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Heavy duty castors: which load figure to trust

Updated: 22 October 2026

You are about to buy a set of plate castors, and the title only says heavy duty. That phrase is not a rating. On amazon.co.uk the twelve sets in our [heavy duty castors comparison](/hub/lifting-equipment/heavy-duty-castors) cost £8.99 to £65.99 on 19 October 2026, and several pages print two different loads. This guide is the method: which number you can reconcile, and how UK suppliers split weight across four wheels. Products Compared read the listings and public UK sources. A qualifying amazon.co.uk purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You are about to buy a set of plate castors, and the title only says heavy duty. That phrase is not a rating.

Our top picks

DSL DSL 100 mm, four brakes

Best overall

DSL DSL 100 mm, four brakes
9.4/10about £19.96
View offer
DSL DSL 100 mm, two brakes

Best value

DSL DSL 100 mm, two brakes
9.4/10about £18.49
View offer
DSL DSL 75 mm set

Alternative

DSL DSL 75 mm set
9.2/10about £11.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.What the load line is actually saying
  2. 2.Listings whose numbers already agree
  3. 3.Pages that print two loads
  4. 4.Brake, diameter and plate
  5. 5.Which standard you are not being shown

What the load line is actually saying

A usable rating is a figure per castor, and a set figure only helps when it matches that line times four. Keystone, Ross Handling and Bulldog divide the loaded weight by three, because one wheel can lift. The one-third rule is a UK supplier rule of thumb. It is not a sentence in these amazon bullets, and it is not a clause in BS EN 12532.

Listings whose numbers already agree

The DSL 50 mm set at £8.99 says 50 kg each, and the specification says 200 kg. The DSL 75 mm set at £11.99 says 90 kg each, and the specification says 360 kg. The DSL 100 mm packs, £18.49 with two brakes and £19.96 with four, print 700 kg and no separate per-castor kilogram. Quote 700 kg. Do not invent 175 kg each.
DSL DSL 100 mm, four brakes

Testsieger

DSL DSL 100 mm, four brakes
9.4/10about £19.96
View offer

Pages that print two loads

MSH&HCE at £27.99 says up to 600 lb each, and 2400 lb or more for the set, while the specification says 150 pounds. Keep both sentences. The WEIBIDA 2 inch nylon set at £39.99 prints 2200 lb, 1E+3 kg and 250 kg. TXMXT at £29.99 states 1100 lb and has no star line.

Brake, diameter and plate

A total lock holds the wheel and the swivel. A wheel-only brake still lets the head swing. The DSL 100 mm model lines split 2 x brakes and 2 x standards against 4 x brakes. HOLKIE at £13.99 says two with brakes and two without. HSE notes that a small step typically takes about 20 percent more force with a 100 mm wheel than with a 125 mm wheel. DSL states 71 mm, 100 mm and 135 mm overall for its 50 mm, 75 mm and 100 mm wheels. The 100 mm plate is 92 mm by 63 mm. If you are about to drill, use how to fit castor wheels.

Which standard you are not being shown

None of these twelve listings names BS EN 12532, BS EN 12528 or BS EN 12530. BS EN 12532 covers industrial castors up to about 4 km/h and excludes furniture. BS EN 12528 covers furniture castors, around 10 kg to 40 kg. BS EN 12530 is the institutional standard. Heavy duty on an amazon title does not mean any of those documents has been applied.

Common questions

Do I divide the total weight by four?
No. UK suppliers such as Keystone and Ross Handling divide the equipment plus its heaviest load by three, so each of four castors is sized for about a third. Keystone's example is 50 kg of equipment and a 400 kg load, 450 kg altogether, which means about 150 kg per castor. Dividing by four assumes every wheel stays on the floor. Bulldog notes that one wheel can lift, and the load then sits on three. The rule is a supplier rule of thumb, not a line in these amazon bullets.
What is a total lock, as against a wheel brake?
A total lock holds the wheel and the swivel head, so the castor neither rolls nor swings. A wheel brake only stops the tyre turning. The head can still pivot, and a bench can yaw. In this set, two with brakes means two corners lock and two do not. The DSL 100 mm packs say either two brakes or four, at £18.49 and £19.96. Those are different model lines, even though they share a star line of 4.7 from 2,360.
Is 50 mm enough for a tool cabinet?
It can be, if the per-castor line covers about a third of the cabinet plus what you store in it, and if 71 mm of extra height still clears the skirting. The DSL 50 mm set states 50 kg each and 200 kg on the specification, at £8.99. UK reviews say two of the four lock. A steel bench you push over a threshold is a 100 mm job. HSE's step note is the reason a smaller wheel needs more force to start.
Why does one listing show 600 lb and 150 lb?
The MSH&HCE page at £27.99 prints both. The bullet says up to 600 lb each, and 2400 lb or more for the set. The specification load capacity says 150 pounds. Both lines are on the listing we compared. You should not pick the larger one because it sounds safer. If you cannot reconcile them, that set is not the one to size a bench around. The same page also says polyurethane in the bullets and metal in the material field.
Does heavy duty mean BS EN 12532?
No. None of the twelve amazon.co.uk listings in this comparison names BS EN 12532, BS EN 12528 or BS EN 12530. BS EN 12532 is the industrial castor standard up to about 4 km/h, and it excludes furniture. A title that says heavy duty is a shop label until the page names a standard or gives one load figure you can check twice. Furniture castors under BS EN 12528 sit in a much lighter published band, around 10 kg to 40 kg.

Related pages

Best heavy duty castors

Polyurethane or rubber castors

Heavy duty castors

How to fit castor wheels: holes, bolts and the pedal

Castors for a workbench: roll it, then keep it still

Sources

Public UK sources named below. amazon.co.uk prices, stars and review counts on these twelve listings were read on 19 October 2026. Page updated October 2026.

  1. HSE: push and pull risks (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  2. HSE INDG143: manual handling at work (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  3. HSE: roll cages and wheeled racks (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  4. HSE: push and pull assessment (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  5. BS EN 12532:1999, industrial castors (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  6. Keystone Castors: buying swivel castor wheels (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  7. TENTE: locking systems for castors (retrieved 19 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 19 October 2026)