Boosting Production Efficiency: Choosing the Right Casters for Your Operation

Industrial casters, or “castors,” as they’re commonly referred to in other areas of the world, are essentially wheels that can be mounted to carts and other types of industrial equipment to provide mobility within an industrial or commercial setting. Mobility is a key factor in providing efficiency and ergonomic solutions within a variety of applications such as manufacturing, food processing, medical, material handling, warehousing and more. While it’s not hard to understand the importance of industrial casters within a manufacturing space, there are many key specifications within casters that often get overlooked, such as the type of caster and the wheel material. Through this blog post, I will provide information about the different components of a caster and how it’s important to consider these factors to get the best possible caster for your application.
Understand Caster Basics
The official Merriam-Webster Dictionary definition of a caster is “any of a set of wheels or rotating balls mounted in a swivel frame and used for the support and movement of furniture, trucks, and portable equipment.” You’ll find small casters on office chairs, medium-size casters on industrial carts, and extra-large casters on heavy-duty machinery.

Most caster applications require a quantity of four casters, while some require more. Rigid casters stay fixed, always pointing in one direction, while swivel casters can turn 360 degrees, allowing the operator to steer the cart in whichever direction they’d like. The most popular configuration of casters for carts and equipment, includes two rigid casters and two swivel casters. This caster positioning allows the user to move a cart down in a straight line with some distance.

Another frequently-used caster configuration is all swivel casters. This configuration provides a very small turning radius, allowing the user to maneuver in tight spaces.
Industrial casters also have the ability to be mounted differently. Plate casters have a top plate that can be mounted directly on to a cart or equipment, providing stability and the ability to handle high load capacities. Stem casters can be threaded, grip-ring, or expanding to insert into tubing or a corresponding socket. Stem casters are ideal for applications where space is limited and typically work best in light to medium duty applications, such as medical equipment or furniture.

Different casters can handle different load capacities, making them either light-duty, medium-duty or heavy-duty. Often times, the diameter of the wheel, the size of the top-plate and the wheel material help determine how heavy of a load the caster can handle.
There are also a variety of different types of wheel materials. Some of the most common wheel materials for casters include polyurethane, nylon, rubber, steel and phenolic. Polyurethane wheels are fantastic for applications where chemicals and oils are present, whereas phenolic wheels are great for withstanding a wide variety of temperatures. It’s important to understand the advantages and disadvantages of each wheel type when purchasing casters for your application.
Wheel Type | Wheel Image | Advantages | Disadvantages | Relevant SKUs |
---|---|---|---|---|
Polyurethane | ![]() | - Quiet operation - Good floor protection - High load capacity and durability - High resistance to chemicals and corrosion | - Typically higher price - Not as quiet as rubber wheels | APB FAPB RAPB UPSSD UIB UIR UPR |
Rubber | ![]() | - Quiet operation - Good floor protection - Strong shock absorption - Non-marking | - Low durability - Lesser load capacity - Lesser resistance to chemicals and corrosion | SEB RTPB RTPR FTPR TPR |
Phenolic | ![]() | - Designed for heavy-duty applications - Hard and non-marking wheels | - Louder than rubber and polyurethane - Can be brittle - Prone to moisture absorption | PHR PHB |
Nylon | ![]() | - Resistant to wear and tear - Easy to push and pull - Strong resistance to chemicals and corrosion - High load capacity - Cost-effective - Non-marking | - Hardness of material can lead to floor damage - Louder than other wheel types - Not ideal for shock absorption | NYB MASSD MAR MASSB |
Metal | ![]() | - High load capacity - Durable and resilient - Cost-effective - Resistant to some chemicals | - Louder than other wheels - Can damage floors - Can be susceptible to rust and corrosion if steel is untreated - Less maneuverable - especially on uneven surfaces | CIR - Cast Iron CIB - Cast Iron FSR - Forged Steel FSB - Forged Steel |
Pneumatic | ![]() | - Superior shock absorption - Ideal for uneven terrain and outdoor use | - More maintenance due to air-filled tires - Can be more expensive | PNB |
Key Factors in Choosing the Right Caster
When determining which caster can optimize your industrial operations, you should really ask yourself five questions:
1. What is the maximum weight that you need to move?
Load capacity is a vital consideration, as some casters handle heavy loads better than others. Determine the heaviest load and divide that by 3. The purpose of dividing by 3, rather than 4, is because if uneven ground is present and one caster comes off the ground, the other 3 casters need to be able to handle the load of the cart without failing and creating a safety concern. If I have a maximum load of 12,000 lbs, I will want to ensure that my casters each have a dynamic load capacity of 4,000 lbs each. It’s important to consider a dynamic load capacity rather than a static load capacity if you plan on moving the equipment. Static load capacity will always be a higher weight capacity than dynamic, therefore if the casters are going to be mobile, base your calculations off the dynamic load capacity.

