The inner and outer raceways and rollers of tapered roller bearings can bear radial and thrust loads at the same time. Their axial load carrying capacity is directly related to the contact angle of the roller and the raceway shaft.

They are available in single-row, double-row and four-row designs. The parts of tapered roller bearings are usually sold separately in cup and cone shapes. The cone contains the drum assembly and the inner ring, while the cup contains the outer ring. The complete assembly unit contains both cup and cone. As a separable bearing, different designs and sizes can be provided to suit various applications.