Low Profile Castors.

What are Low Profile Castors?

Low profile castors, also known as low level castors, are the most compact part of Accu’s Castors & Wheels range, with mounting heights of 70 mm or less so equipment can be made mobile without being raised more than necessary. A small low profile castor wheel, from 14 mm to 50 mm, sits in a shallow fork and plate, so the castor stands only a few millimetres taller than its own wheel: the 32 mm castor, for example, has a mounting height of just 34 mm. Keeping the equipment close to the floor preserves headroom, lowers the centre of gravity and lets units slide under benches, counters and machinery that a standard castor would foul.

Two European standards apply across the range: EN 12528 for furniture castors and EN 12530 for castors used in institutional settings such as shops, hotels and hospitals. They are used on instrument cases, drawer units, display stands, small machines, under-bench cabinets and light apparatus, wherever height is limited and loads are modest.

How Low Profile Castors Work

A low profile castor fixes through a small rectangular or square plate, a single 11 mm bolt hole or an M10 threaded stem, and the short fork places the axle as close to the plate as the wheel allows. On swivel versions, a compact swivel head with an offset of 18 mm to 25 mm keeps the wheel following the push, sweeping a swivel radius of just 37 mm to 77 mm. Because a small wheel concentrates the load on a smaller contact patch and rolls over obstacles less easily, ratings are modest, from 25 kg to 75 kg per castor, and smooth floors give the best results. Twin-wheel versions spread the load across two wheels on one axle, nearly doubling the rating at the same height.

A typical case is an under-bench tool cabinet in a maintenance workshop, 725 mm tall and weighing 200 kg loaded, that has to roll in beneath a bench with 800 mm of clearance. Divide the weight by three and each castor carries about 67 kg, within the 70 kg rating of a 50 mm twin-wheel castor whose 69 mm mounting height leaves the cabinet 6 mm clear of the bench. Two of the four can be wheel-braked versions rated at 75 kg, holding the cabinet still while a fitter works from the open drawers. A standard 100 mm castor with a mounting height of 128 mm would leave the cabinet stranded in front of the bench.

Materials Low Profile Castors Are Made From

Accu’s low profile castors combine pressed steel housings with engineering-grade polymer and rubber wheels, chosen for compact strength, smooth running and floor protection:

• Steel: Shallow pressed steel forks in light and medium-duty grades, finished in blue passivation or zinc plating to resist corrosion.
• Plastic - Nylon: Solid polyamide wheels at 65 to 75 Shore D, from the 14 mm wheel upwards, rolling easily on hard floors.
• Plastic - PP: The centre of the twin-wheel and 50 mm polyurethane wheels and the solid 38 mm to 50 mm wheels on the smallest swivel castors.
• Plastic - PUR: Injection moulded polyurethane treads at 40 Shore D, combining quiet running with wear resistance rated Very Good (4 of 5).
• Rubber: Grey and dark grey rubber tyres for cushioned, quieter running on 40 mm and 50 mm castors.
• Rubber - TPR: A thermoplastic rubber tread at 87 Shore A on the twin-wheel castors and the 32 mm compact castor, rated Very Good (4 of 5) for noise.

Sizes & Types of Low Profile Castors Available

Accu’s range of low profile castors is available in a variety of compact sizes and fixings to suit equipment where every millimetre of height counts:

• Wheel Diameter (D): 14 mm to 50 mm.
• Wheel Width (T): 13 mm to 24 mm.
• Mounting Height (H): 17 mm to 70 mm.
• Approximate Load Capacity: 25 kg to 75 kg.
• Castor Type: Swivel Castor or Fixed Castor.
• Braked/Unbraked: Braked or Unbraked.
• Fixing Type: Bolt Hole Fixing; Rectangular Plate; Square Plate, 60 x 60 mm.
• Plate Fixing Hole Centres (ExG): 36 x 28 mm to 48 x 48 mm.
• Fixing Hole Diameter: 4 mm to 6.5 mm.
• Bolt Hole Diameter: 11 mm.
• Thread Size: M10 x 25.

These castors trade capacity for height, so nothing in this range is rated above 75 kg, and the twin-wheel castors carry the most. The castors under 50 mm tall are compact fixed castors on small rectangular plates, with a single 38 mm swivel castor at 50 mm, while braked versions come with 50 mm wheels only. Threaded stem versions use 40 mm and 50 mm wheels on an M10 x 25 stem and carry 25 kg to 55 kg.

For loads that need to move in any direction with even less height, why not browse Accu’s Mini Ball Transfers instead, which start from an overall height of just 8.5 mm.

FAQ

Q: What is the smallest castor wheel?

A: The smallest in Accu’s range is the 14 mm polyamide wheel on a compact fixed castor, which stands just 17 mm tall and carries 25 kg. The smallest swivel castor has a 38 mm wheel with a mounting height of 50 mm, also rated at 25 kg. Where even less height is available and the load can roll over the support rather than the other way round, Accu’s mini ball transfers start from an overall height of 8.5 mm.

Q: Are there heavy-duty low profile castors?

A: Not in the strictest sense, because load capacity rises with wheel size and wheel size sets the height. Every low profile castor in Accu’s range is rated at 75 kg or less, the lowest castor rated at 200 kg stands 108 mm tall on an 80 mm polyamide wheel and the lowest rated at 500 kg or more stands 164 mm tall. If you are looking for heavy-duty low level castors, the 80 mm castors in Accu’s Swivel Castors range and the 125 mm castors in the Heavy-Duty Castors range are the lowest options at those loads.

Q: What is a low profile castor?

A: A low profile castor is one whose mounting height, measured from the floor to the top of the mounting plate, is kept as close as possible to the diameter of its wheel. In Accu’s range that means a mounting height of 70 mm or less, with the most compact castors standing only 2 mm to 4 mm taller than their wheels. They are chosen where headroom is limited or where equipment needs a low centre of gravity, rather than for heavy loads.

Q: Do twin-wheel castors help?

A: Yes, when height is limited and the load is too much for a single small wheel. Accu’s 50 mm twin-wheel castors carry 70 kg, or 75 kg in the braked version, at a mounting height of 69 mm, against 40 kg for a single-wheel 50 mm castor at 70 mm. The two wheels share the load and turn in opposite directions as the castor swivels, which reduces scrubbing and makes the castor easier to steer, while their thermoplastic rubber treads are rated Very Good (4 of 5) for noise.

Bespoke Low Profile Castors Manufacture.

High precision, bespoke manufacture of Low Profile Castors to customer specification. State of the art facilities specialising in both small batch prototyping and large scale manufacture.