A non-marking PU drive wheel is a polyurethane drive wheel made without carbon black or dark pigment, so it does not leave black streaks or colored transfer on epoxy, painted, or coated floors. For operators running AGVs and AMRs across food plants, pharmaceutical warehouses, retail distribution centers, and clean showrooms, that single material choice is what keeps the floor looking new between repaints.
Why Ordinary Wheels Mark the Floor
Most standard polyurethane treads are black because carbon black is added as a filler and UV stabilizer. Under load and friction, fine particles of that black compound abrade onto the floor, and the pigment itself can transfer on warm or coated surfaces. The mark is permanent on epoxy and polyurethane topcoats — you cannot mop it off. In a facility audited for hygiene or appearance, those scuffs read as contamination or poor housekeeping.
Non-marking wheels solve this at the compound level: the carbon black is removed and replaced with light-colored, stable fillers. The tread stays light grey, white, or natural tan, and any debris it sheds is nearly invisible.
What 'Non-Marking' Actually Means in Spec
Non-marking is a performance claim, not a single number, but we validate it against floor-transfer and abrasion tests on the coated sample the customer uses. The table below shows the typical specification window for our cast PU non-marking drive wheels.
Parameter | Typical value (non-marking cast PU) |
Polymer base | MDI/TDI cast PU, carbon-black-free, light/natural color |
Hardness | 80–95 Shore A |
Color | Natural / light grey / white (pigment-free) |
Tensile strength | 25–45 MPa |
Tear strength | 50–90 N/mm |
Rebound resilience | 35–55% |
Abrasion loss (DIN 53516) | 60–110 mm³ |
Operating temperature | -20 °C to +70 °C |
Load class | Medium (size with diameter & width) |
Floor compatibility | Epoxy, PU coating, painted, tile — no visible mark at rated load |
*Note: figures are typical ranges. Confirm exact values against the KUNFENG datasheet for your wheel diameter and duty cycle.
Three Things That Decide Whether a Wheel Really Is Non-Marking
No carbon black in the tread compound — this is the root cause of black marks; its absence is non-negotiable.
Controlled hardness — too soft and the tread deforms and smears; too hard and it abrades the coating. 85–92 Shore A is the usual sweet spot for indoor AGV floors.
Clean release from the floor — a low-surface-energy tread that does not cold-weld to fresh paint or soft topcoats under sustained load.
Where Non-Marking Drive Wheels Earn Their Cost
Food & pharmaceutical warehouses where floor audit trails matter.
Retail and e-commerce DCs with painted line markings that must stay readable.
Cleanrooms and labs where any debris is a contamination event.
Showrooms and OEM lines where appearance is part of the product.
KUNFENG Non-Marking Drive Wheel Range
We supply non-marking PU drive wheels as a dedicated product line, plus general polyurethane drive wheels that can be ordered in a non-marking compound.
Non-marking polyurethane wheel coating (dedicated product) https://www.agv-wheels.com/agv-drive-wheel/agv-non-marking-polyurethane-wheel-coating.html
Polyurethane drive wheel for AGV robots (can be specified non-marking) https://www.agv-wheels.com/agv-drive-wheel/polyurethane-drive-wheel-for-agv-robots.html
All AGV drive wheels https://www.agv-wheels.com/agv-drive-wheel
Full AGV wheel catalog https://www.agv-wheels.com/products
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What makes a PU wheel non-marking?
A: The tread compound contains no carbon black or dark pigment, so it cannot shed black particles or transfer color onto floors.
Q: Do non-marking wheels wear out faster?
A: Not meaningfully. Abrasion resistance comes from the PU grade, not the pigment. A well-formulated non-marking tread matches standard PU in service life.
Q: Can they carry heavy AGV loads?
A: Yes within the medium load class. For heavy payloads, size the wheel diameter and width correctly and confirm the load rating on the datasheet.
Q: Will they still mark a hot or freshly painted floor?
A: On warm or uncured coatings, any wheel can leave an impression. KUNFENG validates non-marking performance on the customer's actual floor sample before release.
Q: Are non-marking and anti-static the same thing?
A: No. Non-marking controls floor stains; anti-static controls electrostatic discharge. KUNFENG can combine both in one tread when the application needs it.
Contact us
If your AGVs are leaving scuff marks on a clean or coated floor, send us your floor type, wheel diameter, and payload. We will recommend a non-marking compound and supply a floor-transfer test on your sample.
Request a quote / technical datasheet: https://www.agv-wheels.com/contact
Browse the AGV wheel catalog: https://www.agv-wheels.com/products
