Group of people skates inline

Keep on rolling

Millions of sports enthusiasts have them in their homes and use them regularly in their spare time – we’re talking about inline skates.
These provide enjoyment for leisure skaters on a gentle skate through parks or along river banks, a rush for speed skaters as they race at a faster pace, or the chance to perfect the tricks and jumps of aggressive inline skating in skate parks. It’s amazing what the little wheels have to withstand – jumping, braking, fast changes in direction – and despite all that, they still need to have a long service life!

What are the most important features of the wheels? 

These days, almost all inline skate wheels are made from polyurethane. This is a plastic that is pretty hard and can be used to replace rubber or even metal. LANXESS produces polyurethanes under the brand names Adiprene® and Vibrathane®

The polyurethane wheels for inline skates should

  • be abrasion-resistant,
  • have a low rolling resistance
  • and a low heat build-up

“Our family of castable specialist elastomers offers skaters a particularly comfortable ride and good grip. The wheels are very abrasion-resistant, and exhibit low rolling resistance and low heat buildup. This gives them an especially long service life. The material is therefore extremely versatile and meets consumer demand for innovative, comfortable and attractive skate wheels.”

Michael Timm,
Head of Marketing and Development, BU Urethane

Which wheel for which Inline Skater?

The elastomers for inline skates are produced in a variety of hardness grades and wheel sizes. The larger the wheel, the faster you can go, so speed skaters use really big wheels. The tricks in inline skating, on the other hand, require small wheels, as these are much more maneuverable, sturdier and easier to control.

In addition to the size of the wheels, the hardness of the plastic is also vital. The harder the wheels, the faster they are and the longer it takes for them to wear down. Soft wheels, on the other hand, are much slower, but easier for beginners to control.

To meet the various technical requirements, LANXESS offers the wheel producers the chance to jointly develop and customize suitable elastomer formulations in the technical service center. This ensures that inline skaters always have the correct material to meet their requirements.

Thanks to their diverse range of hardness, polyurethanes are highly versatile and are used for more than just leisure sports. In fact, hot-cast polyurethanes are so stable they are even used for the cores of roller-coaster wheels. They can withstand enormous loads and speeds without losing their shape or becoming overheated, thus making sure thrill-seekers enjoy a fun ride in safety.

The endurance test on a set of rollers made with polyurethane from LANXESS

With these rollers, there is no end in sight.

Further Information

Explore our company and products

X-PERIENCE
Marina Barthel in the control room of the hydrofluoric acid plant at Chempark in Leverkusen.

How AI is revolutionizing maintenance at LANXESS

April 23, 2025
X-PLAIN
Young woman mother applying insect repellent to her two son before forest hike beautiful summer day or evening. Protecting children from biting insects at summer. Active leisure with kids,

Saltidin - Safely through the summer

April 07, 2025
X-PERIENCE
Sampling in the chlorination plant

Occupational safety at LANXESS: It's about the people 

March 28, 2025
X-FACT
LANXESS Annual Press Conference for Fiscal Year 2021

Result in 2024 improved substantially

March 20, 2025
X-FACT

Everyone benefits from women’s rights

March 07, 2025