Whether you need a shelving unit for your home, office, restaurant, or warehouse, wire shelving offers several benefits you should consider. The lightweight, portable construction and wire-mesh design allow you to use wire shelving for a wide variety of tasks.
The Benefits of Wire Shelving
Wire shelving comprises a series of steel wire strands welded together to form a mesh attached to steel uprights. One of the benefits of wire shelving is that it’s highly versatile, suitable for a wide variety of retail, industrial, office, and home-based applications. Wire shelving is a low-cost, low-maintenance storage system if you need extra storage capacity, but horizontal storage space is limited.
Adjustable Shelving
In adjustable wire shelving units, the uprights (steel posts) have shelf position markers, allowing you to install shelf retainers at different points to raise or lower the shelves, making them highly versatile for storing a range of goods.
Low Maintenance
While wooden shelving may need periodic sanding or repair, wire shelving is relatively low maintenance. As the wire mesh design doesn’t permit dust accumulation, you can simply wipe or hose it down to keep it clean and functional. This is ideal for retail or commercial settings.
Increased Durability
Compared with wooden shelving, which can warp, rot, or crack in high-humidity environments, wire shelving is resistant to the elements. Chrome-plated, galvanized, or stainless-steel construction ensures that the risk of corrosion is minimized. Furthermore, wire shelving can more effectively resist impacts that would damage a wooden shelving unit.
Mobility
Wire shelving is comparatively lightweight and easy to move. Depending on your business, fluctuating warehouse or office conditions may require that you relocate wire-shelving systems constantly. The inclusion of lockable casters can help you maneuver shelving where you need it.
Food Storage
Planning on installing shelving in your kitchen or restaurant? One of your priorities in storing food is adherence to food safety practices. Unlike wood, wire shelving doesn’t absorb moisture or bacteria. It promotes optimal air circulation through all shelving layers, which is ideal for cold storage, reducing condensation, and keeping food fresh longer. Wire shelving also makes it harder for pests to hide behind the contents.
Bin Storage
You can use a lightweight wire shelving system on casters to transport storage bins or wire baskets in a warehouse. This can be useful for batch picking and transporting picked goods. Wire shelving in combination with bins is also useful for storing and transporting small parts in quantity.
Access and Visibility
The wire mesh design increases light penetration and product visibility. Product visibility is essential for both order pickers in a warehouse and the identification of products by customers. As wire shelving is typically open from all four sides, you can also identify and retrieve the items you need when you need them.
Fire Safety
In addition to promoting visibility and airflow, the wire mesh design also improves fire safety. In the event of a warehouse fire, overhead sprinkler systems have greater access to all shelving layers, extinguishing nascent fires before they spread, as the water can disperse more evenly.
This can significantly improve the ability of fire suppression systems to save merchandise and warehousing or retail environments.
Weight Limitations
Before ordering a shelving system, regardless of whether it’s for a home or a business, you should determine what your weight requirements are. A wire-shelving system may be able to support between 600 and 800 lbs., but you should always check the manufacturer’s recommended load capacity. Don’t exceed the weight limits of a shelving system, regardless of whether it’s a wire shelf or a pallet rack.
Wall-Mounted
Wall-mounted wire shelving can add a sleek and stylish flair to your living room, kitchen, closet, or bathroom. When floor space is at a premium, these shelving units allow you to take advantage of unused space. You can use wire shelving to store towels, hair care products, and other essentials in the bathroom, confident that the humidity won’t affect it.
In your closet, wire shelving offers a durable and dust-free option for clothing.
Wire shelving is a more hygienic option for storing laundry detergent and other cleaning products that may stain a wooden shelf.
Whether it’s mounted on a wall or freestanding in your garage, you can also use wire shelving to store books, magazines, and other paper products. Wooden shelves, in contrast, can release acidic gases over time and absorb moisture.
Contact Us for All Your Shelving Needs
At Shelving + Rack Systems, Inc., we take all shelving seriously. That includes wire shelving, which can offer a cost-effective, portable, low-maintenance, and versatile storage solution for a variety of applications.
As wire shelving is adjustable and compatible with a wide variety of accessories, you can adapt it to your home, office, or warehouse. Call us at (800) 589-7225, and we’ll help you find the ideal wire shelving system to suit your needs.
