Wire shelving in steel

Wire shelving in steel

Chrome is for dry interiors

The chrome units carry three layers of chrome over the steel, giving a surface that wipes clean, resists wear and looks presentable in a shop or an office store room. The manufacturer specifies dry commercial interiors as the intended environment, and that matters more than it sounds: chrome is not intended for cold rooms or other spaces with standing moisture. Installed in the right place it lasts for decades. Installed in the wrong one it becomes a warranty claim.

The antibacterial finish is for cold and damp

The antibacterial unit is built for environments where chrome is not enough. The base material is carbon steel with a protective zinc layer and then a green polyester coating with silver ions incorporated into it, which helps inhibit bacterial growth on the surface. The unit is corrosion-protected, but it is not stainless in the sense used for stainless steel. The manufacturer declares the coating free from BPA and states that it holds a current PZH certificate for food-industry facilities, including cold rooms and freezers.

The coating is declared for -40°C to +200°C. The lower figure is the one that matters in practice and is what makes the unit usable in freezer rooms. The upper figure refers to the resistance of the coating itself. It is not a statement that a fully loaded rack can stand at 200°C continuously - at high temperatures the exposure time, the load and the actual conditions all have to be taken into account.

The silver ions do not replace cleaning. That is the manufacturer's own wording and it is worth taking seriously: the surface works between cleans, it does not clean for you. The shelving should be cleaned on the same routine as the rest of the premises.

What the shelving carries

One shelf takes 270 kg and a full rack 950 kg with the load evenly distributed. These are two separate figures for a reason: the rack limit is set by the posts and cannot be calculated as the number of shelves multiplied by 270. Fitting more shelves does not raise what the rack takes. Both are filterable, under Load per level and Load per section. The same figures apply to chrome and to the antibacterial finish.

Castors lower the limit sharply. On CC-02 castors the rack takes 120 kg in total, on the heavier CC-06 castors 330 kg. Those are the manufacturer's own figures and they apply to the whole rack, not per shelf. The brakes must be engaged while loading, unloading and whenever the unit is standing still.

Assembled without tools

Shelves lock onto the grooved posts with tapered sleeves, with no bolts, screws or cross bracing. All you need is something to tap the shelves down with, a rubber mallet for preference. The grooves sit at 25 mm intervals, so each shelf goes at the height the goods require rather than the other way round. Rebuilding later takes no longer than the first assembly did.

Wire shelving or wire racking?

They are the same thing. Both terms describe open shelves of welded steel wire. The open construction lets air circulate around the goods, lets light through and lets you see what is standing at the back. It also leaves fewer broad, flat surfaces for dust to collect on, which is one reason these units are common in kitchens, laboratories and healthcare premises.

Extend it rather than start again

This is a system, not a set of standalone units. Loose shelves, handrails and castors are part of the same range, so a stationary rack can be built up with more levels or converted into a mobile trolley. The castors have their own limit for what the whole system carries, and it is stated on the product. Units standing in a row can share posts between them.