Castor Wheels: Our Top Tips For Choosing The Right Ones To Help Your Warehouse Run Smoothly!
T Tracey Williams

Castor Wheels: Our Top Tips For Choosing The Right Ones To Help Your Warehouse Run Smoothly!

Dec 13, 2022

Selecting the right castor wheels for your warehouse vehicles is essential to facilitate its smooth and safe running. Without the right castors, moving stock around the warehouse can be challenging and time-consuming, causing bottlenecks in your operation and increasing the chance of accidents. Choosing the best castors is a key business decision, and one that could have long-term implications for how efficiently your warehouse operates.


If you’re considering purchasing new or replacement castor wheels, there are some important elements to consider.

Castor wheels come in many different sizes, styles, and materials, each of which boasts its own advantages:

  • Heavy duty castor wheels are essential for supporting heavy weights, typically over 140kg. Opting for light or medium duty castors could cause them to fail prematurely if attempting to move heavy materials.
  • Swivel castor wheels or heavy duty swivel castor wheels make manoeuvring corners or compact spaces effortless, as the wheels are designed to rotate through 360°.
  • Braked castor wheels feature an integral pedal or tab mechanism that locks the wheels so that the equipment cannot be moved. This is useful on uneven or sloping surfaces or when equipment is transported in lorries.
  • Trolley castor wheels are designed for supermarket trollies, providing effortless movement, while being able to sustain moderate weight.

On Which Surfaces Do The Castor Wheels Work Best?

Choosing the best castor wheels depends on the type of flooring. Wheels can be manufactured from different materials, some of which run less smoothly and efficiently on certain surfaces.

  • Rubber castors: these are ideal for clean hard floors, both rough and smooth, and where low levels of noise are desirable, such as in supermarkets.
  • Elastic polyurethane castors: like rubber castors, these are suited to hard and soft floors, both rough and smooth, but offer the additional advantages of superior shock and impact resistance. These wheels are a good choice in industrial settings where the floor is likely to be contaminated with debris or machining chips, or where resistance to oils, chemicals, or abrasive cleaning materials is required.
  • Plastic/nylon castors: suitable for smooth hard and soft floors, these castors boast a high load capacity so are a good choice for moving the heaviest weights in industrial settings or warehouses.
  • Pneumatics/puncture-proof wheels: these are an appropriate choice for outdoor applications due to their exceptional ability on rough terrain and grass.

Can Different Types Of Castors Be Combined?

Yes. Choosing a combination of castor types can be a logical and cost-effective choice, but there are advantages and disadvantages to bear in mind.

Popular configurations include:

  • Four swivel castors: for excellent manoeuvrability, but less suited to straight runs or heavy loads.
  • Two swivel/two fixed castors: offering optimum control and manoeuvrability, this is a popular choice in industrial and warehouse settings.
  • Two braked swivel castors/two fixed castors: another popular configuration in settings where safeguards are required to prevent equipment from running away when not in use or left unattended.

Get In Touch

Rolltek are one of the UK’s leading suppliers of castors to industrial and commercial customers. If you need help choosing the right products for your business, please get in touch with one of our technical sales team today.

Link to share

Use this link to share this article