Kalpataru Piping Solution is a well-known player in the business of manufacturing and exporting Alignment Shims that are used across the process, power, marine and heavy-engineering sectors in India. An alignment shim is a thin and accurately cut metal piece that can be placed beneath a motor, pump, bearing housing, or equipment foot to adjust the height, fill the gap, and achieve proper alignment of operating machines. The correct choice of this small component ensures high efficiency, as lack of proper shims can result in vibration, bearing damage, and unexpected downtime, which is the reason why engineers prefer flat, evenly thick and correctly made shims.
At Kalpataru Piping Solution, every alignment shim is manufactured to tight thickness tolerances in stainless steel, carbon steel, nickel alloys, Monel, Inconel, Hastelloy, brass, and copper, and supplied as standard stock, precut kits, or fully custom cut-to-size pieces. Backed by in-house quality checks, reliable stock availability, and pan-India as well as global despatch, we help maintenance teams, OEMs, and EPC contractors get the exact shim size and material they need, on time, every time.
- What Is an Alignment Shim?
- Types of Alignment Shims
- Alignment Shims Technical Specifications
- Standard Alignment Shim Sizes
- Alignment Shims Applications & Industries Served
- Comparison: Choosing the Right Alignment Shim
- Manufacturing & Quality Process
- Standards & Certifications
- Domestic & Global Supply
- FAQs About Alignment Shims
- Other Available Stock of Alignment Shims
What Is an Alignment Shim?
An alignment shim is a thin, flat spacer engineered to sit beneath a motor foot, pump base, bearing housing, or coupling to correct the vertical or lateral gap between two mating machine surfaces. By fine-tuning this gap, shims bring rotating equipment into precise alignment, allowing motors, pumps, compressors, and gearboxes to run smoothly with far less vibration and bearing stress. Because every installation is different, alignment shims are stocked and supplied across a wide window of thicknesses and width-by-length dimensions so they can be matched to almost any base, foot, or housing configuration an engineer encounters on site.
Shims used purely for machine alignment differ from general packing or gasket shims in one key respect: dimensional accuracy. A shim that is even a few thousandths of an inch out of tolerance can reintroduce the very misalignment it was meant to fix — which is why flatness and thickness control are treated as non-negotiable at every stage of our manufacturing process.
Alignment Shim Types
Type | Construction | Best Suited For |
|---|---|---|
Solid Shims | A single sheet cut to one fixed, verified thickness | Applications where the required gap is already known and fixed |
Slotted / U-Cut Shims | An open slot or U-shaped cut-out around the bolt hole | Fitting machine feet and couplings without fully removing the mounting bolt |
Tab Shims | A shim with an integrated tab for easy grip | Quick positioning, insertion and removal during alignment work |
Laminated / Peelable Shims | Multiple thin layers bonded together that peel away one at a time | On-site fine adjustment where the exact gap is found by trial and error |
Precut Shims | Ready-made shims supplied in standard sizes and kits | Routine maintenance and stock replenishment without waiting on custom cutting |
Alignment Shims Technical Specifications
Parameter | Specification |
|---|---|
Inside Dimension (ID) | 0.020″ to 3.00″ |
Outside Dimension (OD) | 0.050″ to 4.00″ |
Thickness | 0.010″ to 0.134″ standard (custom thickness down to 0.05 mm available on the precut range) |
Metallic Materials | Stainless steel 304/304L/316/316L, carbon steel, alloy steel, duplex & super duplex steel, Inconel, Incoloy, Monel, Hastelloy, nickel alloy 200/201, titanium, copper-nickel, brass, beryllium copper, aluminium |
Non-Metallic Materials | PTFE, mica, fibre, nylon, phenolic, polyethylene (on request) |
Reference Standards | ASME B18.21.1, applicable ANSI dimensional references, and customer-specific drawings |
Shim Formats | Solid, slotted/U-cut, tab, U-shape, laminated/peelable, precut kits |
Standard Alignment Shim Sizes
Shim Size (mm) | Bolt Hole Size |
|---|---|
50 x 50 | 13 mm |
75 x 75 | 21 mm |
100 x 100 | 32 mm |
125 x 125 | 45 mm |
200 x 200 | 55 mm |
Alignment Shims Applications & Industries Served
Alignment shims are used wherever two machine surfaces must be brought into precise, stable contact. Kalpataru Piping Solution supplies alignment shims across:
- Electric motor and motor base alignment
- Pump alignment and levelling
- Compressor foot alignment
