Low level castors solve one problem: how to put wheels under equipment when there is very little room to do it. A standard castor adds far more height than its wheel size suggests - a 100mm castor stands around 127 to 130mm tall once the fork and fitting are included. Our low level range keeps the overall height to a minimum, with a raised load platform on a compact castor body, so heavy loads can be made mobile without lifting them off the ground.
Every castor on this page is priced per castor including VAT, and listed with its wheel diameter, overall height in mm, tread width, bolt hole size and rated load in kg, so you can check clearance and capacity against what you are fitting before you order.
The low profile design is for applications where the gap underneath is measured in millimetres rather than centimetres: stage sets and scenery (the trade calls these scene shifter or staging castors), low trolleys and any other low clearance equipment that needs to move without being raised. The compact body sits close to the ground while the single bolt hole fixing takes the load through the centre of the castor.
Because a low level castor uses a small wheel, it is built for smooth, hard surfaces. On rough ground, gravel or floors with debris a larger diameter rolls more easily and clears obstructions - if your kit travels over that kind of ground and clearance is not the constraint, our main castor wheels range is the better place to start.
This collection is our 35mm range, and the castor type is swivel throughout: a plain swivel castor or a swivel castor with brake. Both share the same wheel, the same 58mm overall height, the same 27mm tread width and the same 120kg rating, so a set can be mixed to suit - two braked at one end for parking, two plain at the other. The 35mm Low Level Heavy Duty Braked Bolt Hole Castor has an integrated combined swivel and wheel brake, holding the wheel and the head together for secure positioning once the load is in place.
Bolt hole castors can swivel, with or without a lock, but never fixed, so there is no fixed castor in this range. Where straight line tracking matters over distance, a set of four swivel castors will wander; the usual answer on trolleys is two fixed and two swivel, which points towards a plate fitted castor from the industrial plate fitting range if height allows.
Each 35mm low level castor is rated to 120kg per castor - a high load capacity for a castor this size. To size a set, divide the total loaded weight, in kg, by three, not four: on an uneven floor only three castors reliably carry the load at any moment, so dividing by three builds in a margin. A set of four of these heavy duty castors therefore suits a total loaded weight of up to 360kg.
Two further points on capacity. A brake should be rated for the same load as the wheel, and the locking castor here carries the same 120kg rating as the plain swivel. And a stated load capacity assumes rolling, not standing - anything left loaded for months can flat-spot a softer tyre, which is a durability problem rather than a load problem.
These are single bolt hole castors with an M10 fixing. A bolt hole castor attaches through one central bolt rather than a top plate, which suits tubular legs and frames with no flat surface to bolt a plate to - and means there are no plate sizes or bolt hole centres to match. Check the diameter of the existing bolt or fixing hole before ordering, as M10 and M12 are both common bolt hole sizes. If you need a top plate version, a different bolt hole size or a larger wheel, we can usually source it: contact us with a photograph and a measurement.
The bearing type is a precision bearing, fitted to keep movement smooth and reliable under load. Precision bearings matter most where equipment is pushed by hand all day, and they matter more on a small wheel, which takes more effort to get a load moving than a large one. The 15mm swivel offset lets the wheel trail behind the pivot so the castor turns to follow the push, and the 27mm tread width spreads the 120kg over the surface.
Both castors run on a hard wearing, non marking red polyurethane wheel on a precision bearing. Polyurethane combines a high load capacity with floor protection and rolls more easily than rubber under weight, and a non marking tread leaves no scuffs on a finished floor. Against the other common wheel materials, nylon would roll as easily but transmits noise and can mark softer floors, and rubber would cushion better but carry less - polyurethane is the wheel material that suits a small, heavily loaded swivel castor.
Match the wheel to the floor rather than the other way round. Smooth indoor floors - vinyl, sealed concrete, polished finishes - need non marking tyres, which these are; a harder tyre cuts through workshop debris rather than picking it up. Our castor types guide covers the materials in full.
Yes - every castor adds height, and castors are named by wheel diameter, not overall height. The point of a low level castor is that it adds as little as possible: our 35mm castors have an overall height of 58mm, from the ground to the top of the fitting. If you are working to a set clearance, measure the total castor height rather than the wheel size.
A larger wheel diameter rolls more easily, clears obstructions better and offers greater load capacity; the cost is height. Where the two conflict, a twin wheel castor gives increased capacity without the extra height, because splitting the weight across two wheels raises the rating at the same diameter. And if the kit needs to sit rigid at a set height rather than roll - machinery, benches, production line units - levelling castors are the alternative to consider. We do not list them online, so contact us and we will advise on the best option.
Swivel and fixed. A swivel castor rotates 360 degrees to steer; a fixed castor rolls in one direction only and carries heavy loads better at the same wheel size. A lock can be added to either. Low level bolt hole castors are always swivel.
Castor wheels run from 50mm up to 200mm and beyond in most ranges. Low level castors sit below that - our range is 35mm - because the wheel size sets the overall height.
Glides, felt pads and moving skates. Glides suit light furniture on smooth surfaces; for a large object moved only occasionally, skates cost less than fitting castors. For anything heavy that moves often, a castor is the right answer.
Both spellings describe the same product. Castor is British English; caster is American. UK suppliers, including QED, use castor.
We are a family-run castor and wheel business, established in 1987 and based in the West Midlands. We test what we sell, we supply single castors as readily as full pallets, and next day delivery is available across the UK mainland on stocked products when you order by 2pm. For fleet refits and repeat purchases, ask about bulk order and contract pricing.
Not sure whether this castor type is low enough, strong enough or the right fitting for the job? Send us a photograph and a measurement and we will identify what you need.