerk fittings, lubrication fittings, or grease fittings — are the small inlet valves fitted to a bearing housing, pin joint, or lubrication point. Each nipple contains a spring-loaded ball check that seats against the bore under normal conditions and only lifts when a grease gun coupler locks on and pressure is applied, letting grease through while keeping dirt and moisture out the rest of the time. AIMS Industrial stocks over 160 grease nipples across Champion, Alemlube, Lubemate, Work Shop Buddy and GJ Works, covering BSP, BSPT, BSF, BSW, NPT, UNF, SAE J534 and metric threads in straight, 45°, 67.5°, 90° and drive-in configurations, in mild steel, zinc-plated and 316/A4 stainless steel. If you're weighing up which one to choose, our Grease Nipple & Zerk Fitting Guide: Sizes, Types & Threads is a good place to start.
A grease nipple only ever does half the job. The other half is the coupler on the end of your grease gun hose — the two have to be matched, both in thread/head profile and in physical access, or grease sprays back past the connection instead of reaching the bearing. If you're here to sort out a coupler rather than a nipple, our grease couplers range covers standard hydraulic, button head, needlepoint, flush, pin-type, 4-jaw, swivel and aviation couplers from the same brands. This page is about the fitting on the equipment side — the nipple itself.
Quick reference — grease nipple thread, angle and head type
| Thread / size | Standard | Typical origin | Where you'll find it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/8" BSP (G1/8) | Parallel pipe thread, ISO 228 | British / Australian design convention | The workshop default — general industrial and agricultural equipment, most bearing housings tapped in Australia |
| 1/4" BSP (G1/4) | Parallel pipe thread, ISO 228 | British / Australian design convention | Larger-capacity grease points — truck hubs, heavy industrial bearings, mining plant |
| BSPT (tapered BSP) | Taper pipe thread, ISO 7-1 | British-derived equipment | Older British-made machinery and some pump/valve bodies where a taper seal is needed |
| BSF (British Standard Fine) | Whitworth-form fine pitch, BS 84 | British-made equipment, pre-metric Australian plant | Older British and Australian machinery still in service — 1/4" BSF is the common size in our range |
| BSW (British Standard Whitworth) | Whitworth-form coarse pitch, BS 84 | British-made equipment | Legacy British and early Australian equipment alongside BSF |
| 1/8" & 1/4" NPT | Taper pipe thread, ASME B1.20.1 | US-origin equipment | American-built plant, hydraulic components, imported agricultural machinery |
| 1/4" UNF (incl. 1/4 x 1-1/4") | Unified fine thread, ASME B1.1 | US and Australian automotive | Chassis and driveline grease points on cars, utes and light commercial vehicles |
| M6 x 1.0, M8 x 1.0/1.25, M10 x 1.0/1.5 | Metric coarse/fine pitch | European design convention | European-built machinery and vehicles — not interchangeable with BSP of a similar nominal size |
| 5/16" SAE / SAE J534 | SAE J534 — Lubrication Fittings | North American automotive/fleet | US-spec fleet and heavy vehicle equipment; the reference standard for hydraulic ball-check nipple dimensions generally |
| Drive-in / press-fit | No thread — knurled barb retention | Universal | Unthreaded drilled holes, sheet metal, cast housings where tapping isn't practical |
Grease nipple types and configurations
Beyond thread, three things separate one grease nipple from another: the angle of the head, the head style itself, and the material. Get any one of them wrong and the nipple either won't fit the housing, won't take a coupler properly, or won't last in the environment it's installed in.
Head angle — straight, 45°, 67.5°, 90° and drive-in
The angle exists purely for coupler access — it has no effect on grease flow or the fitting's holding pressure.
- Straight (0°): the standard configuration wherever the coupler can approach the nipple head-on. Most of our range — Champion CGN15, CN161, CN163, Alemlube's straight and BSF/BSW straight lines, and Lubemate's UNF, BSPT and NPT straight nipples — is stocked in this form first.
- 45° angled: points the head off to one side for grease points set back from open access — Champion's CN1210/CGN1210 (1/8" BSP), CN1211/CGN1211 (1/4" UNF) and CN203 (M10 x 1mm) cover the common sizes, alongside Alemlube's LA8, LA51 and LA188 and Lubemate's metric and UNF 45° lines.
