In many industries like warehousing, manufacturing, logistics and retail, using an efficient system of storage is paramount to operations running smoothly.
You might need durable units with many shelves for your warehouses that can take considerable weight or a shelving solution that can stock a wide variety of products, but either way, assessing your storage requirements is critical to selecting the best option for your operation.
While a diverse array of industrial storage solutions is available to purchase, in this blog we’ll compare two common types, multipurpose and heavy duty warehouse shelving. Read on to decide which is right for your site.
What is multipurpose warehouse shelving?
Multipurpose warehouse shelving is available in a range of shapes and sizes and is both durable and simple to assemble. As a result, it is an ideal storage option for many working environments. Multipurpose shelving features a robust steel frame that can cope with considerable loading with ease, and shelving that is sturdy and designed for years of use. A versatile solution to answer a range of storage needs, multipurpose shelving can be depended on to keep stored items secure and safe.
What is heavy duty warehouse shelving?
Heavy duty warehouse shelving is engineered specifically to use in heavy loading applications and more challenging commercial and warehouse environments where safety measures are of prime importance. Made from high-quality steel, heavy duty warehouse shelving is manufactured for bulky and heavy loads and intense manual loading.
What are multipurpose and heavy duty warehouse shelving made from?
Industrial shelving is always manufactured from hardwearing materials. However, while multipurpose warehouse shelving frames are typically made using a frame of high-strength steel, heavy duty shelving is made with an even stronger frame of premium-grade steel that allows it to hold up under greater loads.
The shelves are often offered in different durable materials that range from melamine and chipboard to galvanised steel. A tough material, chipboard fits flush against surrounding metal frames and prevents snagging. While melamine also fits flush and is hardwearing, it has the added advantage of being simple to keep clean. A popular choice for damp and cold storage environments, galvanised steel is used in walk-in freezers and chillers. It is tough, scratch-resistant and resistant to rust and other corrosives. Chipboard is a common material for multipurpose shelving, while steel shelves are often used in heavy duty warehouse storage units
How do you construct multipurpose and heavy duty warehouse shelving?
Heavy duty and multipurpose shelving are both designed for easy assembly and disassembly. This allows warehouse operators to reconfigure their shelving arrangements and layout as required. Furthermore, shelving is designed to be adjustable to fit different types and sizes of items being stored onsite. Many industrial shelving units are boltless and only require a rubber mallet to secure them during assembly.
Applications for multipurpose and heavy duty warehouse shelving
While ideal for warehouses, both multipurpose and heavy duty shelving can serve as storage solutions in different work environments.
Designed for general use, multipurpose shelving should work in a wide variety of locations and especially in applications which do not have heavy-duty needs. These include stockrooms, offices, vehicle maintenance garages and workshops. They are also popular on residential premises for personal storage in outbuildings, like sheds and car garages.
Heavy duty shelving, in contrast, is engineered specifically for more intensive manual loading environments and in areas where bulky and weighty items are stored. As a rule, they offer ideal storage in warehouses, storerooms and trade counters along with commercial sites that need to store goods in considerable volume. Heavy duty shelving is also typically used in more specialised environments like document storage and archive facilities, catering and food storage, hospitals, refrigeration storage and cold rooms.
While multipurpose shelving is used in stockrooms and warehouses where lighter, mixed goods are kept, heavy duty shelving is mainly for warehouse and factory storage where weight and volume of stock are a key consideration.
Multipurpose or heavy duty shelving for your warehouse?
While heavy duty and multipurpose warehouse shelving have many similarities, like their assembly process and material construction, they differ in the aim they are designed for. Multipurpose warehouse shelving is a strong-but-flexible solution that is engineered to suit a range of different storage applications, but has set limits on how much weight it can bear. Heavy duty warehouse shelving, on the other hand, is for larger and heavier goods and heavy manual loading.
Consider the type of goods you need to store and their weight before selecting shelving. If you’re still unsure of the style of shelving you require, reach out to our team at Steely Products for assistance.
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