Polyolefin wheels are a single molded hard plastic — no tread, no core, one material. They're the lowest-cost wheel that still carries a real moderate load, and they shrug off the water, grease, and cleaning chemistry that degrade other materials. For dry indoor carts at fleet scale, nothing competes on price.
Polyolefin is rigid, lightweight, and genuinely chemical-resistant. It rolls easily, carries moderate loads up to roughly 1,000 lb per wheel in larger sizes, and handles frequent wash-downs without degrading. What it gives up: it transmits floor shock straight into the load, it can be noisy on hard floors, and it offers no floor cushioning. It's an economy moderate-duty wheel, not a heavy-duty or floor-protecting one.
Polyolefin loses strength in heat and can crack in freezing cold. Prolonged UV exposure degrades it. That rules out freezers, hot process areas, and outdoor use. Inside its lane — dry, indoor, temperature-controlled — it's the value choice. Outside it, move to polyurethane on a core, or a rubber wheel.
