SY Roller & Leaf Chain — Quick Reference (ASA / BS Pitch)
SY Chain = industrial roller and leaf chain for power transmission drives — ASA (American, ANSI B29.1) and BS (British/European, ISO 606) pitch, simplex through to quad strand, plus connecting links, offset links and a stainless / Aqua Series range for washdown and corrosive environments. Our Roller Chain: Sizes, Types & Sprockets walks through sizing and sprocket matching.
| SY Chain Product | Standard | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| ASA Roller Chain (Simplex–Quad) | ANSI B29.1 | US-spec machinery, conveyors, agricultural equipment |
| BS Roller Chain (Simplex–Triplex) | ISO 606 / BS | European/British-spec machinery & OEM equipment |
| Connecting Links & Offset/Half Links | Matched to chain pitch | Joining chain to length, adjusting strand count |
| Stainless Steel & Aqua Series Chain | ASA / BS pitch | Washdown, food processing, corrosive environments |
| Leaf Chain (AL / BL Series) | Light & heavy duty | Forklift masts, counterbalance & lifting applications |
Compatibility: ASA and BS chain use different pitch series and are not directly interchangeable with each other's sprockets — match chain standard to your existing sprockets and drive components before ordering replacement chain. Brand: SY Chain. Companion: roller chain, chain & sprockets, sprockets, roller chain links, leaf chains, stainless steel roller chain, KCM, Renold.
SY Roller & Leaf Chain for Australian Industry
SY Chain is a roller and leaf chain range supplied through AIMS Industrial for conveyor, packaging, agricultural and general industrial drive applications. The range covers both major chain standards used in Australian industry — American ASA (inch pitch, to ANSI B29.1) and British/European BS (to ISO 606) — along with the connecting links, offset links and specialty variants needed to build or repair a chain drive.
ASA vs BS roller chain
ASA (American Standard) chain follows ANSI B29.1 and is sized in inch-based pitches; BS (British Standard) chain follows ISO 606 and uses a metric-derived pitch series. The two standards are not directly interchangeable — a sprocket built for ASA pitch won't run correctly on BS chain and vice versa — so replacement chain needs to match whatever standard the existing drive was built to. SY Chain stocks both ranges from simplex (single strand) through duplex, triplex and, in the ASA range, quad strand for higher-load drives.
Connecting links and offset/half links
Every chain pitch and strand configuration in the SY range has a matching connecting link (for joining chain ends into a closed loop) and offset/half link (for adjusting chain to an odd number of pitches). Getting these matched exactly to chain type, pitch and strand count is what keeps a repaired or extended chain running true on its sprockets.
Stainless steel and Aqua Series chain
For washdown environments, food and beverage processing, and general corrosive conditions, SY Chain's stainless steel and Aqua Series (coated) ranges hold up where standard carbon steel chain would corrode. Both are available across the common ASA and BS pitches and in double-pitch conveyor chain formats.
Leaf chain
SY's AL (light duty) and BL (heavy duty) series leaf chain is a different chain geometry to roller chain, used in applications like forklift mast lifting and counterbalance systems rather than sprocket-driven power transmission.
Need help matching chain standard, pitch and strand count to your existing sprockets or a new drive design? contact our team or request a quote, and see our Roller Chain: Sizes, Types & Sprockets for sizing basics.
People Also Ask — SY Chain
Q: What's the difference between ASA and BS roller chain, and are they interchangeable?
ASA (American Standard, ANSI B29.1) chain uses an inch-based pitch series, while BS (British Standard, ISO 606) chain uses a metric-derived pitch series. The two are not directly interchangeable — sprockets built for one standard won't run correctly with chain built to the other, so replacement chain needs to match whatever standard your existing drive uses.
Q: What's the difference between simplex, duplex and triplex chain?
These describe how many strands of chain run side by side on the same pins — simplex is a single strand, duplex is two strands, triplex is three, and (in the ASA range) quad is four. More strands increase the load-carrying capacity of the drive for the same pitch.
Q: What's the difference between a connecting link and an offset/half link?
A connecting link joins two chain ends together into a closed loop and is used at standard pitch intervals. An offset (or half) link is used when a chain needs to be an odd number of pitches long, effectively adding a half-pitch to get the exact length required.
Q: What is leaf chain used for, and is it the same as roller chain?
Leaf chain is a different geometry to roller chain, built from interleaved plates rather than rollers and bushings, and is commonly used in forklift mast lifting and counterbalance systems rather than sprocket-driven power transmission drives.
Q: When do I need stainless steel or Aqua Series chain instead of standard chain?
Standard carbon steel roller chain will corrode in washdown, food and beverage processing, or generally corrosive environments. SY Chain's stainless steel and Aqua Series (coated) ranges are built for exactly those conditions, across the common ASA and BS pitches.