Metal caster wheels — cast iron, ductile iron, forged steel, semi-steel — run from 250 lb up to 23,000 lb per wheel. You move to metal when a polymer wheel can't survive the conditions: extreme load, sustained heat, rough or contaminated floors, or steel-on-steel rail.
Cast iron is the value workhorse — high capacity, handles heat. Semi-steel and ductile iron add impact tolerance and tensile strength for shock-loaded applications. Forged steel sits at the top: maximum capacity, the highest impact strength and rollability of any caster wheel, and it can be hardened further. Each step up trades cost for capacity and toughness.
Metal wheels are the harshest wheel type for floors — under sustained heavy load they damage concrete. Run them on steel rail, embedded track, or distribution-plated paths, or in environments where floor finish doesn't matter (foundry, forge, steel mill). If you need the capacity but also need to protect the floor, polyurethane-on-iron carries close to the same load while protecting the surface.
Cast iron for heavy steady loads on a budget. Forged steel for impact, shock, the highest capacity, or when it needs to be hardened further.
Under heavy sustained load, yes. Use on rail or distribution plates, or switch to polyurethane-on-iron if floor protection matters.
Yes — that's a core advantage. Metal survives temperatures that destroy every polymer wheel.
Our US-based caster engineers will match the right build to your load, floor, and application.
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