How to choose a steel rack: space, weight, shelves and aisles

Steel rack types and where each one fits

The right rack depends less on its name and more on the job: what goes on it, where it stands and how often things are taken out. Here is a quick comparison.

We make every type listed above, plus store-room stock racks and staff lockers, all to your size. Our page on steel racks made to size in Agra shows what we build.

How to choose steel racks: 8 things to decide

Settle these points before you look at designs; a measuring tape answers most of them. If you are unsure of any, we go through them with you during the free measurement visit in Agra.

1. 1Available space: measure the length and width of the floor where the racks will stand. Note pillars, beams, windows, switchboards and doors that open inward, because a rack cannot go where they are.
2. 2Height: measure up to the ceiling, and look for fans, lights and beams. A tall rack uses more of the room, but the top shelf is only useful if someone can reach it comfortably and safely.
3. 3Shelf depth: the shelf should hold your biggest regular item without it sticking out. Shelves deeper than you need hide stock at the back and eat into the walkway.
4. 4What you store: cartons, files, loose parts, tools, shoe boxes and garment bundles all need different shelf gaps. Measure one piece of your most common item; that sets the spacing.
5. 5Expected weight, in words: say whether it is light cartons, paper files or heavy metal parts, and roughly how much goes on one shelf. The weight decides how strong the rack and its shelves need to be.
6. 6How often you reach it: keep daily items between waist and shoulder height, and near the door. Slow-moving goods or spare stock can go on the top and bottom shelves, with the heavy ones at the bottom.
7. 7Aisle space: leave room to walk, to carry your largest carton, and to turn a trolley if you use one. Packing racks close together fits more of them, but every trip to fetch stock takes longer.
8. 8Room to grow: decide now where the next racks would go if the business grows. If you keep the same size, new racks line up with the old ones.

Open rack or a steel almirah with a lock?

A rack is open: everything is in view and quick to take out, which suits stock that moves every day. But open shelves cannot be locked, and goods kept in the open gather dust.

• Choose an open rack for stock, cartons, parts and files that many people take out and put back through the day.
• Choose an almirah with a lock for records, account books or papers that only a few people should open. Our office almirahs for files and records come with a lock; see steel almirahs made to your size.
• For staff belongings, separate lockers work better than one shared rack. We also make wall-fit staff lockers built into a wall.

A planning example (made-up numbers)

Example only. The numbers below are made up to show the working; they are not our sizes or any standard. We build every rack to the measurements of your own space.

Suppose a shoe trader's store room is 20 ft long and 12 ft wide, with a 10 ft ceiling and the door in the middle of one short wall. The shoe cartons are a little over 1 ft deep, so shelves 1 ft 6 in deep are enough. Say each rack is 4 ft wide. There are two simple ways to lay out the room.

In layout B, the middle row stops about 4 ft short of the door wall, so people can move between the two walkways. Layout B holds almost twice the racks, but the walkways are narrow. If cartons go in and out all day, A may work better; if the room is mostly for seasonal stock, B makes more of the space.

Then the height: if staff should reach every shelf standing on the floor, keep the top shelf within easy reach. If the top is only for spare stock, the racks can go taller. With these answers written down, any rack maker can quote for your room as it really is.

Racks from our own factory

These racks are from our own factory.

In the godown photos, the walking aisle between the tall rows is the aisle space from point 7 above. Uprights and shelves can be in two colours, like the red and grey here.

On a rack order, we come to measure for free in Agra, ask what you store and roughly how heavy it is, and agree the size, shelves, colour and price with you before work starts.

Ordering many racks, or more of the ones you have

For a full godown, a factory store or several shops, see steel racks in bulk. We make racks in bulk for companies, offices, godowns, factories, shops, car and auto-parts businesses, and the footwear and garment trade. Every rack in a bulk order is made in the same size and colour, and you get a GST quotation.

Already have racks and need more of the same? Send a photo and the sizes of one existing rack, or ask for a bulk quotation.

What changes the rate of a rack

We have no fixed price list, because every rack is made to a different size. The rate depends on size, sheet and design. As a general rule, a taller or deeper rack, more shelves and a stronger build all take more steel.

• Size: the height, width and depth of each rack.
• Sheet: ask us which gauge we will use before you order; we tell you openly.
• Design: the number of shelves, the colour, and any special shelf spacing for bins or boxes.

When you compare quotations from two makers, check that both are for the same height, width, depth, number of shelves and sheet gauge. Otherwise you may be comparing two different racks.

The easiest way to a rate: WhatsApp us a photo of the space with rough measurements, and add a line on what goes on the racks.

What to send for a rack quotation

This list works with any rack maker. Copy it into a message and fill in what you know. In Agra, we can come and measure the rest.