2. What are the floor conditions like where the casters will be used?
Floor conditions can vary greatly in a manufacturing space. Some floors are dusty, some are smooth, some can be bumpy. Using the wrong casters on floors can lead premature wear and tear on the casters, potential floor damage, poor performance due to high rolling resistance, unsafe working conditions and more. Check out the table below to see which caster wheel material are recommended for which floor types.
Wheel Type | Wheel Image | Hardwood | Uneven Floors | Smooth Surfaces | Tile | Laminate | Concrete | Carpet | Wet Surfaces |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Polyurethane | ![]() | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ |
Rubber | ![]() | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ |
Phenolic | ![]() | X | X | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | X |
Nylon | ![]() | X | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Metal | ![]() | X | X | ✔ | X | X | X | X | X |
Pneumatic | ![]() | X | ✔ | ✔ | X | X | ✔ | X | ✔ |
3. Will these casters be used indoors, outdoors, or both?
Similar to floor conditions, understanding where the casters will be used is important. Casters intended for outdoor use tend to have a more robust, heavy-duty design allowing for use on a variety of different terrains. Shock absorption and corrosion/weather resistance are key factors for outdoor casters more so than indoor casters.
4. Will the equipment you’re moving have any space restrictions?
If the equipment on casters has limited maneuverability, it’s important to make sure the casters will work in that space. Casters that are too large may not fit in tight spaces. On a swivel caster, look at the swivel lead. How far do the casters stick out? Will that still work in the space you plan on putting the equipment? If you’d like brakes on your swivel casters, there are several different types available and some are more conducive to a limited space environment than others, such as a Top Lock Brake. See our Caster Brake Blog post for reference.
5. Are there any important environmental conditions that need to be considered?
Similar to floor type conditions and indoor/outdoor usage, environmental conditions are an important factor. In the industrial manufacturing world, common environmental conditions include the presence of chemicals or corrosive substances, as well as extreme low temperatures and extreme high temperatures. There are specific casters designed to handle these exact conditions, making it easy to determine which ones will work best. Refer to the table under the floor conditions section to ensure that the casters you’re selecting work best for any environmental conditions present.
Ergonomics and Safety
Selecting the proper casters is one of the best ways to improve ergonomics and safety in the workplace. Employees are typically the ones pushing or pulling heavy objects on casters. Simply by switching the casters to more optimized casters, the push/pull force can be reduced significantly, providing better ergonomics, higher efficiency, and longer employee retention. The push/pull force can be measured in a few different ways. The easiest way, is by using a force gauge and attaching it to the handle or cart and applying a smooth, consistent push or pull. The gauge will show the force in pounds or Newtons. Push/pull force can also be determined through some manual calculations. The main factor in the manual calculation is the rolling resistance. This will help us determine how easily the caster can be rolled across the floor. The formula for the rolling resistance (F) is as follows:
F = µᵣ X W/r
Where:
F = Rolling resistance force in pounds
µᵣ = Coefficient of rolling friction (between the wheel and floor in inches). This factor is dependent on the wheel material and the floor surface. Harder wheels tend to have a lower rolling resistance on hard floors.
W = Normal force (load on the wheel) – Determined by taking the total weight of the cart and its load and dividing it by 3.
r = Radius of the wheel in inches. This is half the diameter of the wheel.
Understanding the push/pull force will assist engineers, operations managers, and safety operators with determining the proper casters to increase OSHA and ergonomic compliance, as well as minimize workplace injuries.
Industry-Specific Caster Solutions
Shopping for casters by industry is one of the best ways to shop for casters, as industries typically have similar safety requirements, floor conditions, environmental conditions and more. Certain industrial casters are well-suited for manufacturing environments than others. Check out the table below to see the most common types of casters in specific industries and why those casters cater well to those specific environments.
Customization and Engineering Support
It’s important to know when an out-of-the-box solution is not going to necessarily fit the needs of your application. If you’ve tried a variety of basic industrial caster solutions and you are unable to achieve the results you’re looking for, it’s time to explore custom caster solutions. This can include specific casters for different carts, integrated brake systems, the implementation of ErgoBoost, and more. Reviewing CAD models and consulting with caster specialists is a great way to determine what custom solution is right for your application. Check out this video of an integrated brake system that was a custom solution for a specific customer who wanted to be able to lock both casters at once:
Supplier Considerations
When it comes to choosing the right casters, the supplier might be the most important factor. Do they have a wide product range? Do they provide technical support? How fast can they ship products? Is their service long-term and reliable? Barron Equipment sells and services a wide variety of products. However, casters are the only product that we manufacture at our facility. We are dedicated to finding the best possible caster components on the market and assembling them to make superior finished products that are ready to ship out between 2-5 business days. We also have a whole team of specialists dedicated to consulting with customers about different caster applications and providing top-notch solutions for every industry.

Conclusion
In summation, choosing the right caster is crucial for improving productivity and efficiency. It’s important to take your time and consider all options carefully, as opposed to finding the cheapest caster on the market. For assistance in determining the perfect casters for your needs, fill out the below and a caster specialist will be in touch soon.