Rod ends consist of an eye-shaped head with integral shank that forms a housing for a spherical plain bearing. As a rule, rod ends are available with left or right-hand female (internal) or male (external) threads.

SKF supplies rod ends with a threaded shank with a right-hand thread as standard. With the exception of rod ends with the designation suffix VZ019, all rod ends are also available with a left-hand thread. They are identified by the designation prefix L.

Rod ends are also available for specific applications, for example where a rod end is attached to the end of a piston rod or at the base of a hydraulic cylinder. For those applications, SKF manufactures rod ends with slotted shank and a compressible threaded section or with a "welding shank", means a shank suitable for welding to another component