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Caster Tread Width Selector

Choose a tread width from the load, the floor's pressure limit, and how easily the cart must roll, then see the ground pressure the chosen width actually produces.

Tread width sets how the load meets the floor. Enter the load per wheel, the floor’s allowable pressure, the contact length, and how easily the cart must roll, and the calculator returns a tread width and the average ground pressure it produces.

Wider tread lowers the pressure on the floor and can make a cart easier to push, which is why it is the usual answer to a floor complaint. The patch is modelled as a rectangle, so the true peak pressure is somewhat higher than the average reported, and rolling resistance is only handled through the priority factor rather than a proper model.

Inputs

Load, floor, and contact patch

Range: 10–40,000 lb force

Range: 20–5,000 psi

The pressure the floor can take without marking or crushing. Sealed concrete is often quoted around 2,000 to 3,000 psi; epoxy and resin coatings far lower; raised access floors lowest.

Range: 0.1–2 in

How long the flattened contact patch is along the rolling direction. Harder treads and smaller wheels give a shorter patch.

Result

Ground pressure at that width (psi)
762
Suggested tread width (in)
3.000
Pressure check
Even the widest standard tread here is over the floor limit. Reduce the per-wheel load, add casters, or use a larger wheel to grow the contact patch.

What to check

  • Use the load one wheel carries, not the equipment weight.
  • Compare the average pressure with the floor's published limit and allow for the higher peak.
  • Check the rolling-effort effect separately if the cart is pushed by people.

Related calculators

The contact patch is modelled as a rectangle of width times length, so the average pressure shown is lower than the real peak at the centre of the patch. A static or slowly rolling load is assumed, and a wheel crossing a joint concentrates pressure on a smaller patch. Tread width affects rolling resistance as well as pressure, but only through the priority factor; use the push force tool for effort.