Everything you need to know about our products, services, and technical support — in one place.
Midshire Lubricants supplies a comprehensive range of industrial and automotive lubricants, including hydraulic oils, gear oils, compressor oils, engine oils, transmission fluids, greases, metalworking fluids, and specialist products for food-grade and high-temperature applications.
With over 500 products in our range, we cover virtually every lubrication requirement across manufacturing, engineering, transport, and general industry. If you're unsure what you need, our technical team can advise you — just get in touch or use the Product Selector tool.
Yes. We supply mineral, semi-synthetic, and fully synthetic lubricants across our entire product range. The right choice depends on your application, operating temperature, service interval requirements, and budget.
As a general rule, synthetic products offer longer service life and better performance under extreme conditions, but cost more upfront. Our technical team can help you model whether a synthetic upgrade makes financial sense for your operation — often the extended drain intervals offset the higher product cost.
Many of our products carry OEM approvals and meet international specifications including those from leading manufacturers of hydraulic systems, gearboxes, compressors, and automotive engines. Specific approvals vary by product — full specification sheets are available on request.
If you need a product that meets a specific OEM requirement, share the equipment manual reference or approval code and we'll match it to the right product in our range.
We supply lubricants in a range of pack sizes to suit businesses of all sizes:
Pricing improves significantly at drum quantities. Contact us to discuss bulk pricing for your volumes.
The two most important factors are viscosity grade (typically ISO VG 32, 46, or 68 for most industrial systems) and the system's operating temperature range. Your equipment manual will usually specify a viscosity grade — this is the starting point.
Beyond viscosity, consider whether the system requires anti-wear (HM), high viscosity index (HV), or zinc-free (HF) formulation. High-pressure or variable-speed systems often benefit from a premium HV product with a higher viscosity index for better cold-start performance and film retention at high temperatures.
If you're unsure, share your equipment model and operating conditions with our team and we'll recommend the right product.
For mineral gear oils, a typical change interval is every 2,000–4,000 operating hours, though this varies significantly with load, temperature, and contamination risk. Many operations default to annual changes regardless of hours, which is often more conservative than necessary.
Premium synthetic gear oils can extend service intervals to 8,000 hours or more under the right conditions. The most accurate way to determine your optimal interval is through oil analysis — we can help set this up as part of a lubrication programme.
The key is not to over-change (wasting product and labour) or under-change (risking gear wear). A sample sent to analysis costs very little and gives you a data-based answer for your specific conditions.
EP (Extreme Pressure) gear oils contain additives that form a protective layer on metal surfaces under high contact pressure — the kind of pressure found in helical, bevel, and worm gearboxes under heavy load. Without EP protection, metal-to-metal contact at high loads causes rapid wear and surface fatigue.
Standard (non-EP) gear oils are suitable for lightly loaded applications. Using a standard oil in a high-load gearbox is one of the most common causes of premature gear failure we see.
Most industrial gearboxes require an ISO VG 220 EP or ISO VG 320 EP product. Check your equipment documentation or contact us to confirm the correct specification.
We strongly advise against mixing lubricants from different brands or formulations, even if they carry the same viscosity grade. Different additive packages can react with each other, reducing performance, causing sludge formation, or destroying the additives that protect your equipment.
If you're switching products, the correct approach is to drain fully, flush if necessary, and refill with the new product. Where a complete drain is not possible in the short term, top-up quantities should be kept to an absolute minimum until the next scheduled change.
Contact us for advice on switching products safely — particularly for hydraulic systems and compressors, where incompatible oils can cause seal swell or system damage.
Yes. We supply engine oils for cars, vans, HGVs, agricultural vehicles, and plant equipment. Our range covers all common specifications including ACEA, API, and manufacturer-specific approvals for major OEMs.
For fleet operators, we can supply in bulk quantities and work with you to consolidate your oil range — often a fleet is running more different products than it needs to, which increases cost and the risk of incorrect application. Contact us to arrange a fleet lubricant review.
The numbers refer to viscosity at two different temperatures. The first number (5W or 10W) describes how the oil flows in cold conditions — a lower number means better cold-start flow. The second number (30 or 40) describes viscosity at operating temperature — a higher number means a thicker film at heat.
5W-30 is typically used in modern, fuel-efficient petrol and diesel engines with tight manufacturing tolerances. It flows quickly at startup, protecting engine components during the critical first seconds of operation.
10W-40 is often used in older engines or those with higher mileage, where a slightly thicker film at operating temperature helps compensate for increased wear clearances.
Always follow the viscosity grade specified in your vehicle handbook. Using the wrong grade can affect performance, fuel economy, and engine warranty.
