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Lithium grease vs molybdenum grease

Updated: 23 October 2026

You are holding two tubs that both say grease for bearings: one is amber or white lithium, the other is black and mentions molybdenum. Lithium grease vs molybdenum grease is not a question of which is stronger. It is whether the contact rolls cleanly or slides and shocks. This page, from Peter F., editor for DIY supplies, separates a lithium soap from a lithium soap plus molybdenum disulphide, then maps that split onto this amazon.co.uk set. Prices stay on the [ball bearing grease comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/ball-bearing-grease), captured on 19 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are holding two tubs that both say grease for bearings: one is amber or white lithium, the other is black and mentions molybdenum. Lithium grease vs molybdenum grease is not a question of which is stronger.

Our top picks

Carlube Carlube XMM500 Moly Grease 500 g

Best overall

Carlube Carlube XMM500 Moly Grease 500 g
8.0/10about £12.50
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Liqui Moly Liqui Moly LM 47 Long-Life Grease + MoS2 100 g

Rank 2

Liqui Moly Liqui Moly LM 47 Long-Life Grease + MoS2 100 g
8.4/10about £8.29
View offer
Carlube Carlube XMG070 Lithium Multi-Purpose Grease 70 g

Alternative

Carlube Carlube XMG070 Lithium Multi-Purpose Grease 70 g
7.5/10about £5.87
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What each grease is made to do
  2. 2.Where moly is the wrong solid
  3. 3.Which tub in this set is which
  4. 4.Mixing and leftovers

What each grease is made to do

A lithium grease is oil held by a lithium soap so it stays in a rolling bearing instead of running out. That is the everyday film for cup-and-cone hubs and many trailer cones you can open and pack. The NLGI grade, when anyone prints it, sets how stiff that body is. Molybdenum disulphide is that solid. Makers add it for boundary lubrication, when a slow, heavy, or oscillating load pushes the oil film aside. Mobil's description of a lithium NLGI 2 moly grease puts it on splines, pivots, and parts that slide. It does not turn every bearing grease into a heavier-duty version of itself. Moly greases in this set are black, and a black grease from another shelf can be a dye. Cycling UK's line is one multipurpose grease for cup-and-cone hubs, headsets, and bottom brackets, not a moly pitch. Grade and pack are on the ball bearing grease buying guide.

Where moly is the wrong solid

Mobil says a moly grease can be used in rolling bearings but is not generally recommended for high-precision rolling bearings, because the solid may build up in the clearances. Texaco Lubricants UK says Molytex EP 2 was developed for CV joints and is not suitable for high-speed rolling bearings. Those are limits on the class, not a lab result for the tubs below. A bike hub at road cadence, or a trailer wheel at 60 mph, is the case those pages are warning you about. Do not move Texaco's propeller-shaft claim onto Liqui Moly LM 47 or Carlube XMM500. The moly case Mobil and Texaco describe is a CV joint, a spline, a pivot, a chuck, or a pin that shocks.
Carlube Carlube XMM500 Moly Grease 500 g

Testsieger

Carlube Carlube XMM500 Moly Grease 500 g
8.0/10about £12.50
View offer

Which tub in this set is which

Carlube XMG070 is the plain end of the set: a 70 g lithium tube at £5.87, 4.6 from 926 reviews, listed as non-EP, with no NLGI or temperature. It is not a moly grease and not an EP2 specification. Liqui Moly LM 47 is about 100 g at £8.29, 4.6 from 9,896 reviews, 120 °C, lithium plus molybdenum disulphide, named for CV joints and splines. The nozzle is too thick for tidy bike work. Do not treat the review count as permission to pack a high-precision hub. Carlube XMM500 prints NLGI 2 and molybdenum disulphide in a 500 g jar at £12.50. It is a poor default for a headset. If the part is a cup-and-cone hub, leave both moly tubs on the shelf. The non-moly top pick is on the best ball bearing grease page.

Mixing and leftovers

Do not stir a lithium tub into a moly tub. You no longer know the solid content. When the old grease is unknown, remove it. Colour does not identify the soap. Clean a CV joint when you switch from the non-EP tube to the moly jar. Do not layer them. If the hub maker has named Shell Gadus or another EP2, that name beats both tubs in your hand.

Common questions

What does molybdenum disulphide add?
It adds a solid that can still lubricate when the oil film is pushed aside. Mobil describes that duty as splines, pivots, and oscillating parts. The soap is still lithium in the tubs in this set. The solid is the difference. It is not a higher NLGI grade, and it is not a higher temperature by itself. LM 47 prints 120 °C. XMM500 prints NLGI 2 and does not print a numeric working temperature.
Can moly go in a high-precision or high-speed bearing?
Mobil does not generally recommend moly for high-precision rolling bearings, because the solid may build up in the clearances. Texaco UK says its moly EP2 is not suitable for high-speed rolling bearings. A small bike hub or a trailer wheel at road speed is the wrong place to ignore that. Use moly on the CV joint and the spline, where sliding is the duty, and only if that part's maker allows it.
Which listing in this set prints NLGI 2 and moly?
Carlube XMM500. The bullets say NLGI 2 lithium grease containing molybdenum disulphide, in a 500 g jar at £12.50, with 4.7 from 166 reviews. LM 47 contains MoS2 and prints 120 °C, but the amazon.co.uk page does not print an NLGI grade. XMG070 is the non-EP lithium tube and prints neither NLGI nor moly. Do not copy a different Carlube sheet onto XMG070.
Is black grease always moly?
No. In this set the moly products, LM 47 and XMM500, are the black ones reviewers notice, and buyers who expected white lithium are surprised. Black can also be a dye or dirt in an old lithium film. White or amber lithium is not automatically free of EP additives, and it is not automatically NLGI 2. Read the molybdenum line on the listing. If it is absent, do not invent it from the colour.
What should you do if the old grease colour is unknown?
Clean it out until you can see the rollers and the race, then pack a single grease that matches the job. Colour will not tell you whether the last service used moly, a dyed lithium, or a mix. If the race is pitted, stop and replace it rather than covering the pit. If the part is a trailer hub, the fill and the interval still follow the hub maker, not the colour you just removed.

Related pages

Best ball bearing grease

Ball bearing grease

Ball bearing grease buying guide: NLGI and pack

How to pack a wheel bearing with grease by hand

Trailer wheel bearing grease: cones and water

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Listings stored 19 October 2026.

  1. SKF: selecting a suitable grease (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  2. SKF: grease compatibility (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  3. NLGI Ask the Expert, Q4 2025 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  4. NLGI: NLGI grade (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  5. HSE: SR19 lubricants and waste oil (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  6. HSE: GB CLP (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  7. Knott UK: hub fitting instructions (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  8. NTTA: boat trailers (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  9. Mobil: Mobilux EP 2 Moly (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  10. Texaco UK: Molytex EP 2 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  11. Park Tool: HPG-1 (retrieved 19.10.2026)
  12. Shell: Gadus S2 V220 2 (retrieved 19.10.2026)