What dynamic sitting means for your floor
Regular movement is good and important for healthy, relaxed sitting. Especially if you focus on dynamic sitting, you will be rolling around your workstation a lot in your office chair . This puts strain not only on your chair, but above all on the floor as well. Your body weight is usually transferred to the floor through 5 points, the castors, and this concentrated pressure quickly causes scratches and other signs of wear. Choosing the right office chair castors is therefore essential to prevent unsightly scratches and minimise abrasion. Such signs of wear cannot be completely avoided over the years. However, by using the right castors, they can definitely be significantly reduced. We explain what counts as “intended use” and what does not in our article on damage caused by chair castors.
Which office chair castors for which floor?
In principle, a distinction is made between soft and hard floors. For hard floors you need “hard floor castors”, while for soft floors you need “soft floor castors”. To help you find your way more easily, we have created a table for you:
| Floor type | Hard floor castor | Soft floor castor |
| Vinyl flooring / PVC | ✓ | ✗ |
| Wood/parquet | ✓ | ✗ |
| Laminate | ✓ | ✗ |
| Tiles | ✓ | ✗ |
| Stone floor | ✓ | ✗ |
| Carpet | ✗ | ✓ |
| Fitted carpet | ✗ | ✓ |
| Felt | ✗ | ✓ |
| Linoleum | ✗ | ✓ |
| Cork |
✗ |
✓ |
Hard floor castors, sometimes also called parquet castors or soft castors, are characterised by their soft rubberised surface. They are particularly soft and therefore ideal for hard floors. Typical hard floors include wooden parquet, laminate, tiles, vinyl flooring (PVC) and similar rigid surfaces. The soft rubber coating on the castors helps prevent scratches, reduces abrasion and ensures whisper-quiet rolling.
Soft-floor castors, sometimes also called carpet castors or hard castors, have a consistently firm surface. They are used on particularly soft floors. The classic example is any type of carpet or other fitted flooring, but these castors are also well suited to linoleum and cork flooring. Where hard-floor castors would struggle to get moving properly, soft-floor castors provide enough stability to keep you rolling.
Which castors does my office chair have?
Pretty much all office chairs are supplied with soft-floor castors as standard. The two types of castor are easy to tell apart visually. Soft-floor castors are a single colour, in accordance with DIN standard EN 12527.
Hard-floor castors, on the other hand, are made in two colours.
| Example hard-floor castor | Example soft-floor castor |
 |
 |
There are also castor models made entirely of rubber. These are easy to recognise by their shine and are classed as hard-floor castors. Another way to determine the type of castor is the “fingernail test”. Try pressing your fingernail lightly into the tread of the castor. If the surface gives way, it is a hard-floor castor. Be sure to use the correct castors to protect your floors and keep them in good condition for as long as possible.
Universal castors – the cure-all?
There are some “universal castors” on the market, but they are not as universal as the name suggests. They are neither particularly hard nor particularly soft, which is supposed to make them suitable for many floors. However, our experience shows that they are too hard for especially sensitive or yielding floors such as parquet and vinyl. On deep-pile carpet, on the other hand, they do not roll properly. Only tiles, stone and low-pile carpet are really suitable for this type of castor. They are only practical if the office chair frequently moves back and forth between these materials. If your office chair stays in one place, we always recommend using hard-floor or soft-floor castors matched to the flooring.
Heavy-duty castors for demanding tasks
Even the very cheapest plastic castors can generally support a load of 20 kg per castor. With five legs, that adds up to 100 kg, although the weight of the chair itself must be included. If you are a little heavier or your sheepdog likes to make itself comfortable on your lap, you should use castors with a suitable load limit. Please refer to the weight specifications in the product description.
Replacing chair castors – pay attention to the pin size
When buying, make sure you choose the correct size of mounting pins so that you can fit your castors properly. The two standard diameters, 10 mm and 11 mm, cannot be distinguished from each other with the naked eye, even in a direct comparison. In some cases, a 10 mm thread (M10) is also used. The pin length also needs to be taken into account. So before buying, take a look at your user manual or ask your retailer. If you bought your office chair from us or spot your swivel chair in our range, we will of course be happy to help.
Calliper gauge – how to determine the correct pin size
As the two standard diameters differ by just one millimetre, it is very important to measure them accurately, otherwise the castors will not be compatible with the base. Even if the difference is barely visible, it is crucial for a proper fit. To make sure you choose the right office chair castors, first pull the existing castor out of the base. Then use a calliper gauge to determine the pin diameter. A standard vernier calliper is particularly suitable for this. It can easily be purchased online. Using a vernier calliper helps avoid incorrect purchases. Measure the diameter in the middle of the pin to find the right castor for your office chair.
Replacing desk chair castors
Once you have decided on new castors, our related article including a video will show you how to replace the castors on your office chair quickly and easily.
Floor protection mats for extra protection
If you want to protect your valuable parquet floor in the office or home office from wear and tear, we have a great idea for you: simply use one of our durable floor protection mats.
This way, only the mat will wear out, while your beautiful floor stays safe and protected. You should definitely use hard floor castors on this type of protective mat. As well as parquet floors, offices with carpeted floors can also be protected perfectly against annoying coffee stains or wheel marks.
Workplace safety – only with the right castors
If you use the right chair castors, you can rely on your office chair leave anything to chance. This reduces your risk of accidents, which could occur, for example, if you use soft floor casters on vinyl. In that case, the office chair could roll away far too easily and quickly, which could quickly lead to an accidental fall when sitting down. We would therefore definitely recommend choosing the right office chair casters .
Office chairs with braked casters provide additional safety. Their brakes lock the wheels when the chair is not under load, preventing it from rolling away accidentally. As soon as you sit down, your weight releases the casters again and you can roll around as usual.
For ESD workshops – protection against static discharge
If you work with electronic devices and need to take static charge into account, be sure to think about your chair casters here as well. We offer special ESD chair casters precisely for this purpose. They are conductive and, provided you have suitable flooring, allow grounded working. This helps prevent static discharge on sensitive devices.
5x ROLO ESD 10mm/50mm hard floors - chair casters black
Black marks on the floor – because of underfloor heating?
We can reassure you: your underfloor heating is not the reason for black marks on the floor. You are very likely using soft floor casters on parquet or another hard floor. If that is the case, the chair caster is wearing down due to mechanical stress, which can lead to those unsightly marks. The heat from the underfloor heating has nothing to do with it. In this case, we recommend switching to hard floor casters. If you want to protect your floor as effectively as possible, we also recommend using a floor protection mat.
Want to know more?
In our guide, you will find more interesting content all about the broad topic of sitting. Of course, we are also happy to help and advise you by phone, by email or in the online chat. We are here for you and look forward to hearing from you!