Full-complement cylindrical roller bearings have the maximum possible number of rollers and can sustain much heavier loads than cylindrical roller bearings of the same size with cages. On the other hand, high-speed capability is inferior to the bearings with cages.

The open-type single- and double-row bearings are mostly used in general industrial applications at low speed and under heavy load, and the shielded-type double-row bearings are often used in crane sheaves.