At Metro, this seemingly simple reflection by Benjamin Franklin is one we take to heart. Our mission is to make the world more organized and efficient, and with Metro shelving solutions, we believe that anyone can lead a more orderly and organized life. With the right shelving on your side, you can easily improve efficiency and productivity by leaps and bounds. From food prep materials in bustling restaurant kitchens and life-saving medicines in hospitals, to the car supplies in your garage and the paint cans in your shed, shelving organizes the world. In this guide, you'll find everything you need to know about shopping for and purchasing shelving for your business, facility or home.

1. Saved Space

You’d be amazed at how much space you can lose when you don’t optimize your shelving. Just like any furniture in a space, if it’s not pulling its weight, it should be kicked out. Although you may not realize it, you could be wasting up to 50% of your space with your current shelving solutions. Especially in cramped kitchens and the backrooms of businesses, space is constantly being wasted left and right. Use shelving that is optimized to your specific needs to create space that you never knew you had!

2. Improved Organization

Organization leads to numerous benefits that you simply can’t put a price on. And aside from productivity increases and streamlined workflow because of organization, no business should have the fault of being disorganized as it is a sign of low self-confidence in what you’re doing. Whether it’s health inspectors, prospective investors, or customers or clients who see your inventory and storage facilities — making sure that organization and overall order is a fundamental part of your business is a true key to success.

3. More Convenience

Whether you need a sterile surgical kit at the hospital or a socket wrench in a manufacturing facility, you need it quickly. Wasting time searching high and low for the tools and utensils that make your operation run is simply not an option. But with the right shelving, convenience is simple and easy. All it takes is some time to research and understand which shelving and storage solutions will work best for your setting and needs. Metro can help.

4. Waste Reduction

This benefit becomes most valuable in food storage settings and medical facilities most of all. As food is naturally perishable, it makes sense that you must have a handle on your inventory at all times in order to optimize what you purchase. But when outdated food items get lost in the confusion of your shelving system, that’s when it gets wasted and must be thrown out at great cost to your bottom line. In hospitals, clinics, and other medical settings, the situation is similar. The goal is to stay as organized as possible in order to never waste perishable and highly valuable medications and other supplies. Optimize your shelving and you’ll notice an instant reduction in waste, plus an uptick in your revenue and savings.

5. Better Efficiency and Productivity

In any business, efficiency and productivity are key factors on the road to success. Take a restaurant that’s in full swing on a Saturday night. One missing steak or a special utensil that can’t be found, and the entire flow of the evening is off, which can cause drastic problems that will only compound as the night goes on. Of course, the consequences of lost efficiency are even more pronounced in a setting like a hospital. With people’s lives on the line, surgical utensils, gauze and bandages, medications, and other tools and materials absolutely must be available and easy to find in shelving systems throughout the hospital. The flow of the institution depends on your ability to organize and arrange the environment, and this means finding the best shelving for the job.

Open Wire Shelving

Whether you own a restaurant or retail store or manage a laboratory or hospital wing, Metro wire shelving allows for unlimited storage possibilities and can fit any need. When the best industries in the world need wire shelving, Metro is the brand they choose. Open wire shelving is the most common type of metal shelving and provides an open aesthetic, so you can see everything you need at a glance. Because of the sparse elements it requires for strength and durability, you’re always saving space with wire shelving. It’s also customizable. Change the shelf heights at your will, or add more shelves where you need them. Our wire shelves are extremely strong and can hold a large number of items without budging. Use wire shelving to store papers and goods in your commercial setting or large and heavy packages, industrial equipment, and more.

Solid Metal Shelving

Solid shelving is another variation of metal shelving. Solid shelving is necessary in application settings where spills might occur. Instead of falling through the cracks of wire shelving, the spill is easily contained within the shelf’s solid surface. This can control possible contamination from shelf to shelf and from shelf to the floor on bottom shelves. Solid shelving may also be useful in settings where small items need to be stored and where these items would otherwise fall through the cracks of wire shelving. Metro solid shelving is available in several different materials, including 18-gauge stainless steel or galvanized materials. Various styles are available, including louvered/embossed shelves, which can help promote air circulation. See our three main types of solid shelving materials below:

• Regular Stainless Steel Solid Shelving: Our standard stainless steel solid shelves are ideal for most scenarios and applications. Featuring epoxy-coated cast corners, these shelves offer a solid work surface or strong, corrosion resistant shelf for storage. Choose from a flat, solid style or a louvered/embossed style.

