Polyurethane Casters · The All-Round Tread

High Load and a Floor It Won’t Wreck

a hard wheel carries weight but is loud and beats up the floor; a soft wheel is floor-kind but won’t carry and flat-spots. a polyurethane wheel does not make you pick — it carries high load, rolls with low effort, grips, and protects the floor, with the tread bonded to a steel or nylon core so it can’t peel.

PU 95A tread Bonded to iron / nylon core To 1000 kg shown Floor-protective Ball bearings · 15–20% OEM / neutral pack

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Choosing a caster tread usually feels like a compromise. a hard wheel — nylon, steel, cast iron — carries the load and rolls with little effort, but it is loud on a hard floor and it transmits every bump into the cargo and marks the floor. a soft wheel — rubber — is quiet and floor-kind, but it carries far less and a load left standing presses a flat spot.

A polyurethane wheel is the one that does not make you choose. the PU tread is hard enough to carry high load and roll with low effort, yet elastic enough to grip, cushion a little, and protect the floor — and unlike rubber it does not flat-spot. it also shrugs off oils, grease, and abrasion. that balance is why PU is the default tread for most industrial handling.

The tread is a 95A polyurethane bonded to a cast-iron or nylon core — the iron core for the highest load, the nylon core when weight matters — and the bond means the tread cannot peel away under heavy load. the loads shown reach 150mm / 1000kg and 125mm / 500kg, all on precision ball bearings that lower starting effort by about 15–20%. the range meets ANSI/ICWM and ISO 22883 requirements.

Polyurethane range

PU tread bonded to a cast-iron or nylon core, in braked swivel and shock-absorbing builds.

PU on Cast-Iron Core

Thick PU tread bonded to a cast-iron core for high-capacity towing and heavy handling. braked swivel.

150mm · 1000kgSWIVEL + BRAKE

PU heavy-duty caster, 125mm 500kg braked swivel

PU Heavy-Duty · Braked

Precision dual ball raceway with a locking brake — steady rolling under heavy load, parks where you set it.

125mm · 500kgSWIVEL + BRAKE

Spring-Loaded PU

PU tread on a sprung mount that absorbs floor impacts to protect sensitive cargo. see also shock-absorbing casters.

SHOCK-ABSORBINGSPRING

Custom

Other sizes & cores

Built to Your Spec

Other diameters, cast-iron or nylon cores, plates, stems, and loads — confirmed on a 24–48h drawing.

ON QUOTECUSTOM

PU vs nylon vs rubber

Where PU sits among the tread materials.

Tread material comparison
Tread	Load	Floor	Noise	Best for
Polyurethane	High	Protects, grips	Moderate, quieter than hard wheels	The balanced all-rounder
Nylon	High	Hard, can mark	Loud on hard floors	Washdown, no-rust, low rolling effort
Rubber	Lower	Kind; grey non-marking	Very quiet	Quiet, cushioning, finished floors

Where PU is not the right wheel: polyurethane softens and breaks down at high temperature, so it is not for ovens or hot processes — use a phenolic or cast-iron high-temperature caster there. very soft (low-durometer) PU trades load for grip and cushioning, so the durometer is matched to the job. tell us the load, floor, and any chemistry and we set the tread and core to suit.

Where they are used

Material handling

Carts, dollies & towing

Trolleys, platform trucks, and towed trains that need load capacity without wrecking the floor.

Manufacturing

Line & assembly carts

Assembly and line-side carts where quieter rolling and floor protection keep the shop tidy.

Sensitive loads

Shock-absorbing builds

Spring-loaded PU for delicate or instrument loads that must not take road shock over floor joints.

Sell it under your own brand

OEM / ODM branding and neutral packaging sized for regional distributors, not mass-OEM tonnage.

Match the job

Durometer, core & size

tell us the load, floor, and duty; we set the PU durometer, the cast-iron or nylon core, and the build, confirmed on a 24–48h drawing.

Brand the product

Your mark, or unbranded

we laser-etch or pad-print your logo, or ship unbranded in neutral cartons. the buyer sees your brand.

Low entry threshold

Distributor-scale

per-model minimums at distributor scale — no mass-OEM tonnage required. custom builds follow the 24–48h drawing path.

Mixed-load stocking & container logistics

Stock range coverage without committing a full container to one model.

Distributor supply terms
Term	How it works
Mixed-load container	Consolidate PU, nylon, rubber, and other caster types into one container.
Per-model minimum	Held at distributor scale with no mass-OEM constraint, so you carry depth across sizes and loads.
Lead time	Standard PU models from stock; custom builds follow 24–48h drawing, typically about 14–21 days for bulk OEM.
Container loading	we plan cartons to fill cube and weight; iron-core PU is dense, so weight fills first.
Trade terms	FOB and CIF supported. confirm port, Incoterm, and per-model quantities on your quote.

Related ranges

Round out a mixed-load order with matched ranges.

Tread materialNylon Casters

Hard, non-rusting, low rolling effort.

Tread materialRubber Casters

Quiet, cushioning, non-marking grey.

Heavy-dutyHeavy-Duty Casters

PU and more for heavy handling.

Heavy-dutyShock-Absorbing Casters

Spring-loaded for sensitive loads.

Polyurethane caster & procurement FAQ

Why is polyurethane the all-round caster tread?

PU sits between hard and soft. it carries high load and rolls with low effort like a hard wheel, but it grips, cushions a little, and protects the floor like a soft wheel, and it does not flat-spot the way rubber can. that mix is why it suits most industrial handling.

What is the PU tread bonded to?

The polyurethane tread is bonded to a cast-iron or nylon core. the cast-iron core gives the highest load, the nylon core is lighter; in both the tread is bonded to the core so it does not peel away under heavy load.

What loads and sizes are available?

Shown here are 150mm rated to 1000kg on a cast-iron core and 125mm rated to 500kg, both braked swivel. a spring-loaded shock-absorbing PU version is also available. other sizes, cores, and loads are rated per model on your quote.

PU or nylon or rubber — which should I choose?

PU is the balanced default: high load, floor-kind, low rolling effort. choose nylon if you need the hardest, lightest wheel for washdown and do not mind noise; choose rubber if quiet and cushioning matter more than load. for heat, none of these apply — use a high-temperature caster.

Can PU casters be used near heat?

No. polyurethane softens and breaks down at high temperature, so keep it away from ovens and hot processes. for bakery and oven racks use a phenolic or cast-iron high-temperature caster instead.

Can you supply these under our brand in mixed-load orders?

Yes. we laser-etch or pad-print your logo or ship unbranded with neutral cartons, and consolidate PU casters with other caster types into one mixed-load container at distributor scale. FOB and CIF supported.

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