Phenolic and polyolefin are the hard, rigid wheel materials — no cushion, but real advantages: phenolic resists oil and solvents and rolls with low resistance to 5,000 lb; polyolefin shrugs off water, grease, and cleaning chemistry at the lowest cost. Together they cover the dry, hard-floor, chemical-exposure applications polymers and rubber don't.
Phenolic is a dense, hard composite. It carries serious load (to 5,000 lb), rolls with low resistance, and — critically — resists the oils and solvents that degrade polyurethane. It's the wheel for machine shops, oil-exposure areas, and low-rolling-resistance applications. The trade-off: it's hard, noisy, and brittle under sharp impact, and it can mark light floors.
Polyolefin is a one-piece hard plastic — the lowest-cost wheel that still carries a moderate load. It's genuinely chemical-resistant: water, grease, mild solvents, cleaning chemistry all bounce off it. Its limits are heat, cold, and sunlight — keep it dry, indoor, and temperature-controlled and it's the value choice at fleet scale.
Phenolic for higher capacity, oil/solvent resistance, and low rolling resistance. Polyolefin for the lowest cost and broad chemical resistance at moderate load.
Neither cushions the floor — both are hard. Treads are generally non-marking, but for floor protection choose polyurethane or rubber.
No — UV and temperature swings degrade it. Keep polyolefin dry, indoor, temperature-controlled.
Our US-based caster engineers will match the right build to your load, floor, and application.
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