• Galvanized Shelving: For work surface or shelving applications ideally necessitating minimal resistance to corrosion, our galvanized shelves feature uncoated cast corners. Choose from a simple, flat solid style or a louvered/embossed style.

• Premium Autoclave/Cart Washable Stainless Steel Solid Shelving: These shelves are available in a flat solid style and are constructed entirely of stainless steel and can withstand all types of extreme applications, including those involving corrosive materials and elements and extremely high temperatures, such as a cart wash.

Plastic Shelving

Plastic shelving from Metro is designed using advanced polymers to be just as strong and durable as metal and wire shelving. Plastic shelving also has a number of advantages over wire shelving. Plastic shelving will not rust or corrode. This makes plastic shelving the best shelving option for damp or wet environments such as a walk-in cooler or walk-in freezer in a commercial restaurant kitchen. All plastic shelves from Metro feature removable shelf mats, available in solid and vented grid versions, for fast, easy clean-up. These plastic shelving mats also have a smooth surface, making them ideal for storage of blue wrapped sterile packages for hospitals and other medical facilities. Plastic shelving can be antimicrobial when constructed. Antimicrobial shelving undergoes a manufacturing process that infuses the shelving with an antimicrobial agent. In turn, the antimicrobials will inhibit the growth of mildew, mold, bacteria, and fungus that can cause stains and odors. In addition to standard plastic shelving, various accessories such as ledges, dividers, baskets, dish racks, and more are available to allow you to create your own custom plastic shelving solution to fit your specific needs.

Wall Shelving

From louvered wall panel to direct wall mounts and standard wall mount storage systems, Metro offers several types of wall shelving for your convenience. Above countertops and other workstations, wall-mounted shelving is the best shelving option for optimizing often underutilized wall space.

All of our wall shelving is customizable as well. We understand that no two spaces or workstations are alike, so we offer shelving systems that can be uniquely created to optimize your particular space. Choose from systems that allow you to mount supply bins and other accessories, or simply go with a shelving system that offers equally-spaced shelves, which can be easily adjusted to different heights as needed. We offer numerous sizes, styles, and finishes to meet your needs. All wall shelving is extremely durable and, when installed correctly and under the appropriate conditions, will not fall or falter.

Freestanding Shelving

The majority of Metro shelving options are freestanding, which means it is not mounted to a wall or any other surface. Freestanding shelving units are generally used against walls, and can also be stationed back-to-back in central areas so that all sides of the shelves can be easily accessed — much like an island in a kitchen.

Freestanding shelves come in a number of materials and a number of sizes and shapes. There are so many options that it’s always easy to find something to meet your particular needs, and we recommend measuring your space for optimal space-saving and efficiency when implementing your freestanding shelving.

Keep in mind that freestanding shelving can be mobile or stationary. Stationary units can be used in any setting, but in settings, such as kitchens and restaurants, mobile shelving is optimal as it allows you to quickly change what is accessible. For example, if you have different prep materials for breakfast service than you do for dinner service, you can create a mobile shelf for each meal and move them back to front as you need them throughout the day and evening. Wheels lock into place securely so that you never have to worry about mobile shelves moving once they’re in place. Mobile shelving also allows you to move your shelving when cleaning the floor surfaces.

Other Shelving Types

Adjustable shelving is designed to allow the user easily adjust the heights of the individual shelves without the use of tools. This easy shelf adjustment allows you to quickly adapt your shelving system as your storage needs evolve over time. Dunnage shelving is the best shelving option for heavy items that need to be kept off the floor.

Dunnage racks are available in a variety of materials including metal, stainless steel and heavy-duty plastic known as polymer. With weight capacities up to 3000 lbs., dunnage racks are designed to carry your heaviest loads. Security shelving units are ideal when you need to store and secure high-value items, such as expensive wines, computers, electronic components, and more. Security shelving units are available in both stationary and mobile version and come in a variety of materials and finishes to allow you to customize the solution that fits your application.

High-density shelving utilizes a guide track and mobile shelving units to boost available storage space by up to 50% without any added construction costs. High-density shelving is available in a variety of finishes and is suitable for both dry and wet environments, making it the best shelving option for areas where you need to maximize your storage space.

