Frequently Asked Questions About Casters

With thousands of products on our website (and tens of thousands more at our disposal), it can be difficult to find the exact caster you need.

Browsing through the various categories of products and using the product filters will help you narrow the choices quickly.

Finally, feel free to just call us at 888.344.3036 . We have additional tools to locate exactly what you need quickly and efficiently. If we need a bit more time, then we'll call or email you back.

Many casters are purchased without the buyer having any idea what kind of wheel they needed or even what kind of wheel they received. Here's what to do:

Call us. Tell us about your application and allow us to explain the options, relative advantages and disadvantages and costs.

Check out ACI's wheel material tutorial for a primer on wheels options and characteristics.

Quick summary for furniture casters: Most new office chairs have inexpensive twin-wheel casters with nylon wheels. Nylon is okay for chair pads, carpet and concrete and can be damaging to nearly everything else because the nylon is hard and abrasive. Look for non-marking rubber, polyurethane or TPR (thermoplastic rubber) for any surface that you want to protect: hardwood floors, tile, linoleum, and others.

Quick summary for industrial casters: Inexpensive: polyolefin or phenolic; quiet: rubber-on-cast or polyurethane-on-cast; strongest: forged or ductile steel.

Remember, good casters will typically last for many years. You may as well get the right ones. Take the extra few minutes and make sure you get the wheel that will serve you best.

Swivel or Rigid: Many times you can use all swivel casters. If the application is heavy, use two of each which for easier steering and control.

Wheel size: Greater height (diameter) contributes to easier roll; greater width provides more weight capacity.

Wheel type

Floor material

Connector type

Weight capacity

Method of propulsion/ Ergonomics

Operating noise

Environment Factors (water, heat, oil, debris, etc.)

Bearing type

Quality Level/ Durability

Generally speaking, the brakes installed on the casters are more effective than floor locks. They positively engage with the wheel to prevent movement. The disadvantage is that, depending on which direction the caster was moving, the brake may not be easily accessible. The caster may be turned in such a way as to make the brake hard to reach. This is a nuisance in a situation where efficiency and ease-of-use is paramount. More information:

Floor locks make solid – but limited - contact with the floor. Their installed height is usually about 1/8” higher than the matching casters. So they lift the unit a bit, but most times (assuming the floor is completely level), the wheels will remain in contact with the floor. This is affected by how much weight is on the unit. Floor locks will generally keep the unit from moving from a casual bump or nudge. You may be able to force it to move, depending on weight.

Floor locks are easier in some ways as they do not move and are always accessible and easy to engage/ disengage. They are usually installed two per unit, however one may work, particularly when the far side (without the floor lock) has non-swiveling casters.

Most of this decision comes down to user preference. Some customers prefer traditional brakes. Others prefer floor locks. There is not a specific condition or application that demands floors locks. You often see them on factory carts – quickly engaged keeps the cart from rolling away – or large buffet carts.

ACI accepts all major credit cards as well as PayPal. Commercial accounts are also available with approved credit.

Here's the deal: We want every customer to get what they need to make their project a success. If the first attempt did not work, we can often work something out for a return and, more importantly, get you what you need. We encourage you to call for guidance if you are unsure of which item to order from the website. Our complete return policy can be found here.

Many reputable furniture manufacturers, at one time or another, have made the regrettable decision of building the stems into the chair base. When they eventually discontinue the practice, they similarly discontinue carrying the replacement stemless casters for past customers. Of course, you have no idea of this when you buy the furniture.

This can be very challenging since the 'business end' of the caster stem (the end that inserts into the caster) is not industry standard as the exterior portion typically is. They are proprietary for each caster manufacturer. Unless you happen to know who made your original caster, it will be tough to match.

But you're in luck: ACI is one of the few caster suppliers with a webpage specifically dedicated to this issue. Go to the built-in stems page and follow the instructions there for help.

Apollo Caster charges just a small amount over the actual freight, to cover the packaging supplies. Freight is not a profit center for ACI: it's only meant to break-even. See a full explanation of shipping and freight at the Shipping, Freight and Returns page.

Most of the product images are a close depiction of the actual product. However, always refer to the product specifications first. Often, the same picture may be used for multiple casters that all have nearly identical specs - for instance, maybe only the stem length is different. Or a 3" wheel and 4" wheel will use the same picture. In addition, manufacturers are often making slight aesthetic modifications to their products. If the exact appearance of the caster is critical to your application, always call and ask about the item and picture.

Credit terms of Net 30 often are available for commercial customers who have a history - or supportable projection - of repeat business. Generally, the orders should be $250 or larger. Credit apps must be completed and payments must be received within the 30 days.

Late payments are unacceptable. Credit terms are a privilege, not a right. When a customer agrees to a particular price, shipping time, and service level in exchange for a promise to pay in 30 days, that creates an obligation which an honorable, effective company finds compelled to keep. When they do not, it raises flags about the company's financial solvency, efficiency and integrity. Yet, it is always an awkward topic - we seem to be the bad guy for simply asking for a customer to keep their word! So we don't ask. Customers who pay late do not get the best pricing and discounts, or they lose the credit option entirely, or they are fired.

We love serving customers, offering great products, providing great service at great prices! Spending time to beg a customer to keep their promise and pay their bills on time is a non-value added effort. It increases overhead and makes a company uncompetitive.

This is a frequently misunderstood topic. Most people believe that getting small/ short casters is best for helping with a top-heavy application to minimize the likelihood of tipping. Actually, that is exactly wrong.

For an application that is top heavy (think of a 3 foot table with a sewing machine or a narrow, 6-foot tall shelving unit), the height of the casters adds little to the overall height, center of gravity or tipping likelihood. A 3" caster (with a 4" load height) is adding little, relatively, to the center of gravity over a 2" caster (with a 3" load height). If the center of gravity is already high, what difference will it make to be at 39" vs 38"?

At the same time, a small caster is much more likely to get abruptly stopped by a piece of floor debris or crack than a larger caster. And when that tiny caster hits that obstacle, the tall application will immediately tip. Conversely, installing larger casters that roll easier, will move over obstacles or debris instead of being stalled, significantly increasing the odds of a smooth, safe move and significantly reducing the likelihood of an abrupt stop of the casters and tipping the application.

So please, when you have a high-profile application, get one or two sizes larger than the first conclusion and you will have a safer, easier-to-move result.