NCG Round Body Cylinders
The SMC NCG is an extremely durable, repairable round body air cylinder designed for high-speed, precision linear motion in North American industrial automation applications. Available in bore sizes from ¾" (20mm) to 2½" (63mm) with standard strokes from 1" to 12" and long stroke capability beyond that, nine mounting styles, and speeds up to 40 in/sec, the NCG is one of the most versatile inch-dimension round body cylinders in SMC's catalog. As an authorized SMC Corporation of America distributor, Automation Distribution stocks 153 NCG series SKUs including standard, environmental, temperature-resistant, and stroke option variants.
SMC NCG round body cylinder overview
Where the CM2-Z is SMC's metric stainless steel round body solution, the NCG is the North American inch-dimension repairable round body cylinder — designed for direct application in US machine building environments where inch bore sizes, inch port threads, and familiar mounting dimensions are specified. The NCG's round body profile keeps the overall envelope compact while the repairable construction allows seal replacement in the field without replacing the entire cylinder, making it a long-service-life solution for high-cycle applications.
Rubber bumpers are standard on both ends for end-of-stroke damping. Adjustable air cushion is available as an option for higher-speed applications where rubber bumpers alone are insufficient. The NCG is auto-switch capable — specify the NCDG prefix for a built-in piston magnet. Port options, environmental protection options, and temperature-resistant seal packages extend the NCG's range well beyond standard factory environments.
NCG specifications
Bore sizes: ¾" (20mm), 1" (25mm), 1¼" (32mm), 1½" (40mm), 2" (50mm), 2½" (63mm)
Standard strokes: 1" to 12"; long strokes available beyond 12"
Maximum speed: 40 in/sec (1,016 mm/sec)
Cushion: Rubber bumpers standard; adjustable air cushion optional
Mounting styles: 9 standard mounting styles
Auto switch: Auto-switch capable; built-in magnet available (NCDG prefix)
Standard options available: 11 standard options covering environmental, temperature, stroke, and port configurations
Repairability: Field-repairable — seal kits available by bore size
NCG mounting styles
The NCG's nine mounting styles cover the full range of North American round body cylinder mounting conventions. The mounting style is encoded in the part number immediately after the bore size designation:
N — Basic/nose mount (front nose, through-hole)
L — Foot mount
A — Both ends tapped
D — Double clevis (rear)
C — Single clevis (rear)
T — Trunnion, center
U — Trunnion, rear
G — Head flange
Additional styles available through stroke option and accessory variants
Add-on mounting brackets for flange, foot, trunnion, and single/double clevis are available separately by bore size and are ordered as NCG series accessories.
NCG variants and options
NC(D)G double acting, single rod (standard)
The base NCG configuration — double acting, single rod, repairable round body. Available in all six bore sizes (20–63mm), strokes 1"–12" with long stroke capability, nine mounting styles, rubber bumpers standard. The NCDG prefix (built-in magnet) is recommended for any application where position sensing via auto switch is required or may be added later. Without the magnet, the cylinder cannot be retrofitted for sensing without full replacement.
NC(D)G double acting, double rod
Double rod variant for applications requiring push/pull force from both ends or where the non-working rod is used as an external stop or precision datum. Available in all six bore sizes, nine mounting styles.
NC(D)G non-rotating, single rod
Non-rotating rod version maintaining piston rod angular orientation throughout the stroke. Used in applications where a tool, label head, dispensing nozzle, or fixture attached to the rod must remain aligned. Available in all six bore sizes.
NCG single acting — spring return and spring extend
Single acting variants using air pressure for one direction and a mechanical spring for the return. Spring return (rod retracts on air loss) and spring extend (rod extends on air loss) options available for fail-safe positioning. Available in bore sizes 20mm–40mm (¾"–1½").
NC(D)G dual stroke — XC10 and XC11
The dual stroke option provides two independently controlled stroke positions within a single NCG cylinder body — enabling three-position logic (retracted, intermediate, fully extended) without a second cylinder. XC11 = single rod dual stroke; XC10 = double rod dual stroke. Available in all six bore sizes.
Temperature-resistant options
XB6 — High temperature: Rated for environments up to 300°F (150°C). High-temp seals and lubrication for oven, heat tunnel, and dryer applications where standard NBR seals fail prematurely.
XB7 — Low temperature: Rated for environments down to –22°F (–30°C). Low-temp seals and lubrication for cold storage, freezer, and outdoor winter operation.
Environmental options
XC6 — Stainless steel piston rod: Replaces the standard chrome-plated rod with stainless steel for improved corrosion resistance in moisture, wash-down, and mild chemical environments.
XC37 — Corrosion-resistant option: Comprehensive corrosion protection package for demanding wash-down and chemical exposure environments. Seen throughout the NCG catalog as the most common environmental designation on stocked SKUs.
XC22 — Fluoro-rubber seals: FKM (Viton-equivalent) seals for resistance to oils, hydraulic fluids, and aggressive chemicals incompatible with standard NBR seals.
Port options
The NCG is available with standard NPT ports for North American piping practice, and alternate port configurations for applications where standard port placement creates piping interference. Port option variants are identified in the part number suffix.
Auto switch mounting brackets
NCG-compatible auto switch mounting brackets for D-C7, D-C8, and D-M9 series SMC auto switches are available as a separate accessory, enabling position sensing to be added to existing NCG cylinders with built-in magnets (NCDG series) without cylinder replacement.
How to read an NCG part number
Example: NCDGLN25-0800-XC6
N = new series; C = cylinder; D = built-in magnet; G = NCG series; L = mounting style (L = foot mount); N = cushion type (N = rubber bumper; A = adjustable air cushion); 25 = 1" (25mm) bore; 0800 = 8.00" stroke (in hundredths of an inch); XC6 = stainless steel piston rod option. Bore sizes in part numbers: 20 = ¾", 25 = 1", 32 = 1¼", 40 = 1½", 50 = 2", 63 = 2½".
NCG vs CM2-Z — which round body cylinder is right for your application?
The NCG and CM2-Z both serve the round body cylinder market but are optimized for different contexts. Choose the NCG when working in inch-dimension machine designs, when bore sizes larger than 40mm are needed in a round body format (NCG goes to 63mm vs CM2-Z's 40mm maximum), when field repairability is a requirement, or when speeds up to 40 in/sec are needed. Choose the CM2-Z when metric dimensions are standard in the design, when the stainless steel body is required for corrosion resistance without an option suffix, or when the female rod end or boss-cut options are needed to minimize overall cylinder length in a confined space.