Cast iron is the most economical heavy-duty metal wheel — high capacity to 7,000 lb per wheel, genuine heat tolerance, and decades of service life. It's the default metal wheel for industrial carts, machine bases, and transfer equipment where the floor can take it.
Cast iron carries serious load at a price no other heavy-duty material matches. It tolerates heat that destroys polymer wheels. It's dimensionally stable — it won't cold-flow or flat-spot under sustained static load. And it lasts: a cast iron wheel commonly outlives the equipment it's mounted to. For heavy steady loads on rated industrial floors, it's hard to beat on cost-per-year.
Cast iron is hard on floors — it marks and, under sustained heavy load, damages concrete. It's loud. And it's brittle compared to forged or ductile steel under sharp impact. For impact-heavy applications, step to ductile iron or forged steel. For finished floors, use polyurethane-on-cast-iron — the iron core carries the load, the poly tread protects the floor.
Cast iron for heavy steady loads on a budget. Forged steel for impact, shock, or capacity beyond 7,000 lb.
Under heavy sustained load, yes. Use polyurethane-on-cast-iron for floor protection with nearly the same capacity.
Yes — it tolerates sustained heat well above what any polymer wheel survives.
Our US-based caster engineers will match the right build to your load, floor, and application.
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