While looking at caster wheels, you may come across the term “Durometer” and an associated number and letter. What do they mean?
Well, here’s the skinny: Durometer is both a measurement and a tool for measuring.
“But what exactly is a durometer measuring?” You wonder.
Well, it measures the hardness of an item.
There are many durometer scales represented by a letter (in the caster and wheel industry we use Shore A and Shore D) ranging in numerical value from 0-100. The higher the number, the harder the item is. For instance, a rubber band has a durometer of 25 A. Skateboard wheels (or many of the polyurethane wheels we sell) might be between 85-95 A. This doesn’t mean that they are extremely hard, just that they are one of the hardest materials the Shore A scale can measure.
The durometer of a wheel can help the user figure out how the wheel will react to its environment and the floor it is on.
What happens when an item is harder than the Shore A Scale can measure? We move on to the Shore D scale. Any of our harder wheels, such as a phenolic resin wheel, will be measured on the D scale. A phenolic resin wheel has a durometer of 90 D. Another example of an item on the D scale would be a hard hat, which has a durometer of around 75 D.
Still have questions? Give us a call at 1-800-215-8220.