The service cabinet holds 90 kilograms of supplies and has four casters. Dividing 90 by four gives 22.5 kilograms per caster, but that calculation leaves out the cabinet. It also assumes all four wheels carry equal loads throughout the move.
Before buying a mobile cabinet, give its maker the complete loaded weight and the route it will use. The useful answer is a caster specification supported for that equipment and movement. A wheel’s catalog capacity is only one part of that answer.
Include the weight staff will actually move
Blickle’s load-capacity guide identifies the equipment’s dead weight, maximum additional weight, number of supporting wheels and application safety factor as the inputs to required caster capacity. Start with the cabinet as supplied, including its top, shelves, drawers and fitted equipment. Then add the maximum contents the proposed use requires.
For this hypothetical cabinet, assume 60 kilograms of furniture and 90 kilograms of contents. The moving total is 60 + 90 = 150 kilograms.
Ask how the maker establishes the permitted load and its distribution. Supplies concentrated in one compartment need to be described as such. An average load spread over the cabinet is a different proposal from the same weight concentrated above one corner.
Include accessories that remain attached during movement. If a supplier offers a heavier top or another drawer, revise the equipment weight before comparing the casters. Keeping the same storage contents does not keep the total load unchanged.
Use the supporting-wheel count for the application
Four installed wheels do not settle the denominator. Blickle notes that individual loads can vary when four or more wheels are used. Have the furniture and caster suppliers establish the supporting count and load case for the actual base and floor conditions.
Suppose, for this example only, the maker accepts three supporting wheels and a 1.3 application factor for the intended route. The calculation becomes:
Required dynamic capacity per caster = 150 ÷ 3 × 1.3 = 65 kilograms
That differs substantially from the 22.5-kilogram contents-only calculation. The extra requirement comes from including the cabinet, using the assumed supporting count and applying the route factor.
A proposed caster below 65 kilograms would fail this particular comparison. A caster above it would still need to satisfy the remaining equipment, fitting and operating requirements. Increasing a component rating cannot establish that the cabinet’s base or attachments can carry the same load.
Give the supplier the route behind the factor
The application factor should describe a real departure from the maker’s reference conditions. Blickle’s guide considers movement speed and obstacle height relative to wheel diameter, among other conditions. It lists a factor range of 1.0–1.5 for manual indoor transport with obstacles below five percent of wheel diameter; that range is not a factor to select without reviewing the application.
Describe thresholds, floor transitions, turns and any slope on the cabinet’s normal route. Include how often it moves and where it parks. Ask the supplier to explain which proposed wheel and factor suit those conditions, rather than choosing a small wheel to fit the drawing and discovering the route problem later.
Keep wheel diameter separate from load capacity. A larger wheel may change overall cabinet height and the space it needs to turn. The offered assembly has to work at the service position as well as between rooms.
Check parked loads and attachment dimensions
Blickle distinguishes dynamic capacity for movement from static capacity for mainly stationary loads. Its static testing considers tread flattening over time. If the cabinet remains loaded and parked for long periods, ask for the relevant static information as well as its moving rating. Do not substitute one number for the other.
The fitting guide also shows why wheel diameter alone cannot identify a replacement or equivalent caster. For a top plate, the plate dimensions, bolt-hole spacing and bolt-hole diameter matter. Stem attachments have their own dimensions and retaining arrangement.
Have the cabinet maker confirm the proposed attachment and supporting construction. This comparison is for equipment supplied as a reviewed mobile assembly; adding casters to a fixed casegood requires a separate maker-supported design. Seating or equipment intended to move an occupant needs its own permitted-use review.
When the supplier’s answer arrives, compare its capacity with the accepted load case and check its fitting against the cabinet drawing. Put those specific requirements in the furniture specification, along with the applicable operating and maintenance instructions. If the proposed configuration cannot support the intended loaded move, change the load, route or assembly with the maker before choosing the cabinet. A bigger capacity number without those answers leaves the purchase unresolved.