Industrial steel shelving which is also sometimes known as warehouse shelving or retail shelving is used in so many different industries and so many different applications. That is why it is so important and crucial you choose the right shelving for your business needs and your own. There are a couple more common types of shelving that most of us know as die-shelving, pallet shelving, closed shelving and open shelving. Depending on which industry you work in, the shelving you choose will depend on what shelving is most suited to your industries needs.

Die-shelving and pallet shelving are mostly used in more heavy duty industries and are usually found in factories or warehouse settings. Whereas open and closed retail shelving seems to be considered more for all purpose use and you can find it almost anywhere including restaurants, offices, supply rooms, stock rooms and so on. Both open shelving and closed shelving can support anywhere up to 115kg – 340kg per shelf, depending on the make and model. This makes them pretty much perfect for most shelving needs and uses so how do you know which one is right for your industry? Below we’ll go over some of these retail shelving differences and benefits to help you make a more informed decision.

Open retail shelving is more economical in the sense that it provides you with a good amount of storage space and will not cost you a lot of money. It is less expensive than closed shelving, so this is a great option if you are on a budget. Open shelving also gives you greater accessibility to your stored items which may seem pretty obvious from the name. You can access this type of shelving from almost any angle including the front, back and sides. This is great when you are storing boxes or bins as you can get a better grip on things. Open shelving also gives you more inventory options and is great for organizing your inventory; it allows you to include boxes and bins to be organized properly and stored in a neat manner. Another benefit is that this shelving is flexible and will allow you to fit the shelving into your space according to the dimensions. You can easily connect them up to make a wider row of shelving.

Closed shelving also has benefits that open shelving does not. Some of these benefits include closed shelving being the more aesthetic choice. Now, this may be debatable for some as what can be aesthetically pleasing for some, may not be for you. Closed shelving does seem to have better stability than open shelving as there is more to weigh it down. Open shelving can be an easy way for people to leave oversized items or have items hanging over the edge which can increase risks of objects falling that might injure someone. Closed shelving doesn’t give you the option to do this, therefore, minimizing the risk.

Closed shelving also offers some protection to your stored items so this is a good option if you have fragile items that shouldn’t be on shelves where they can easily fall off. It also protects your items from sunlight and dust. Whichever type of shelving you choose, make sure you base your choice on what kind of items you want to store and what choice would be better for your workplace.