What is a cash and carry trolley? Stock trolleys and roll cages: the UK buying guide

What is a cash and carry trolley?

A cash and carry trolley is a steel trolley with a deep basket or framed deck, built for wheeling full cases and long boxes round a wholesaler, cash and carry, stockroom or warehouse. UK suppliers also call it a stock trolley. It is heavier built than a shopping trolley, with a lower centre of gravity and larger castors.

The buyer is a business: a cash and carry, a wholesaler, an independent retailer, a food distributor or a warehouse. The trolley is used by customers collecting full cases, and by staff filling shelves and picking orders.

Three things decide which model you need:

• Aisle width in mm. Measure your tightest aisle and compare it with the overall width of the trolley.
• Load. Add up the heaviest single load you move in one go and choose a trolley rated above it. We publish a rated load only once our factory partner confirms it in writing.
• Castors. Size in mm and material decide how the trolley rolls, how loud it is and whether it marks the floor.

Our range covers this family: order picking trolleys and stock trolleys, warehouse and platform trolleys, shopping trolleys and roll cages and roll containers.

Stock trolley, picking trolley, platform trolley, flatbed trolley: which UK name means what?

Most of these names describe the same two or three products. The table sorts them out and links the range we supply.

A platform trolley is used for moving boxes, equipment and bulky loads across flat floors. A cash and carry trolley adds a frame, often a basket, so that stacked cases stay put when the trolley turns. If you mainly move loose boxes on a flat floor, a platform trolley is the simpler choice; if you move cases round aisles with customers, choose a cash and carry trolley.

What is a roll cage? Roll cage vs roll container vs roll pallet vs cage trolley

A roll cage is a steel mesh cage on four castors used to move goods between delivery vehicle, stockroom and shop floor. Roll cage, roll container, roll pallet and cage trolley are four UK names for the same product.

Roll containers are used for moving goods from vehicle to stockroom to shelf, parcel sorting, laundry and returns, in retail, food distribution, logistics and hospitality. Our zinc plated roll cage runs on 125 mm (5 inch) polyurethane (TPU) castors; see all our roll cages and roll containers. Note that on its own the phrase roll cage also means a motorsport safety frame, so search for roll cage trolley or roll container when comparing suppliers.

2 sided, 3 sided or 4 sided roll cage: which do I need? Nestable vs demountable

Choose by how the cage is loaded and what it carries.

• 2 sided: two open sides, for oversized items loaded from either side.
• 3 sided: open front, for supermarket and stockroom restocking where staff pick straight from the cage.
• 4 sided roll cage trolley: closed all round, for secure transit of small or high-value goods. Full security versions add a lockable door and roof.

A nestable roll cage (A-frame) slots into the next one when empty, like shopping trolleys, which saves space fast on return legs. Demountable cages have sides that lift off and stack flat, which packs flattest for storage but takes longer to strip and rebuild. Many cages take optional drop-in or folding shelves so smaller items can be split across levels.

Our roll cages and roll containers come in 2 and 4 sided, nestable and foldable versions, and your written quote confirms the options for the model you choose.

How much weight does a trolley need to carry? Choosing a rated load in kg

Add up the heaviest single load you move in one go, then choose a trolley rated above it. A rated load is the total the frame and castors carry safely on a level floor; it is not a target to fill every time.

If you are searching for a trolley for moving heavy items, a trolley for carrying goods or a trolley to carry boxes, the rated load is the figure to compare first.

1. Weigh a full load of your heaviest line, for example a stack of cases of tinned goods or drinks. A platform scale in the goods-in area makes this quick.
2. Add the weight of anything that rides on top, such as a rear basket load.
3. Choose the rating above that figure. A margin protects castors on thresholds and ramps, where the load spikes.

As a rule of thumb from UK catalogues, lighter ratings suit retail shelf filling and heavier ratings suit cash and carry and warehouse use. We publish the rated load for each of our models only once our factory partner confirms it in writing; until then it is confirmed with your quote. Overloading a trolley wears castors early and is the most common reason a fleet is replaced.

What size trolley fits your aisles? Narrow aisle 640 mm vs full width 720 mm

Measure your tightest aisle at floor level, between the lowest shelf edges, then subtract a passing margin for a second trolley or a customer. That is the widest trolley you can run.

A narrow aisle trolley about 640 mm wide overall suits tight cash and carry aisles. A full width trolley about 720 mm wide carries more cases and long boxes where the aisles allow it. Your written quote confirms the overall size of the model you choose.

Length matters at the end of a bay. A long trolley needs more room to swing round a corner than a short one, so in a tight store a long trolley works best where aisles open onto a wide cross aisle. A pivoting centre wheel solves much of this, as the next section explains.

Why do 5 wheel and 6 wheel stock trolleys turn on the spot?

A pivoting centre wheel lets a long trolley turn on the spot instead of swinging wide. The trolley rocks slightly onto the centre wheel and the ends lift, so it spins about its middle. That is why 5 wheel and 6 wheel stock trolleys, also sold as fifth wheel trolleys or rocking trolleys, suit narrow cash and carry aisles.

Our stock and picking trolleys and warehouse and platform trolleys include four and five wheel models, and your written quote confirms the wheel layout and castor sizes of the model you choose.

If your aisles are wide and your trolleys short, four castors are enough. If your trolleys are long or your aisles tight, the centre wheel saves floor space and reduces knocks to racking.