- 67.5° angled: a less common but genuinely stocked angle — between 45° and 90° — for grease points where neither of the more common angles clears surrounding structure. Champion's CN37/CGN37 (1/8" NPT) and CN39/CGN39 (1/8" BSP) are the two most-ordered 67.5° parts in our range.
- 90° angled: the head points directly sideways from the body, for grease points accessible only from the side or where the housing sits flush to a flat surface. Champion CN43/CGN43 (1/8" NPT), CN44/CGN44 (1/8" BSP) and CN107/CGN107 (1/4" UNF), plus Alemlube's LA45, LA165 and LA204, are common 90° selections.
- Drive-in (press-fit): no thread at all — the shank is knurled and pushed into a drilled hole, retained by friction rather than a tapped thread. Alemlube stocks both a standard drive nipple with the usual ball check and a "no ball" drive variant for applications that don't need the check valve. Useful where threading a housing isn't practical, including sheet metal and some cast-iron applications.
Head style — standard hydraulic, button head, and self-tapping
The head style has to match the coupler you're using, not just the thread.
- Standard (hydraulic/Zerk) head: the common ball-head profile most of our range is built to, matched by a standard hydraulic or quick-release coupler. This is the default head style across Champion's CN and CGN series and Lubemate's straight, angled and stainless nipples.
- Button head: a wider, rounded head — Alemlube's LT Series BSP button head, its NPT hexagonal button head, and its BSP button head in brass, plus Lubemate's NPT and BSPT straight button head nipples — built for higher grease throughput on heavier machinery. A button head nipple needs a button head coupler; a standard hydraulic coupler's jaws are sized for the smaller ball head and won't hold a seal on it. See our grease couplers range for matching button head couplers.
- Self-tapping: cuts its own thread into an undrilled or pilot-drilled hole rather than engaging a pre-tapped port. Champion's C109-2 (M6 x 1mm) and CN163/CGN163 (M6 x 1mm straight) self-tapping nipples, and Alemlube's straight self-tapping line, are used where a housing hasn't been factory-tapped for a grease point.
Material selection — steel, zinc-plated and stainless steel
Standard mild steel and zinc-plated nipples cover the great majority of general industrial, agricultural and automotive applications and are the lowest-cost option across every thread and angle we stock. Where the fitting will see salt air, washdown chemicals, or food-grade cleaning regimes, a mild steel nipple corrodes at the ball check first — and a seized or corroded check valve stops grease reaching the bearing even though the gun shows normal pressure at the coupler.
For those environments we stock 316/A4 marine-grade stainless steel nipples: Champion's SSCN range (SSCN1 BSF, SSCN3 UNF, SSCN28 NPT, SSCN29 BSP, SSCN43/SSCN44 90°, SSCN1020, SSCN1211) and its C1808 series in fourteen thread and angle combinations, alongside Lubemate's stainless straight and 90° nipples in BSP, BSPT and NPT, and Alemlube's stainless straight fittings including its 6mm and 1/4" BSP lines. Stainless nipples cost more up front but avoid the repeat callouts that come from a corroded check valve failing in service — worth specifying for marine equipment, wash-down areas, food and beverage plant, and outdoor agricultural machinery left exposed to weather.
