Office Shelving — The Complete Buyer's Guide
Choosing the right office shelving is more complex than it looks. This complete guide covers everything from shelf types and load ratings to installation and compliance.
Types of Office Shelving
Standard steel shelving is the workhorse of office and archive storage. It is robust, adjustable and available in a wide range of sizes. Boltless shelving uses a rivet or clip system allowing quick assembly without tools — popular in offices and stockrooms where requirements change frequently. Library shelving is specialist, designed for the weight and access requirements of book storage with specific shelf depths, divider systems and end panels.
Load Capacity — What You Need to Know
Every shelving system has a rated load capacity. In office environments this is often overlooked but overfilled archive shelves are a common cause of shelving failure and injury. Standard office shelving typically carries 80-150kg per shelf. Heavy-duty shelving carries 200-300kg. For dense archive storage — lever arch files, box files — always check the shelf load rating before specifying.
Fixed vs Adjustable Shelving
Adjustable shelving allows shelf heights to be changed as storage requirements evolve. This is the right choice for most office and archive applications. Fixed shelving is cheaper but inflexible — once installed the shelf positions cannot be changed without tools.
Get a Free Shelving Survey
Rackstor UK Ltd provides free surveys and no-obligation quotations for office and archive shelving across the UK. Call 0800 654 6955 or use the enquiry form.