Racking vs Shelving: What’s the Difference?

In the realm of space organizers racks and shelves are often confused by many. Although they sound similar, they hold a lot of differences in their applications, designs, features, and other characteristics as well. Thus, to let you know completely and individually what are rankings and what are shelving. We will delve deep into the differences between the racking and shelving also. So let us know in detail about each of them and how much they differ from each other as storage space organizers.

What is Racking?

The racking system refers to the space organizers used widely in industries, warehouses, or domestic purposes. They are a stack of horizontal flat bases that are used to store items of different shapes and sizes placed and attached to the vertical beams or columns to hold them upright at a particular interval. The racking systems are designed to uphold the heavy loads of regular or irregular shapes and sizes, making them ideal for industrial use to store items with different heaviness and optimize the use of the vertical space of an area.

The different types of racking systems are:

• Selective Racks: The most commonly used racking systems in industries that offer the easy arrangement of items with increased safety are the selective racking systems.
• Pallet Flow Racks: Providing easy access to each pallet and enabling the easy workflow of the area is usually achieved by the pallet flow racking systems.
• Drive-in/Drive-Through Racks: Easy for large industries or warehouses, where using forklifts for loading or unloading items is an easy and safe option, these racking systems are used.
• Cantilever Racks: The best racking system to increase the variety of racks which are determined to hold the irregular shapes and sizes of goods in the industries or warehouses, especially.

What is Shelving?

Shelving or shelves are the flat horizontal bases that are stacked to form a rack or a racking system, altogether. These are the individual’s flat surfaces which are piled up in columns to make a large racking structure. However, each of these flats offers the same application to hold up the heavy or low-weights of goods in industries, warehouses, retail shops, or in residential as well. Well, this shelving system is used in the areas where the visibility of items is more important along with their easy access.

The different types of shelves are:

• Fixed shelves: The shelving systems that are attached permanently to a wall or some racks to avoid risks.
• Floating shelves: A modern shelving system provides a sleek look to the walls and corners when attached without a bracket to the walls.
• Corner Shelves: the shelving systems that are curvy or designed in a way to use the corners of a wall.
• Adjustable Shelves: The types of sharing systems that can be moved and adjusted accordingly to increase the height or space between the alternate shelves.

Racking Vs Shelving: What’s the Difference?

Both racking and shelving systems have similar sounds but are confusing at the time of their choice. Thus, here we provide a complete list of differences between the racking and shelving systems of space organizers.

1. Structural Intricacy: Rackings are generally tall and large in size as they use the vertical space of an area, thus making them versatile for heavy loads. While the shelvings are small and designed to easily and efficiently store small and lighter weights.
2. Raw Material: Rackings are manufactured using robust materials generally steel to withstand heavy weights. While shelvings are made of materials like wood, hard plastics, metal, or even steel as they are required for their use.
3. Load Bearing Capacity: Rackings are designed to bear heavy loads in the industries. While the shelvings are used in residences or garages for bearing lighter-weight items.
4. Installation: The rackings are usually professionally installed as they require safe and proper installation to avoid risks. While the shelvings are easy to install and do not need professionals for their installation or maintenance.
5. Affordable Prices: Rackings are costlier as they require good quality materials and labor to manufacture complex designs. While the shelvings are small and low-weight bearers thus making it a cost-effective storage solution.
6. Accessibility: The rackings are accessed through forklifts which require trained experts to access them. While the shelving is easy to access through hands.  
7. Uses & Applications: The rackings are widely used in industries or warehouses to store heavy loads. While, the shelving is used in domestic, office, or retail use where the visibility of lighter items is important.
8. Custom Options: Customization in racking is possible only in the height and number of racks in it. While the shelving can be customized completely from their dimensions to attaining modern designs as well.
9. Space Optimization: the racking is fit to utilize the unused virtual spaces in an industry or the warehouses. While the shelving can be used in any corner or wall to increase space for storing lighter items.
10. Workability: Rackings are tougher to handle and do not offer mobility due to their heavy load-bearing capacity. While the shelvings are easy to work with providing adjustability and mobility due to lower load-bearing capacities.

FAQs on the  Racking Vs Shelving

Q1: How do I decide whether to use racking or shelving in my warehouse?

Ans: Determining the needs, vertical space, weight of the goods, and most importantly the budget of your warehouses can help you choose a racking or a shelving system in your warehouse.

Q2: What are the weight-bearing capacities of racking compared to shelving?

Ans: Racking systems offer a heavier load-bearing capacity than shelving.

Q3: Are there specific industries or applications where racking is more suitable than shelving, and vice versa?

Ans: Shelving systems are ideal for domestic, official, or retail store applications. While the racking system is used for industrial or warehouse applications widely.

Q4: How does the cost vary between racking and shelving systems?

Ans: The racking systems are costlier than the shelving systems as they require high-quality material and a large labor cost for the complex designs of the racks and their professional installation. While these shelving systems are easy to manufacture, install and do not require heavy labor or material cost.

In conclusion, both the racking and shelving systems of storage organizers offer vast differences in their features, application, construction, and other characteristics. Thus, to know more about the racking and shelving systems you can contact our team of experts at SimcoSteel to experience the wide range of racks and shelves manufactured by us.