Assortment kits — stock the range, not just one size
Most workshops servicing more than one make of equipment end up needing several thread types and angles across a week, which is why assortment kits are the highest-turnover part of this range. AIMS stocks kits from four brands, split by thread standard:
| Kit | Brand | Coverage | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA108 Imperial Assortment Kit, 113 pcs | Champion | Imperial threads — BSP, BSF, UNF straight and angled | Workshops running mostly British/Australian and older equipment |
| CA109 Metric Assortment Kit, 105 pcs | Champion | Metric threads — M6, M8, M10 straight and angled | European-spec equipment and newer machinery |
| CA2415 Metric & Imperial Master Kit | Champion | Combined metric and imperial coverage in one case | Fleet workshops servicing mixed-origin equipment |
| CA1808 Stainless Steel Kit, 170 pcs (14 sizes) | Champion | 316/A4 stainless across the common thread and angle range | Marine, food processing and wash-down environments |
| Metric Kit, 80 pcs / 101 pcs | Lubemate | Metric straight and angled | General workshop metric top-up stock |
| Imperial Kit, 50 pcs | Lubemate | Imperial straight and angled | General workshop imperial top-up stock |
| Agricultural Kit, 110 pcs | Lubemate | Sizes common on farm machinery | Agricultural service vehicles and mobile mechanics |
| Metric Grab Kit (M6 x 1 – M10 x 1.5), 110 pcs | Work Shop Buddy | Metric range in a grab-and-go case | Service vans and mobile maintenance |
| Imperial Grab Kit (1/8"-27 – 1/4"-28), 110 pcs | Work Shop Buddy | Imperial range in a grab-and-go case | Service vans and mobile maintenance |
| GKA144 Grease Nipple Kit, 144 pcs | GJ Works | Mixed metric/imperial hardware assortment | General automotive and trailer maintenance stock |
| EL Series Stainless Assortment Kit, 100 pcs | Alemlube | 316 stainless across common sizes | Corrosive or wash-down environments needing broad size coverage |
| Stainless Steel Kit L4680, 80 pcs | Alemlube | 316 stainless, alternate size spread to EL Series | Marine and food-grade plant |
A kit doesn't replace stocking your own high-turnover size loose — most workshops run a kit for the odd size they don't see often, and buy their day-to-day 1/8" BSP or 1/4" UNF straight nipples in bulk packs instead.
Accessories — caps, extensions and header blocks
A handful of accessory items round out the range. Champion's CGNC10 grease nipple cap and Alemlube's general fit dust cover (12833) protect the nipple head from dirt and knocks between services — cheap insurance on nipples exposed to weather, mud or wash-down spray, and standard practice on any nipple a guard or panel doesn't already shield. Alemlube's nip extension relocates a nipple from an inaccessible original position to somewhere a coupler can reach it without disassembly, and the Alemlube 6135 header block groups five grease outlets and nipples on one manifold for equipment with several closely-spaced lubrication points — reducing a five-point greasing job to one connection point instead of five separate reaches.
Brands we stock
AIMS carries grease nipples from Champion (the deepest range in this collection, spanning CN/CGN standard steel and SSCN stainless across every thread and angle we stock), Alemlube (a long-standing Australian lubrication equipment brand covering BSP, NPT, BSF, BSW, UNF and metric fittings plus button head, drive-in, extensions and header blocks), Lubemate (straight, angled and stainless nipples plus assortment kits aimed at fleet and agricultural use), Work Shop Buddy (metric and imperial grab kits for mobile and van-based maintenance) and GJ Works (mixed hardware assortment kits including grease nipples alongside other fasteners). See the full Alemlube range and Champion range at AIMS for each brand's wider lubrication and fastener offering, or the Lubemate range for their complete fluid handling line.
Matching your grease nipple to a coupler
The nipple only has to get two things right to work with your grease gun: the head profile has to suit the coupler's jaws or tip, and the housing thread has to be one your fitter actually stocks. Standard ball-head nipples take a standard hydraulic or quick-release coupler; button head nipples need a button head coupler sized to match (5/8" standard, 7/8" giant); recessed or hard-to-reach nipples are better served by a needlepoint coupler than forcing a standard jaw coupler into a space it wasn't built for. Fit the wrong coupler type to a nipple head and it either won't engage at all, or it'll seem to seal and then spray grease back past the joint the moment gun pressure builds — the classic sign of a mismatch rather than a faulty nipple. Full detail on coupler types, gun-side threads and how to pick the right one lives on our grease couplers page; if you're not sure which combination you need, send our team a photo of the nipple and the end of your grease gun hose and we'll confirm the right parts before you order.
Companion ranges at AIMS
- Grease couplers — the fitting on your grease gun that locks onto the nipple, in standard hydraulic, button head, needlepoint, flush, 4-jaw and swivel types.
- Grease guns — manual, pneumatic and battery-powered guns to drive the coupler and nipple.
- Lubrication — our full lubrication and fluid handling range.
- Greases — EP, lithium and other grease cartridges and bulk product to load the gun.
- Grease equipment — grease guns, pumps, reels and accessories in one range.
- Bearings — the lubrication points most of this range is servicing.
