Light shelves
- Structural features：Light-duty shelves usually consist of columns, beams and laminates. The columns generally adopt thin-walled steel sections with various specifications available, and their cross-sectional shapes are mostly square or rectangular, which can ensure good load-bearing capacity and stability. The beams are generally connected to the columns through hanging pieces, which is convenient for installation and disassembly, and the layer spacing can be flexibly adjusted according to the height of the goods. The laminates are mostly cold-rolled steel plates, and the surface can be treated by electrostatic spraying, which has the characteristics of rust prevention and beauty. The thickness of the laminates is generally between 0.4 and 0.8mm and can bear the weight of small commodities.
- Applicable scenarios：This kind of shelf is suitable for storing e-commerce products that are small in volume and light in weight, such as clothing, small accessories, daily necessities, stationery, etc. For example, in a clothing e-commerce warehouse, light-duty shelves can be used to store folded T-shirts, socks and other products, and each laminate can be classified and stored according to the style or size of the clothing, making it convenient for warehouse staff to quickly find the products.
Medium shelves
- Structural features：The structure of medium-duty shelves is stronger than that of light-duty shelves. The columns generally adopt hot-rolled steel sections with a larger cross-sectional size, thus providing a higher load-bearing capacity. The thickness and strength of the beams are also increased, and the connection method with the columns is more firm, usually using bolt connection or pin connection. The load-bearing capacity of its laminates can reach about 200-500kg per layer, which can meet the storage needs of some heavier products. Moreover, some medium-duty shelves can also be configured with drawer-type or partition-type laminates to increase the diversity of storage methods1.
- Applicable scenarios：It is suitable for storing relatively heavy and slightly larger goods. In the e-commerce environment, small electronic products (such as headphones, power banks, etc.), beauty and skin care products (such as bottled skin care products, small beauty equipment, etc.) and some small household items (such as small kitchen utensils, storage boxes, etc.) can all be stored using medium-duty shelves. For example, in an e-commerce warehouse selling small household appliances, medium-duty shelves can store electric kettles, juicers and other products. These products are relatively heavy, but medium-duty shelves can carry them well.
Heavy duty shelves
- Structural features：
- Applicable scenarios：It is often used to store large and heavy e-commerce products, such as large household appliances (refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, etc.), large furniture (beds, sofas, etc.), industrial equipment, etc. Taking the e-commerce warehouse of household appliances as an example, large refrigerators, washing machines and other products can be placed on pallets and transported to the corresponding positions of heavy-duty shelves for storage by forklifts. This kind of shelf can effectively use the warehouse space and facilitate the batch in and out operation of goods.
- Heavy-duty shelves, also known as pallet racks, are mainly used to store goods in pallets. It consists of columns, beams, cross braces, diagonal braces and pallet guide rails and other components. The columns generally adopt high-quality steel and have undergone special process treatment, having high load-bearing capacity and deformation resistance. The beams are usually high-strength rolled profiles and can bear the weight of several tons or even more than ten tons. The pallet guide rails can facilitate the forklift to accurately place the pallet on the shelf and ensure the stability of the pallet on the shelf. The height of this kind of shelf can be designed according to the space of the warehouse, and the maximum height can reach dozens of meters, which can make full use of the vertical space of the warehouse2.
Loft style shelves
- Structural features：The mezzanine shelf is built with a two-story or multi-story mezzanine on the basis of the existing space of the warehouse. Its bottom structure is similar to that of medium-duty or heavy-duty shelves and is used to support the weight of the entire mezzanine. The upper mezzanine is generally built by a steel platform, and the panel of the platform usually adopts checkered steel plate or grating plate, which has good anti-slip performance and load-bearing capacity. Stairs are an essential part of the mezzanine shelf and are used for staff to go up and down the mezzanine. Its design must meet the safety standards, and components such as handrails and pedals must be firm and reliable. The mezzanine shelf can also install auxiliary facilities such as lighting equipment and ventilation equipment according to needs2.
- Applicable scenarios：In the e-commerce warehouse, the mezzanine shelf is suitable for storing various types of products. For example, the bottom space can be used to store large and heavy products, such as full boxes of goods and large equipment; while the mezzanine space can store some relatively light and small products, such as parts and small packaged products. In this way, the height space of the warehouse can be fully utilized and the storage area can be increased. If the e-commerce warehouse operates different types of products at the same time, such as both large fitness equipment and fitness accessories, the mezzanine shelf can be used for reasonable storage.
