Tyre Guide
How to Choose the Right Forklift Tyre
Solid, press-on, or pneumatic? The right tyre keeps your forklift safe, stable, and productive — the wrong one means downtime. This guide covers how to choose, by environment, load, and surface.
The Basics
Three Forklift Tyre Types
Almost every forklift tyre falls into one of three families. Knowing the difference is the first step to choosing well.
Solid / Press-On
Puncture-proof rubber pressed onto the wheel. The workhorse for indoor warehouses and hard floors — no flats, low maintenance, long service life.
Best for: Smooth indoor floors, electric forklifts
Solid Resilient
Solid rubber moulded to a pneumatic shape and mounted on a rim. Puncture-proof, with more grip and cushioning for yards and mixed surfaces.
Best for: Yards, mixed indoor/outdoor, debris
Pneumatic (Air / Foam-Filled)
Air-filled, or foam-filled for puncture resistance. Best shock absorption and traction on uneven outdoor ground, though air versions can puncture.
Best for: Rough outdoor terrain, construction
Decision Guide
How to Choose
Four questions narrow it down fast.
1. Where does it operate?
Indoors on smooth concrete points to press-on solids. Outdoors or mixed sites point to resilient solids or pneumatics.
2. What's the surface like?
Clean and flat suits solid tyres. Rough, uneven, or debris-strewn surfaces suit resilient solids (puncture-proof) or pneumatics for cushioning.
3. How heavy are the loads?
Heavier loads and long shifts favour solid tyres for stability and durability. Match the tyre's load rating to your heaviest routine lift.
4. Does floor marking matter?
Food, pharma, retail, and showroom floors call for a non-marking compound. General industrial sites can use standard black tyres more economically.
Sizing
Reading Tyre Sizes
Forklift tyre sizes are printed on the sidewall and on the forklift's data plate. Two common formats you'll see:
- Press-on: three numbers such as 18x7x12 1/8 — outer diameter × width × rim diameter.
- Pneumatic: a format such as 7.00-12 — section width and rim diameter, often with a ply rating.
Not sure which you have? Send us your forklift make, model, and a photo of the tyre sidewall — we'll identify the exact size and recommend options.
Maintenance
Signs It's Time to Replace
- ✓Tread worn down to the wear-indicator line
- ✓Chunking, cracking, or missing pieces of rubber
- ✓Flat spots from braking or standing under load
- ✓Operator reports vibration or reduced stability
- ✓Exposed base, cushion, or visible metal band
- ✓Reduced ride height affecting lift performance
Worn tyres are a safety hazard — replace them promptly to protect operators, loads, and the truck.
Why Aexus
Brands We Stock & On-Site Fitting
We supply solid and press-on tyres from Phoenix, PIO, Tantor, Ultraload — fitted at your premises across Singapore so your forklift is back to work fast.
Common Questions
Tyre Selection FAQ
It depends on your environment. Solid (press-on or resilient) tyres are puncture-proof and ideal for indoor warehouses, yards, and sites with debris. Pneumatic (air or foam-filled) tyres give better cushioning on rough outdoor terrain. If downtime from flats is a concern, solid tyres are usually the safer choice.
Non-marking tyres use a compound that doesn't leave black scuffs on the floor. They're worth it for clean environments — food, pharma, retail, and showrooms — where floor appearance and hygiene matter. For general industrial use, standard black tyres are more cost-effective.
Check the sidewall of your current tyre or the forklift's data plate. Sizes are printed as a set of numbers — for example a press-on size like 18x7x12 1/8, or a pneumatic size like 7.00-12. If you're unsure, send us your forklift make, model, and a photo of the tyre and we'll identify the correct size.
There's no fixed interval — it depends on hours, load, and surface. Replace tyres when the wear-indicator line is reached, when you see chunking, flat spots, or an exposed base, or when the operator notices vibration or reduced stability. Worn tyres are a safety risk and should be changed promptly.
Yes. Aexus provides on-site tyre fitting across Singapore, so you don't have to transport units to a workshop — minimising downtime for your fleet.
Still Not Sure Which Tyre?
Send us your forklift model and operating environment — we'll recommend the right tyre and fit it on-site.