Order grease nipples from AIMS
Not sure which thread, angle or head style matches your equipment, or need a bulk quantity across a fleet or site? Call our team on (02) 9773 0122, get in touch via our contact page, or request a quote for multi-site or fleet orders — send us a photo of the fitting if you're not sure what you're looking at, and we'll confirm the right part before anything ships.
People Also Ask — Grease Nipples
What is a grease nipple?
A grease nipple — also called a Zerk fitting, lubrication fitting or grease fitting — is a small valve fitted to a bearing housing, pin joint or other lubrication point. It contains a spring-loaded ball check that holds grease in place until a grease gun coupler locks on and pressure is applied, at which point the ball lifts and grease flows through into the bearing.
What's the difference between a grease nipple and a grease coupler?
The nipple is fitted to the equipment, at the lubrication point itself. The coupler is fitted to the grease gun's hose or rigid pipe, and locks onto the nipple to form a seal while grease is pumped through. The two have to be matched in head profile and thread — a nipple on its own can't be greased without a coupler that fits it.
What thread sizes do grease nipples come in?
The most common Australian industrial size is 1/8" BSP, suiting most general industrial and agricultural equipment, with 1/4" BSP for higher-capacity points. Older British and Australian machinery uses BSF or BSW. US-origin and imported equipment commonly uses NPT (1/8" or 1/4") or UNF (1/4"), and North American automotive and fleet equipment uses the SAE J534 5/16" Zerk standard. European-designed machinery typically uses metric threads — M6, M8 or M10. Drive-in nipples have no thread and press into a drilled hole instead.
Are BSP and NPT grease nipples interchangeable?
No. BSP and NPT use different thread forms, pitches and taper angles. A BSP nipple may partially engage an NPT-tapped port but won't seal correctly and will leak grease under gun pressure. Confirm the thread standard on your housing before ordering a replacement — if you're not sure, send us a photo and we'll help identify it.
What angles are grease nipples available in, and does the angle matter?
Straight (0°), 45°, 67.5° and 90° are all genuinely stocked configurations, plus drive-in (press-fit) nipples with no thread at all. The angle only affects coupler access — it has no bearing on grease flow rate or the fitting's pressure rating. Choose the angle that lets your grease gun coupler reach the nipple head without the housing or adjacent structure getting in the way.
What's the difference between a standard and a button head grease nipple?
A standard (hydraulic/Zerk) nipple has the common, smaller ball-head profile most grease points use. A button head nipple has a wider, rounded head built for higher grease throughput, common on heavier machinery. Each needs a matching coupler style — a standard hydraulic coupler won't hold a proper seal on a button head nipple, and vice versa.
When should I use a stainless steel grease nipple instead of standard steel?
Specify 316/A4 stainless wherever a standard steel nipple would corrode — marine equipment, wash-down areas, food and beverage processing, and outdoor agricultural machinery exposed to weather. A corroded check valve can seize and block grease flow to the bearing even though the gun shows normal pressure, so stainless is worth the extra cost in these environments.
What's a drive-in (press-fit) grease nipple and when would I use one?
A drive-in nipple has no thread — it's pushed into a drilled hole and held by knurled barbs on the shank. It's used where tapping the housing isn't practical, including sheet metal and some cast components. Our range includes both a standard drive nipple with the usual ball check and a "no ball" variant for applications that don't need the check valve.
What is a self-tapping grease nipple?
A self-tapping grease nipple cuts its own thread into an undrilled or pilot-drilled hole as it's installed, rather than engaging a pre-tapped port. It's used where a housing hasn't been factory-tapped for a grease point — Champion's M6 x 1mm self-tapping nipples are a common size for this.
Why should a workshop keep a grease nipple assortment kit on hand?
A kit covering the common thread types, sizes and angles means a damaged or missing nipple can be replaced on the spot rather than waiting on a single-size order. AIMS stocks separate metric and imperial kits, a combined master kit, and a dedicated stainless steel kit for corrosive environments — most workshops run a kit for occasional sizes and buy their everyday size in bulk packs.
What's a grease nipple cap or dust cover for?
A cap or dust cover fits over the nipple head between greasing intervals to keep dirt, mud and wash-down spray out of the check valve. It's cheap insurance on any nipple that isn't already shielded by a guard or panel, and helps prevent the grit ingress that eventually seizes a ball check.