ISO VG 320 gear oils

ISO VG 320 gear oils collects 35 oils from Castrol, Chevron, Mobil, Shell in this catalogue. The ISO viscosity grade is the oil's thickness at 40 °C, plus or minus 10 percent. Match the grade the machine manual names before you compare brands. The figures below are the makers' typical values, not a batch certificate. Confirm the current data sheet before you fill a machine. Published viscosity indexes run from 95 to 240. A higher index thins less between 40 °C and 100 °C. That matters in a cold start and in a hot gearbox, and it is not the same thing as the ISO grade. Pour points run from -48 °C to -9 °C. The machine should still start at least 5 °C warmer than the pour point of the oil you pick. 20 are flagged synthetic and 15 are not. Synthetic here means the maker said so. It is not a viscosity grade and it is not, by itself, a reason to leave the ISO grade the manual asks for. 4 of these oils are PAG (polyalkylene glycol). PAG does not mix with mineral oil or PAO. Drain and flush before a change into or out of a PAG, and do not treat a PAG as an equivalent of either. 7 can be bought in a small package from the retailers linked on each oil page. The others have no listing yet. A missing buy button is not a comment on the oil. Use the table to sort the grade, the viscosity index and the pour point, then open an oil for its data sheet, its equivalents and its buy links. Equivalents on this site are other published oils in the same application and grade. They are not exact substitutes, and the OEM specification still governs.

In the gearbox

Loops from the Evolvent shop. They show oil on the gears, not a particular brand from the table.

A worm turning behind a sight glass of ISO VG 460 gear oil. Footage by Evolvent.
OilISOKV40VIPourBuy
Mobil Glygoyle 320320320240-33—
Castrol Optigear Synthetic 800/320320320230-30—
Shell Omala S4 WE 320320321230-39—
Shell Omala S3 A 320320319200-21—
Mobil Mobil SHC Gear 320320320181-48—
Castrol Optigear Synthetic X/320320325179-45—
Mobil Mobil SHC Gear OH 320320320178-45Yes
Castrol Optigear Synthetic PD 320 ES320330177-45—
Castrol Optigear Synthetic CT320335174-45—
Mobil Mobil SHC 632320320172-48Yes
Shell Omala S5 Wind 320320320170-48—
Shell Omala S4 GXV 320320320169-42Yes
Chevron Meropa Synthetic EP 320320304165-39Yes
Chevron Tegra Synthetic Gear 320320304165-39—
Mobil Mobilgear SHC XMP 320320335164-38Yes
Chevron Meropa EliteSyn XM 320320320160-36—
Shell Omala S4 GX 320320335159-42—
Chevron Meropa Synthetic WM 320320320156-48—
Chevron Meropa EliteSyn WL 320320320152-45—
Castrol Optigear Synthetic A/320320330140-36—
Castrol Optigear Synthetic 1710/320320320138-30—
Chevron Meropa XL 320320320124-30—
Castrol Molub-Alloy GM 690/320320320102-15—
Castrol Optigear BM 320320320100-15—
Shell Omala F 320320320100-18—
Shell Omala F Wind Oil 320320320100-18—
Shell Omala S2 G 320320320100-15—
Chevron Meropa 32032032098-22Yes
Shell Omala S2 GX 32032032098-15—
Mobil 600 XP 32032032097-24Yes
Mobil EP 32032032097-24—
Mobil Vacuoline 53732030996-12—
Castrol Optigear 1100/32032031795-21—
Castrol Optigear EP 32032032695-9—
Castrol Optigear ALR 32032032095-9—