QED Castor & Wheel Company is a family-run business established in 1987, with over 40 years of hands-on experience supplying castors across all markets in the UK — industrial, medical, institutional and everyday. On this page you'll find our complete guide to castor types, fittings and ranges — everything you need to choose the right product with confidence, whether you're moving heavy machinery around a factory or replacing a single castor on an office chair.
Already know what you need? Jump straight to our categories: Castor Wheels · Medical Castors · Heavy Duty Low Level Castors · Gate Castors — or contact our team on +44 (0)1384 291143 for expert advice.
We stock castors across every major category, from budget options for everyday jobs to specialist products designed for demanding environments:
Plate and bolt hole models built for trucks, trolleys, bakery frames and small scaffold towers in busy industrial settings. Wheel choices include rubber tyres on nylon or metal centres, white nylon and polypropylene, and polyurethane on cast iron for the most demanding industrial applications.
Chrome and glass-filled nylon fork castors for hospital beds, patient lifters, commodes, shower chairs and walking frames, with antistatic wheels and three-way locking systems where required.
High capacity models that handle heavy loads with ease, including our low level range, whose raised load platform sits on a compact castor body — ideal where minimal clearance is required for heavy duty use.
Sprung castors designed to support and guide gates through continuous daily use.
Low-cost bolt hole castors that fix through a single central hole, making them ideal for tubular frames and light everyday jobs. Available with solid stems or round and square expanding adaptors to suit different tube sizes.
Dependable plate fitting castors at everyday prices, bolting through four fixing holes to any flat-bottomed equipment. A cost-effective choice for furniture, display units and light duty trolleys where standard top plate fittings bolt straight on.
A castor consists of a wheel mounted in a bracket (also called a fork or housing) that attaches to the underside of equipment, allowing it to be moved easily instead of lifted. The main components are the wheel itself, the fork that holds it, the fitting that secures the castor to the equipment — a top plate or a single bolt hole — and, on many models, a brake.
On a swivel castor, the wheel sits slightly behind the mounting point — a distance known as the offset — which is what makes the castor body trail and turn as the equipment changes direction. One point of spelling: in the UK the word is castor, while in the US the same product is a caster — the difference is purely regional, and we stock the same quality either way you spell it.
Castors come in three core configurations, and most trolleys and equipment use a combination of swivel and fixed options to balance manoeuvrability with control.
Swivel castors rotate 360° around a vertical axis, giving excellent manoeuvrability in tight spaces. Quality swivel rotation depends on the head bearing — our castors use ball bearing swivel heads for smooth movement even under load. Swivel castors are the right choice wherever equipment needs to change direction frequently or turn within its own footprint.
Fixed castors hold the wheel in a straight line, providing directional control and added stability when moving at speed or over longer distances. A typical four-castor trolley uses two fixed castors at one end and two swivel at the other — an efficient setup that steers like a supermarket trolley and tracks straight when pushed.
Braked castors keep equipment stationary when it needs to stay put. There are two main mechanisms: a wheel brake locks the wheel only, while a combined swivel and wheel brake (SWB) locks both the wheel and the swivel head for maximum security. A side lock brake, working off the axle, is a compact alternative that brakes the wheel only. Directional locks are also available — these convert a swivel castor into a fixed one at the flick of a lever, useful when a trolley alternates between tight spaces and long straight runs.
How a castor attaches to your equipment matters as much as the wheel itself. Top plate castors bolt through four fixing holes and suit any flat surface. Industrial plate sizes follow trade standards — castors up to 125mm generally use rectangular plates with 80 × 60 slotted bolt hole centres, stepping up to 105 × 80 centres on 160mm and 200mm models — so worn castors can usually be replaced without drilling a single new hole.
Bolt hole castors are secured through one central hole, typically M10 or M12, which makes them ideal for tubular frames and tight spaces. They can be fitted with solid stems or with round and square expanding adaptors (19mm and 22mm being the most common) to accommodate different tube sizes. Note that fixed castors are only made in plate fitting — a bolt hole fixing would simply let the castor spin freely. If your frame needs adapting, our [Fixings & Fittings] range includes reducing bushes and tubes to bridge the gap.
