Accessible Steel Shelving for Everyday Storage
Open metal shelving is a practical choice when employees need to see and retrieve inventory quickly. With no solid side or back panels surrounding each shelf level, cartons, parts, tools, and supplies remain easy to identify in active warehouses, stockrooms, maintenance areas, and commercial storage rooms.
Choose the Right Duty Level
The collection includes medium-duty, heavy-duty, and extra-heavy-duty configurations. The correct choice depends on the weight placed on each shelf, unit width and depth, shelf count, and how the load will be distributed. Always use the capacity listed for the exact product and configuration rather than assuming every shelf in a duty category has the same rating.
Starter vs. Add-On Units
A Starter unit is the complete first bay in a shelving row and includes the posts and end components needed to begin the run. Use a Starter when you need one freestanding section or the first section of each separate row. An Add-On unit—also called an Adder—uses shared posts or end components from a compatible Starter or previous Add-On. It is intended to extend a row and should not be ordered as a freestanding unit unless the product page specifically says otherwise.
- One-bay row: order 1 Starter unit
- Two-bay row: order 1 Starter + 1 compatible Add-On
- Three-bay row: order 1 Starter + 2 compatible Add-Ons
- Multiple separate rows: begin each row with its own Starter
Match the manufacturer, product series, height, depth, duty level, and connection style before combining sections. Width and shelf count may also affect compatibility. If you are expanding existing shelving and do not know the series, send us photos and dimensions before ordering.
Compare Related Metal Shelving
Closed Metal Shelving adds side and back panels when greater containment and a cleaner appearance are more important than open access. Heavy-Duty Open Metal Shelving focuses on higher-capacity options for denser inventory. Double-Sided Steel Shelving provides pass-through access for center aisles, while Metal Bin Shelving creates divided compartments for smaller parts.
Need more levels in a compatible unit? Shop Additional Metal Shelves. An additional shelf adds a level inside a bay; it is not the same as an Add-On shelving unit, which creates another full bay.
