Metric Casters

“Metric applications are bigger than you think.” This is a line that was spoken in a conversation at The Caster Guy office recently and it is a statement which is absolutely true. Metric caster applications are bigger than you think. Now by bigger, I am referring to the quantity of metric caster applications in the market rather than the actual size of the caster in the application… although metric casters are manufactured in sizes that are just as large in size as the heavy duty American standard caster applications we are used to here in the USA.

The tricky thing with metric caster applications is exactly that… they are metric. Metric measurements can be very close to American standard measurements but are never exact and are always off just slightly which causes for much confusion when trying to size up your measurements for a replacement. The big issues come when you are trying to convert the mounting style of your caster from American standard to metric or vice versa. Switching these areas of your application will usually require that you re-drill the mounting holes for your unit or reconfigure the mounting style all together. We recommend calling an expert (one of our experienced sales reps) for their assistance.

The area where there may be room for compromise is on the wheel size of the caster. Unless you need your casters overall height to be exactly the same, using a metric sized wheel vs. an American standard sized wheel should not create any issues for you. To help with your conversions, a common list of American standard caster sizes are converted into their metric equivalents below.