Six key features determine whether a castor will perform well in its application — get these right and your castors will give years of trouble-free service:
Load capacity is the most important of all the factors. Add the equipment's own weight to its maximum load and divide by three, because on uneven ground only three castors may touch the floor at once. Every castor should be rated at or above that figure — under-specifying leads to rapid wear at best, and sudden failure when moving heavy objects at worst. Building in a margin of strength is essential for safety and productivity alike.
Castor sizes refer to the wheel diameter, not the overall height — so a 100mm castor actually stands around 127–130mm tall. This is standard throughout the trade but catches people out, so always check which measurement you're working from. As a rule, a larger wheel rolls more easily, reduces effort over rough floors and copes better with debris, making bigger diameters the better choice when moving a larger object over any real distance.
The wheel material governs how the castor behaves on various surfaces: rubber tyres give quiet, controlled movement and protect delicate floors; nylon and plastic centre wheels offer low friction and easy rolling in warehouses; polyurethane combines floor protection with high capacity; and cast iron delivers maximum strength and heat resistance. For washdown or corrosive environments, stainless steel parts provide the corrosion resistance needed to maintain performance over time.
A wider tread width spreads the load over more floor area, reducing pressure on soft or delicate surfaces, while a narrower, crowned tread reduces the contact patch and makes swivelling easier. Match the tread to the floor and the way the equipment is moved.
Bearings determine rolling effort. Plain bearings — the wheel turning directly on its centre — are simple, robust and the most popular choice. Roller bearings cut rolling resistance under heavy loads, while precision ball bearings give the easiest, smoothest motion of all. If equipment is moved by hand all day, upgrading the bearing is the single best improvement for increased efficiency and reduced operator effort.
Decide whether the castor must lock: wheel-only brakes suit light equipment, combined swivel and wheel brakes give total security, and directional locks add flexibility. Where equipment is parked on a slope or used around patients, braking is not optional — it's a safety requirement.
The right castor makes almost anything mobile. Typical applications include warehouse and platform trolleys, industrial machinery and maintenance equipment, hospital and care equipment, catering and tea trolleys, retail display units, furniture, and the humble office chair — one of the most common castor replacements we supply. Every product page displays the full specification — wheel size, fitting, bearing type and rated capacity — so it's easy to find an exact match for the castor you're replacing.
We're a family-run business with over 40 years in the castor trade, providing honest advice and quality products at low prices. A major strength of our operation is that the majority of our castor wheels are moulded here in the UK using our own tooling — reducing cost, shortening lead times and making our products more sustainable — while long-standing relationships with our overseas suppliers let us source the best quality at the best prices. Talk to people who genuinely know castors: call +44 (0)1384 291143, email qed@qedcastors.co.uk, or use our contact page. Buying in volume? Our bulk orders and contract pricing service offers tailored solutions with major savings on high-volume purchases — equipped to supply everything from a single replacement castor to a full fleet refit.
Nothing but spelling — castor is the standard British English spelling, caster the American. You'll see both online, sometimes on the same product, but they describe exactly the same thing.
For most trolleys, both: two swivel castors at the handle end for steering, two fixed at the front for straight-line stability. Use four swivel castors when equipment must move in any direction within a tight space, and add directional locks if you want the best of both.
Whenever equipment must stay secure while in place — loading, working at height, on slopes, or around patients and the public. For maximum security choose a combined swivel and wheel brake, which locks the complete castor rather than just the wheel.
Almost always. Measure the wheel diameter and width, the fitting (plate dimensions and hole centres, or bolt hole size), and note the wheel material, then compare against the specifications displayed on our product pages. If you're unsure, send us a photo and the measurements — we'll identify a suitable replacement for you. For larger orders we can go further, tailoring stem size, plate size, bolt hole size and even colour to match your brand or equipment.
Browse the full range using the categories above, or get in touch for advice, bulk pricing and help with anything unusual — after four decades in the trade, there aren't many castor problems we haven't solved. Choose QED and keep your equipment moving.