Cash and carry trolley wheels and roll cage wheels: 125 mm (5 inch) TPR vs TPU, fixed vs swivel, and how to measure a trolley wheel

Most stock trolleys and roll cages run on two fixed and two swivel castors of 100 to 125 mm (4 to 5 inch), tyred in rubber or polyurethane. Bigger castors roll over thresholds and rough concrete more easily. Trolley wheels of 5 inch (125 mm) are the standard trolley wheel size for heavy duty trolley wheels in the UK and the size fitted to most stock trolleys and roll cages.

Rubber (TPR) or polyurethane (TPU)

Rubber (TPR) castors are quieter and grip rough or wet floors, so they suit loading bays and older concrete. Polyurethane (TPU) castors wear more slowly on smooth concrete and polished retail floors and are the usual choice where floor marks matter.

Fixed or swivel

Fixed castors track straight and take the load on ramps. Swivel castors steer. Two of each is the normal layout; a pivoting centre wheel is added on 5 and 6 wheel trolleys.

How to measure a trolley wheel

1. Wheel diameter: measure across the tyre from edge to edge through the centre. 125 mm is 5 inch; 100 mm is 4 inch.
2. Tread width: measure across the face of the tyre.
3. Fitting: a plate castor has a square or rectangular top plate with four bolt holes; measure the plate and the hole centres. A bolt hole castor has one central stem; measure the bolt diameter.
4. Note whether it is fixed or swivel and whether it has a brake.

Worn castors are the usual reason a trolley fleet is replaced early. Ask for replacement castor sets when you order; we confirm availability with your quote.

Zinc plated vs powder coated: what each finish does and why some trolleys have both

Zinc plating is the corrosion barrier: a thin layer of zinc bonded to the steel so that scratches and damp do not turn to rust. Powder coating is a coloured, scratch-resistant finish baked on top, which is why most UK cash and carry trolleys are blue or red.

Some trolleys have both. The zinc stops rust; the powder coat adds colour, protects the zinc from scuffs and makes the fleet easy to identify. Your written quote confirms the finish of the model you choose and any colour options.

Bright zinc plated means a shiny silver finish; galvanised is a thicker hot-dip zinc coat used on outdoor steelwork rather than on trolleys.

Can trolleys and roll cages be used outdoors?

Yes, for short spells. Zinc plated steel resists rust for yard and loading bay use, and rubber (TPR) castors grip wet ground. They should not be stored outside long term: standing water, road salt and sunlight shorten the life of castors, plating and any powder coat.

If cages live on a loading bay, choose polyurethane castors for the smooth floor inside and keep a routine of drying and checking castors. Store cages under cover when the site is closed.

Safe use: what the HSE says about roll cages and pushing loads

The Health and Safety Executive publishes guidance on roll cages and wheeled racks, and a Risk Assessment of Pushing and Pulling tool (the RAPP tool, leaflet INDG478) for loads moved on wheels. The employer risk-assesses each use and trains staff; no licence is needed to use a trolley or roll cage.

What the guidance asks you to look at:

• Slopes and ramps: loaded cages run away downhill and are hard to hold on a tail-lift.
• Floor surface: thresholds, drains, loose gravel and wet floors stop castors dead.
• Visibility: load below eye level so the operator can see where they are going.
• Loading: heavy items low and evenly spread, and never above the rated load.
• Castors: check for wear, flat spots and seized swivels, and replace in sets.

Search hse.gov.uk for roll cages and for INDG478 to read the guidance in full. A stock trolley with a pivoting centre wheel turns on the spot, which cuts the pushing and pulling effort in narrow aisles.

New vs used trolleys and roll cages: what to check before buying used

Buy new if you want a matching fleet, fresh castors, a known rated load and paperwork for your risk assessment. Used trolleys and roll cages from auction sites cost less up front but often arrive with worn castors, bent frames and no paperwork, and mixed sizes do not nest.

If you do look at used, check:

• Sizes match across the batch, or the trolleys will not nest and the fleet takes twice the floor space.
• Castor wear: flat spots, split tyres, seized swivels. Castor sets are the main cost of refurbishing.
• Frame damage: bent uprights, cracked welds, missing basket bars.
• Rated load and origin: no plate or paperwork means no known rating for your risk assessment.
• Delivery: used lots are usually collection only, so add the van and the hours.

London Pallet Trucks sells new trolleys and roll cages only, made to order at our factory partners and quoted at prices ex VAT. We do not sell used.

How many trolleys fit in a van or on a pallet?

It depends on the nested pitch, which is the distance one trolley adds to a row when it is nested into the one in front. Nested pitch is measured, not calculated, and we publish it for each model only once our factory partner confirms the figure.

Until then we do not estimate van or pallet counts. Send your van size or your order quantity by email with the model code and we will confirm the packed dimensions and the number of pallets with your quote, so the delivery charge is known before you pay.

Prices and delivery

Every trolley and roll cage is sold new, factory-direct, to business customers at prices ex VAT. Prices are quoted by email: send the model code and the quantity.

Made to order at our factory partners and delivered to your UK site. Lead time and payment terms are confirmed on your written quote.

Any quantity is welcome, and your price depends on the quantity. Delivery is anywhere in the UK, with the cost on your quote. UK limited companies and LLPs can contact us for trade credit, subject to checks. We do not hire. We do not sell used. We are not a cash and carry.

Start with our order picking trolleys and stock trolleys, warehouse and platform trolleys and roll cages, or email us at sales@londonpallettrucks.co.uk.