AbstractIn this article, the measurement of wear in radial journal bearings is discussed, where a distinction is made between stationary and non‐stationary contact conditions. Starting with Holm/Archard's wear law, equations are derived for the calculation of the specific wear rate k of the bearing material as a function of the wear depth d, measured after an experiment or a period of use in practice. It is also possible to calculate a value for the maximum allowable apparent pressure pa at given values of k, required lifetime and maximum allowable wear depth d, or a value of d at a given value of pa. In order to facilitate the use of the equations mentioned above, non‐dimensional diagrams are presented. Two examples are given to explain the use of these diagrams.