A pillow block bearing consists of a mounting bracket (pillow block) that houses a bearing and is used in low-torque, light load applications.

With this configuration, the pillow block is bolted to a foundation, securing it, while the shaft and the inner ring of the bearing are free to rotate.

Due to their highly calculated and balanced engineering nature, which has been competitive in the industry for quite some time, Pillow Block Bearings are popular. Pillow bearings come with a straight forward configuration with little or no effort during installation and deliver high performance as well as durability. Such bearings are often referred to as Plummer Blocks, although there is a subtle distinction between the two. These Pillow Block Bearings are often used in less industrialized environments where high performance and high load capacity are needed, whereas Plummer Blocks are used.

As these bearings are used to stabilize the spinning shaft, owing to their strength and toughness, they are constructed of cast steel or cast iron. In terms of housing construction, pillow block bearings can be divided into two kinds: solid and split housings: solid housed bearings are single-piece housings, whereas split housed bearings are two-piece housings.