Choosing the right type of industrial shelving is fundamental to creating an organized, productive, and efficient warehouse. Shelving helps warehouse managers use storage space efficiently, making it easier for operators to see, pick, and load inventory. High-quality warehouse equipment also improves facility safety, providing a stable and secure place to store goods.
How to Choose the Right Type of Metal Shelving
A significant challenge warehouse management faces is understanding what type of industrial shelving systems best fit their storage needs. Depending on warehouse-specific criteria, a particular style of metal shelving unit may be more beneficial to your facility. Some of the most important considerations include:
- Available vertical space
- Available floor space
- Product sizes
- Product weight
- Product type
- Type of material handling equipment you use
- Aisle space
- Inventory management system
- Budget
Types of Metal Shelving
Whether you’re planning a new warehouse design from scratch or need to upgrade your existing storage system, you can choose from a wide range of shelving styles. Warehouse storage is available in a host of shapes, sizes, and weight ratings, so you can invest in a system that meets your facility’s storage density, load capacity, and size.
Industrial metal shelving
Although pallet racks are necessary to store palletized goods and bulk items safely, most warehouses also require additional steel shelving for non-palletized, individual items.
Industrial shelving is available in a variety of sizes, styles, and load capacities. It is typically versatile and easy to reconfigure, making it an ideal option for facilities with high SKU counts.
Our 200A 5-tier shelving units are low-profile, heavy-duty storage options built with industrial-strength steel. They feature a boltless, easy-to-assemble design, allowing you to accommodate changing storage needs or seasonal fluctuations. The adjustable shelves can be altered on 1-2” centers. Available with particleboard or laminate board decking, individual shelves have a maximum load capacity of 300 lbs.
This type of adjustable metal shelving unit is highly versatile with an open configuration. It is an excellent option for manual handling facilities or additional warehouse storage. However, it is also one of the most popular garage shelving options on our inventory list since the durable decking can hold an assortment of items.
Wire metal shelving
Wire shelving is one of the most versatile industrial metal shelving options available to businesses. It is used frequently in a variety of industries, including food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, warehousing, fulfillment, and retail.
Wire shelving is modular, allowing you to assemble and adjust units to various configurations. The metal wire shelving unit is lightweight yet durable, offering longevity and portability.
The wire decking mesh is non-restrictive, allowing free-flowing air circulation. This limits moisture and condensation retention, reducing mold and bacteria growth on inventory.
Good ventilation means industrial wire shelving units and storage equipment are a popular option for food and beverage storage, pharmaceutical storage, and freezer rooms. However, if any heavy wire shelves are to be exposed to extreme heat or cold, they must offer temperature-resistant qualities.
Our zinc-plated steel wire shelving units are heavy-duty storage solutions ideally suited to cold storage facilities. They are stationary but come with adjustable feet to secure level positioning. Each shelf has an impressive 800 lbs. weight capacity.
We also stock specialized replacement shelving, enabling you to create a custom cold storage shelving unit. The carbon steel wire shelves are covered in an antimicrobial epoxy coating. This allows them to retain their condition in high-humidity, wet, or cold environments. Our epoxy shelves are NSF certified, ensuring they meet public health protection standards.
Mobile metal shelving
A key advantage of industrial metal shelving is mobility. Some storage shelves come with built-in wheels or casters, allowing you to transport inventory quickly and easily around your facility.
Mobile shelving is helpful in retail for displaying featured products or manual handling facilities that don’t use machinery or forklifts to load and retrieve goods. Add dividers, bins, and containers to create high-density mobile shelving for small components like screws, nails, nuts, and bolts.
We stock heavy-duty wire shelves in freestanding and mobile configurations. Our 4-shelf mobile units are built with durable zinc plated shelves and posts. These closed-style carts have three sides, ensuring goods can be transported safely. The 1,200 lbs. weight capacity is evenly distributed across all shelves.
One of the main benefits of these units is their built-in braking casters. They allow you to lock the unit in place. This means that they can be used as freestanding shelving as well as mobile storage.
Boltless metal shelving
Boltless or rivet shelving is an excellent option if your facility requires frequent storage reconfiguration due to changing SKUs, high product turnover, or limited space. It is a unique storage option that’s configured without nuts, bolts, or clips. Unlike standard clip shelving, boltless shelving brackets are designed for fast and easy assembly and only require a mallet to install.
Available in a variety of sizes and materials, these freestanding shelves facilitate light and heavy-duty storage.
Our 200B 3-tier shelving units are a low-cost, versatile storage solution for medium to heavy-duty goods, such as automotive components, machine parts, or building supplies. Available with particleboard and laminate board decking, individual shelves can support up to 1,100 lbs.
Bulk metal shelving
Heavy-duty bulk metal shelving is an affordable alternative to large-scale pallet racking systems. Built from heavy-gauge steel and quality components, bulk shelving can house heavy and bulky items. Bulk shelving is space-efficient, helping you get maximum utilization from your storage facility.
We supply pre-assembled bulk shelving, saving you time and money on assembly and installation. Our all-welded reinforced bulk shelving is manufactured using reinforced 12 gauge steel. Each shelf offers a 2,000 lb. weight capacity in open and closed configurations.
This type of storage is often found in auto shops, hardware store stock rooms, and other industrial settings. Industrial steel shelving is also an excellent investment to complete your dream garage storage space.
Choose the Right Storage Solutions With Shelving + Rack Systems, Inc.
Choosing suitable metal shelving is important but can be a challenging process. Our complete turnkey offerings at Shelving + Rack Systems, Inc. include warehouse design and installation services.
We can help you find a shelving system that aligns with your budget and improves the efficiency and productivity of your space. Our professional installation crew can also assemble and install your equipment correctly, ensuring it is safe for use.
Browse our online catalog today to view our huge selection of storage racks and warehouse equipment. For assistance on any other warehouse matters, call us at (800) 589-7225.