Yes. We stock a range of automatic transmission fluids (ATF), manual transmission and differential oils, and CVT fluids. ATF in particular varies significantly between vehicle manufacturers — using the wrong product can cause erratic shifting, slipping, or long-term transmission damage.
When ordering ATF, always specify the vehicle make, model, year, and gearbox type, or reference the OEM specification from your handbook. If you're unsure, our team can cross-reference your requirements to the correct product.
We supply to businesses of all sizes — there is no fixed minimum order quantity for standard stock lines. However, very small orders may be subject to a minimum order value for delivery. Contact us for details, particularly if you need a single container of a speciality product.
For high-volume or regular orders, we offer scheduled delivery arrangements that can reduce your carrying costs and ensure continuity of supply. Speak to our team to set up an account.
Yes, next-day delivery is available for stocked products ordered before our cut-off time. Delivery lead times for non-stock or special-order products will vary — our team will confirm timing when you place your order.
For business-critical applications, we recommend holding a small buffer stock to avoid operational disruption. We can help you establish appropriate minimum stock levels as part of a lubrication programme review.
Yes. We offer credit accounts to established businesses, subject to a standard credit check. An account gives you 30-day payment terms, consolidated monthly invoicing, and makes it easier to manage your lubricant spend across multiple cost centres or sites.
To apply for a credit account, contact our team and we'll send you the application form. New customers are welcome to begin on a pro-forma basis while the account application is processed.
Viscosity is the single most important property of a lubricant for most applications. Using the wrong grade has real consequences:
The correct viscosity grade for your application is specified by the equipment manufacturer — always use this as your starting point. If you've been using a product that doesn't match the specification, contact us to assess the risk and arrange a product change.
Viscosity index (VI) measures how much a lubricant's viscosity changes with temperature. All oils thin out as they heat up and thicken as they cool — a high VI means this change is relatively small, which is desirable.
For equipment that experiences wide temperature swings — outdoor plant machinery, hydraulic systems in unheated buildings, variable-speed drives — a high VI product (typically VI 150+ for HV-grade hydraulic oils) maintains better film protection across the operating range.
In stable indoor environments with consistent temperatures, a standard VI product is usually sufficient and more cost-effective. Our team can advise based on your specific conditions.
Both serve the same fundamental purpose — reducing friction and wear between moving surfaces — but are suited to different applications.
Oil lubrication is used where continuous lubricant circulation or heat dissipation is important, such as gearboxes, hydraulic systems, and circulating systems. Oil can be filtered, cooled, and recirculated.
Grease lubrication is used where an oil would leak away — rolling element bearings, open gears, slow-moving joints, and applications where re-lubrication intervals are infrequent. Grease stays in place, provides some sealing against contaminants, and is easier to apply to remote or inaccessible points.
Grease grade (NLGI 0 through 3) and thickener type (lithium, calcium, polyurea) must match the application — contact us if you need help selecting the right grease.
A TDS lists the key performance properties of a lubricant, measured under standardised test conditions. The most important values to understand are:
If you're evaluating a product against an OEM specification, compare the TDS values to the minimum/maximum limits in the specification document. If you need help interpreting a TDS, our technical team is happy to assist.
A managed lubrication programme goes beyond simply supplying the right products. It involves reviewing your entire lubrication requirement — every machine, every application point — and creating a structured plan that specifies the correct product, quantity, and interval for each.
The programme typically includes:
The result is lower lubricant waste, fewer unplanned failures, and a clear record of what was used, when, and why.
Based on customer outcomes and published industry benchmarks, businesses switching to a structured Midshire lubrication programme typically see:
One of our precision engineering customers achieved a 38% reduction in unplanned downtime, a 26% reduction in component replacement spend, and a 19% reduction in lubricant consumption within 12 months of starting their Midshire programme. Use our ROI Calculator to estimate what similar results could be worth to your business.
Some benefits are immediate — correct product selection eliminates misapplication risk from day one, and where substandard products were in use, the switch to correctly specified lubricants begins protecting equipment straight away.
Measurable improvements in downtime and maintenance frequency typically become visible within 3–6 months, once the programme is fully embedded and maintenance teams are working to the new schedule.
The full financial impact — particularly from extended drain intervals and reduced component replacement — is usually most clearly visible at the 12-month mark, when you can compare a full year's maintenance spend against the previous year.
Our free lubrication review is a no-obligation assessment of your current lubrication practice. It typically covers:
The review can be conducted remotely (from your current product and equipment list) or on-site, depending on the complexity of your operation. To book yours, use the form below or call our technical team directly.
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