Swivel castors and fixed castors: what's the difference?

Swivel castors can be swivelled vertically. This allows them to automatically align themselves with the current direction of motion. This makes them a particularly convenient accessory for successful transport logistics. Fixed castors, on the other hand, do not swivel. They can only move straight ahead in one direction, but do so quickly and stably.

Combining swivel castors and fixed castors

By principle, it is a good idea to make use of the advantages of both types of transport castors. This way, you'll always make progress on straight routes without veering off course, while still overcoming all corners and obstacles with little effort. The combination of two swivel castors and two fixed castors is therefore also the most common variant.

However, four swivel castors are ideal if you need to manoeuvre things in confined spaces and, for example, push serving trolleys along narrow office corridors or assembly trolleys around to many different work stations. Four fixed castors or swivel castors with brakes could theoretically run particularly smoothly and remain on course on defined routes. In reality, however, this variant is not really common.

What are the advantages of the materials for swivel castors and fixed castors?

Depending on the area of use, different tyre or castor materials are better for swivel castors and fixed castors:

Castors made of grey cast iron are robust and hardwearing, and are therefore suitable for ongoing use in demanding areas. The material is noisy and not exactly good for the floor, but on the other hand, needs very little maintenance.

Thermoplastic elastomers have a positive effect on rolling resistance. Castors made of this material ensure the resistance is low. In addition, they do not leave marks on the floor.

Polyurethane is suitable for sensitive, even floors and can carry high loads. Fixed PU castors are resistant to chemical environmental influences and are characterised by a very smooth run.

Nylon is shock and impact resistant with a low rolling resistance, unbreakable and temperature resistant. This makes the material suitable for swivel castors that carry heavy loads, especially in freezing environments. Their disadvantage: they make noise when rolling.

Solid rubber and uneven floors are a good combination to use swivel castors and fixed castors on. The castors are quiet, very manoeuvrable and inexpensive. Grey solid rubber tyres won't leave any streaks on floors either.

More information on the most important selection criteria can be found in the purchasing guide to wheels and castors.

Find swivel castors and fixed castors at {cms.var.company_name}

In order to make the selection of swivel castors and fixed castors as convenient and easy as possible for you, we offer you the option of selecting different filter options on each product page. Once you have clicked on a main factor for selection, we will show you the best possible combinations. Good to know:

Design: practically every castor is available as a fixed castor or swivel castor, with or without a wheel stop.

Wheel bearings: depending on the model, you can choose between plain bearings, roller bearings and ball bearings. Plain bearings are recommended for castors that are used in wet areas. For all other applications, we recommend roller bearings and ball bearings.

Load capacity: to determine the required load capacity of the swivel castors or fixed castors, the formula ''weight of the transport device + load / 3'' applies. The divisor 3 ensures that the castors will still bear the weight even when all four castors are not actually in contact with the ground.

If you have any questions about swivel castors and fixed castors, we will be happy to help you personally.

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