Choosing castors sounds simple until you are faced with load ratings, wheel materials, fixings and brake types. Get it right and equipment moves easily and lasts; get it wrong and you end up with wheels that drag, mark the floor or fail early. This guide walks through the four decisions that get you the right castor.
Add up the weight of the equipment plus its heaviest load, then divide by the number of castors. Sensible practice is to divide by three rather than four, because on an uneven floor the weight is rarely shared evenly and one castor can be doing little. Choose a castor rated comfortably above that figure. Under-rating is the most common cause of early failure.
The wheel does most of the work, so match it to the floor and the job. Polyurethane and Vulkollan are hard-wearing and kind to floors, ideal indoors. Nylon rolls easily and shrugs off chemicals but can mark soft floors. Rubber is quiet and cushioned. Pneumatic suits rough outdoor ground. Cast iron and steel take heat and heavy loads where floor protection matters less.
Compare polyurethane, nylon, rubber and pneumatic wheels to match your surface.
Castors attach in different ways, and the fixing has to match your equipment. A plate castor bolts on through a flat top plate with four holes. A stem or bolt-hole castor fixes through a single central fitting. Expander fittings grip inside a tube, common on furniture and frames. Measure your existing fixing, or the frame, before you order.
See castor plates, stem-fixing castors, expander castors and the full fixings and fittings range.
Swivel castors steer, fixed castors track straight, and braked castors lock so equipment stays put. A common, easy-steering setup is two fixed and two swivel, with a couple braked to hold it still. If you need equipment to sit rock-solid, look at total-lock brakes or jacking castors that lift onto a fixed foot.
For holding equipment steady, see fixed-position brake castors and jacking castors. Browse everything in all castors.
Add the equipment weight to its heaviest load, divide by the number of castors (use three rather than four for a safety margin on uneven floors), then choose a castor rated above that figure.
Polyurethane and Vulkollan protect floors, run quietly and roll easily, which makes them the usual choice indoors. Nylon rolls well but can mark softer floors.
Match the fixing to your equipment: a top plate with bolt holes, a single stem or bolt-hole fitting, or an expander that grips inside a tube. Measuring the existing fixing is the safest way.
Swivel castors steer, fixed castors run straight, and braked castors lock the wheel or swivel so equipment stays put. Most equipment uses a mix.
