How to measure a solid wheel

Step 1 - Overall Diameter

First up we’re going to measure the height or diameter of our solid wheel. You can either: 

• lay it flat and run the tape measure across the distance of the wheel, or
• You can stand the wheel upright and take the measurement from your bench to the top of the wheel.

Getting this measurement is critical. It ensures the wheel being replaced is the same height so your application remains operating at the right level and isn’t uneven - which can lead to issues. 

Step 2 - Internal Bore Diameter

Next thing is to get the internal diameter of the bore or the bearing. A handy way of doing this is to use callipers, pulling them nice and tight and taking the reading. 

This ensures the replacement wheel fits straight and clean onto your existing shaft or bolt.

Step 3 - Hub Width

The next important measurement is to get the hub width. That’s the measurement from the outside of one side of the wheel, through the hub, to the otherside. 

The easiest way to do this is to use callipers with a measuring pin. Simply put this through the hub, keeping the end of the pin flush with the other side. Then take your reading.

Using a pen instead

If you don’t have callipers, another way of doing this is using a pen through the hub instead - again ensuring it’s flush with the other side. Pinch it flush on the front and then use your tape measure to take the reading off the pen itself (not changing your grip.

Having the hub width accurate helps to ensure that the replacement wheel fits cleanly - not just into your existing castor frame but also that the axle doesn’t get lost inside the wheel, nor will it be too long and create ‘slop’ moving side to side.

Step 4 - Check for a Spacer

With a solid replacement wheel you might have an existing wheel that has a spacer to reduce the bolt down to fit the fork or application. 

You need to get a measurement of the spacer as well as it contributes to your bore size. 

Step 5 - Measure the spacer

Get an idea of the internal bore of the spacer by using your callipers on the opening and extending to the edges:

Then, you’ll want to get an idea of the width of the spacer which essentially represents the hub width:

These measurements will allow us to accurately provide a wheel that will fit on your application.  

Step 6 - Tread Width

Another thing to consider is the tread width - this is the footprint of the wheel where it rolls/touches the ground. It’s not always essential, but sometimes tread width can come into play depending on your use case or application. 

To measure your tread width, simply take your callipers and extend the jaws across the width of the tread.

Step 7 - Understand Weight requirements

When you’re getting a replacement wheel, it’s really important to know the weight requirement and workload of your application. We’d want to know whether the old wheel has failed before. Our extensive range has solutions for every need and weight capacity. If you’re not too sure about what sort of weight capacity your combined wheels will need to handle, get in touch with our team.