- Bearing housing and coupling alignment
- Oil & gas drilling equipment
- Petrochemical and process plants
- Power generation and utilities
- Steel mills and heavy construction equipment
- Mining equipment
- Railway, locomotive and subway car assemblies
- Automotive components, wheel covers, and truck/trailer bodies
- Aerospace and defence equipment
- Marine and shipbuilding applications
- HVAC systems and conveyor belts
- Kitchen equipment and packaging machinery
- Medical equipment components
- Material handling systems
Comparison: Choosing the Right Alignment Shim
Shim Type | Ease of Fitting | Adjustment Precision | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
Solid Shim | Requires bolt removal | Fixed, high accuracy | Known, pre-measured gap |
Slotted / U-Cut Shim | Fits around bolt without full removal | High | Field alignment without disturbing the bolt |
Laminated / Peelable Shim | Easy — peel to reduce thickness | Very fine, trial-based | On-site gap-finding by trial and error |
Precut Shim Kit | Fastest — pick from stock | Standard sizes only | Routine maintenance & quick replacement |
Manufacturing & Quality Process
- Raw material sourcing from certified mills, with mill test certificates available on request
- Precision slitting and cutting to specified thickness, shape and tolerance
- Deburring and rounding of edges/corners for safe handling
- Dimensional and flatness inspection by in-house quality personnel
- Protective packing — wooden crates, coil packing, or moisture-resistant cartons based on destination
- Documentation and export clearance support for international shipments
Standards & Certifications
Our alignment shims are manufactured with reference to recognised dimensional standards, including ASME B18.21.1 and applicable ANSI references, alongside customer-issued drawings and specifications. Material certification (mill test certificates) is provided where the shim grade is critical to the application — for example, stainless steel components destined for corrosive or coastal environments.
Domestic & Global Supply
Kalpataru Piping Solution supplies alignment shims to customers across India — including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Delhi NCR, Rajasthan, and West Bengal — and exports to the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, supporting industrial buyers, EPC contractors, and stockists worldwide.
FAQ’s About Alignment Shims
An alignment shim is a thin, accurately dimensioned spacer placed under a motor foot, bearing housing, or machine base to correct height differences and centre the equipment. It is used for space alignment, bearing adjustment, and motor base centering, and is supplied in a range of thicknesses and width x length dimensions to suit different machine footprints and site conditions.
Yes. Even a small height difference between a machine foot and its base can cause a soft-foot condition, vibration, and accelerated bearing wear. Correctly sized alignment shims close that gap so equipment sits flat and true, protecting couplings, bearings, and seals over the machine’s life.
Shim thickness is usually worked out from dial-indicator or laser-alignment readings taken at the coupling, which reveal the vertical and angular offset between the two machines. That offset is then converted into the exact thickness needed at each foot — which is why laminated or peelable shims are popular for fine, trial-based adjustment.
We manufacture alignment shims in stainless steel 304/304L and 316/316L, carbon steel, alloy and duplex steel, Inconel, Incoloy, Monel, Hastelloy, nickel alloy, titanium, copper-nickel, brass, beryllium copper, and aluminium, along with non-metallic options such as PTFE, mica, and fibre on request.
Precut alignment shims are ready-stock pieces in standard sizes and kits — such as our RSC 1 to RSC 6 range — ideal for routine maintenance and fast dispatch. Custom alignment shims are cut to your specific drawing, sample, or dimension when a standard size will not fit your application.
Other Available Stock of Alignment Shims
- 304 Stainless Steel Alignment Shims
- Alignment Stainless Steel Shim Trader
- 316 Stainless Steel Alignment Shims
- Stainless Steel 304L Alignment Shims
- Stainless Steel 316L Alignment Shims
- Alignment Stainless Steel Slotted Shims
- Slotted Alignment Shims
- SS 316 Alignment Shims Distributor
- SS 304 Alignment Shim Stockholder
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- Alignment Slotted Shim
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- Machinery Alignment Shims
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- Alignment Shim Set
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