Holds tubs or boxes floor to ceiling in a small footprint.
Typical price
£40 to £70
Why we pick it
- Typical price
- £40 to £70
- Works with
Floor space runs out before height does. Number the shelves and each item gets an address you can pick from.
Good for
- Small rooms with wall space
- Holding tubs and boxes
Not for
- Hanging clothing
Our approved alternative for the same job: Clear stackable 32 L tubs, 4 pack
The guide
Each step in the order you'll need it.
Who a 180 cm steel unit suits
A five-tier steel unit suits you once your stock has spilled onto the floor. It turns one wall of a spare room or garage into a numbered store for tubs, boxes and supplies.
It works from a few dozen orders a week up to a few hundred. 300 vintage pieces in tubs, or 60 boxed pairs of trainers, fit on one or two units.
A rail serves hanging stock better, though a unit still earns its place for mailers and tape.
Load rating, depth and shelf spacing
Pick a per-shelf load rating that clears your heaviest tub with room to spare; boltless garage units often quote 150 to 265 kg per shelf, but the listing has the figure for each model. Books and media add up fast.
Match the depth to your tubs. Many units come 40 to 45 cm deep, which takes a 32 L tub lengthways or a shoebox front on. Measure your containers before you buy.
Adjustable shelf heights let you drop a shelf to fit a short tub, or raise one for a tall box, so no space goes to waste.
Building and placing it
Assemble on a flat floor and tap the joints home with a rubber mallet. Fix the top to the wall with a bracket, especially if children use the room.
Load heavy stock low and light stock high. Keep your fastest sellers at waist height, where picks take seconds.
Give each shelf a code from the top, such as A to E, and each tub a number. Write the code in the listing's SKU field so a sale tells you where to go.
Rails, card boxes and tubs alongside it
Heavy-duty double clothes rail suits garments that crease, such as dresses and shirts, which should hang.
3,200-count card storage boxes suit trading card singles, and several fit on one shelf of this unit.
Clear stackable 32 L tubs, 4 pack are the natural partner: the unit holds them, and the tubs keep dust and damp off the stock.
Level floor, air gap and a re-tighten
Check the floor is level, or use the adjustable feet many units include. A lean on a loaded unit gets worse over time.
Leave a gap from the wall in a garage so air moves and damp stays off the back row of boxes.
Re-tighten or re-seat the shelves after the first month, once the frame has settled under load.
Common mistakes
Each one costs you money or reviews, and each has a fix.
- Heavy books on the top shelf make the unit top heavy. Keep weight low.
- Fix the top to the wall; without the bracket, a loaded unit can tip.
- Measure your containers first, or you pay for depth you cannot use.
- Unlabelled shelves mean a hunt for every sale. Code each shelf and tub.
- A garage unit pushed flat to a cold wall draws damp into the back boxes, so leave an air gap.
Ranked in
Where it places in our rankings, and the reason.
Setups that use it
Complete kits this product is part of.
Guides that use it
Step-by-step help where this product does a job.
Questions
How much weight can each shelf hold?
It depends on the model. Stay under the listed per-shelf rating with a margin.
Will 32 L tubs fit?
Most 40 to 45 cm deep units take them. Measure your tub and the shelf depth before you buy.
Do I need tools to build it?
A rubber mallet builds a boltless unit. Add a drill for the wall bracket.
Can I use it in a garage?
Yes. Keep stock in lidded tubs and leave a gap from the wall to reduce damp.
How many units do I need for 300 items?
One or two units usually cover 300 items of folded clothing in tubs. Bulky stock needs more.
Alternatives
Other picks for the same job, cheaper and pricier.
3,200-count card storage boxes
Sort singles by set and number with dividers, and you can pull a sold card without flicking through binders.
Typical price£10 to £18
See on AmazonComic long box
Stores issues upright so spines stay straight. Sort by title and number and you find a sold issue in seconds.
Typical price£15 to £25
See on AmazonClear stackable 32 L tubs, 4 pack
Label each tub with a shelf code and record the code against the listing. A sale then tells you which tub to open.
Typical price£30 to £45
See on AmazonHeavy-duty double clothes rail
Hanging stock stays uncreased, so it photographs and ships without ironing. A double rail fits along one wall of a spare bedroom.
Typical price£35 to £60
See on Amazon