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February 26 2026 Since their patenting in the 1800s, casters have become essential to modern business operations.
Most of us use casters in our everyday life without even being aware of them. Think of your office chair, fridge, or grocery cart, that moves easily in whichever direction it’s pushed. Worker safety and productivity are just one of the most important advantages of casters, usually manufactured in a single, double, or compound wheel configuration. But what are casters and how are they used in different types of industries?
Read below to find out everything you need to know about types of casters and how they work.
Simply put, casters are a wheel and mount combination, designed to make appliances, furniture, or equipment easily movable by providing support and making maneuvering simple. Caster wheels are different from casters and often sold separately. Casters are available in a wide range of sizes, materials or heights and they are not only used in industrial settings, but also at home or your office.
Caster wheels are attached to the vehicle by a fixed top plate, typically using 3-4 bolts or screws inserted in this plate. Originally, casters were simple frames designed to hold a wheel and axle for forward and backward movement; later designs incorporated a swivel frame to allow the wheel to pivot 360 degrees. Nowadays, casters are based on a more modern concept and self-steering materials that can handle quick and rapid movements. Casters are made from various materials, like plastic, aluminum and stainless steel and some of them come with a built-in brake design for medical or industrial casters. Wheels are often made with soft rubber, cast iron or phenolic materials.
Casters and caster wheels have extensive use, and there is a specific caster designed for food catering, medical or industrial sectors.
Casters used for hospital beds, stretchers or other equipment to be durable, easy to clean and to be moved around. This is why it is better to go with caster wheels made up of either rubber or polyurethane. These materials have good wear and abrasion resistance, essential in hospital settings.
Casters used for industrial applications need to be able to withstand weight and roll smoothly over rough surfaces. In addition to this, industrial strength casters must have good resistance to chemicals and oil, cleaning agents or greases. With so many characteristics to take into consideration, consulting with expert industrial caster manufacturers ensures you select the right type of caster to ensure that your business equipment functions safely and efficiently.
Just like in the medical environment, when choosing casters for the food industry, it is important to consider wheels that are easy to clean and disinfect, as hygiene is extremely important. Also, they need to be resistant to corrosion and exposure to harsh chemicals or grease.
When looking at casters, you need to consider a few things because not all casters will work well in all situations.
Here are some essential questions for you to guide your decision.
These are all important questions that you need to answer so that you can pick the right type of caster.
Understanding the weight of your equipment or furniture and how much extra weight could be added through equipment or people sitting on the furniture will help determine what type of caster could be best, or at least allow you to calculate which ones are unacceptable for the task. Consider how much weight the caster needs to handle, going from just the frame up to 2 tons in some situations.
Calculate the weight of your equipment, any materials that will be added to increase that weight, and then calculate if your caster(s) can handle that weight. To find the maximum weight of 1 of the casters that you like, multiply that weight-bearing capacity by however many casters you will install, and then ensure that the caster weight-bearing capacity is higher than your equipment and materials weight.
An interesting scenario would be if somebody sat on a chair that had a weight capacity of 400 lbs, and the person and chair were just under 400 lbs; however, what happens if that person rocks in the chair or tips it back or to the side, not all of the casters will be bearing the load, and it could collapse due to doubling the load of two casters when two are not being used.
Your casters and design need to account for how the equipment or furniture could be used. You also need to double-check with your industrial caster manufacturers which of them can handle the biggest loads. Some may not be producing heavy-weight-bearing industrial casters in the types that you’re looking for.
For additional help , check out our guide on how to determine a casters load capacity.
Casters are an essential part of many sectors, including day-to-day life. Whether for industrial, medical, or food service use, key selection factors include roll resistance and load capacity. If you need help with choosing the ideal caster for your business, our team is here to offer you all the information you need.
Contact us today and we’ll help you with your caster needs.