Industrial

Industrial settings can encompass a range of specific applications, but in nearly every one of them, shelving is necessary. What usually sets industrial shelving apart from other applications is the weight and breadth of the items that need to be stored. To ensure your facility adheres to the highest-possible safety standards in supporting such inventory, you’ll need to optimize your shelving for facilitating heavy items. In order to do this, the type of shelving you choose (including the material type), the way you secure your shelves, and the layout you choose for your shelving will all be important. Before purchasing any shelving for an industrial setting, examine what it is you’re going to store. This alone will largely determine what shelves you’ll need. Do you have large bulky items that need a huge amount of wide shelf space? Are you storing a large amount of boxes of various sizes? Open wire shelving is probably for you. Are you storing small, fragile items? Solid shelving may be a good idea, but wire shelving could work too (you’ll simply need to purchase shelving inlays to keep items from falling through the wire spaces). Will you be storing liquids? You’ll definitely want solid shelving, which will prevent cross contamination in the event of a spill by way of a slightly raised edge on all four sides. There are other questions to consider as well. For instance, will your industrial area be cleaned often? If so, you’ll want mobile shelving (with wheels), which can lock into place for sturdy storage, then be easily moved when you need to clean. Speak to a Metro Representative about your industrial shelving needs, and they’ll be able to target the ideal shelves for your space.

Kitchen and Restaurant

Most restaurants and commercial kitchens can have many different styles of shelves in them. From solid and vented shelves to wire and plastic shelving, each material and style combination provides unique benefits and solutions to common kitchen organization challenges. When choosing shelving for these settings, it’s crucial to start with material type. Wherever food is being prepared, packaged, stored, or otherwise handled, surface materials are extremely important for health and safety. For example, if you were to use metal shelving in a place where salt water will touch the shelving, you may encounter corrosion, which could then cross-contaminate food. Conversely, you’ll be wasting money if you invest in expensive anti-corrosive, mobile shelving where you only need basic, stationary shelving for dry storage. In kitchens, these are your main choices for material types:

• Polymer or Plastic Shelving: Obviously, plastic is corrosion-proof and will never rust. This makes all-polymer plastic shelving the best shelving choice for all wet environments, including walk-in coolers and freezers. All plastic shelving from Metro features Microban antimicrobial protection, as well as removable, easy-to-clean shelf mats. Available in both solid and vented/grid options, the shelf mats can be wiped clean or even put directly in a dishwasher.

• Open Wire Shelving: For dry storage, traditional open wire metal shelving is the best shelving option. Available with or without casters, wire shelving is designed to securely handle your storage needs when moisture is not a factor.

• Epoxy-Coated Wire Shelving: Another option for wet environments is epoxy-coated wire shelving. Epoxy-coated wire shelving offers a corrosion-resistant solution when the budget does not allow for polymer shelving. When choosing epoxy-coated shelving for a foodservice application, be sure to choose one with added antimicrobial protection.

Hospital

In hospitals, doctors’ offices, and other medical settings, there are strict guidelines in place to maintain a clean, sterile environment. Each medical setting has its own unique procedures, but in general, there are standard requirements that purchasers and managers must consider as they shop for the best shelving solution. In terms of shelving materials, even though open wire shelving can be used for general storage, it is generally not recommended for sterile hospital settings. That’s because the manufacturing process used in the creation of wire shelving includes processes like soldering and welding. These methods can leave snag points where the delicate blue sterile wrap of surgical kits may easily be ripped, which will then result in them requiring re-sterilization — a costly and time-consuming procedure. Metro offers sterile storage for hospitals by way of polymer shelving, which will not rust or corrode, even with repeated cleaning. It also remains durable even in a moist or wet environment. With antimicrobial protection built-in to the polymer, the growth of mildew, bacteria, mold, and fungi that can cause odors and stains on the shelf surface is inhibited. Finally, our sterile shelving also provides smooth, snag-free surfaces, which makes cleaning easier and helps reduce mishaps with sterile packaging.

Laboratory

Laboratory settings can encompass a variety of different applications, depending on the purpose and functions of the lab itself. However, most laboratories will need shelving, and the shelving best-suited for laboratories is clearly stainless steel shelving. Stainless steel is extremely durable, is rust and corrosion resistant, and is designed to handle the rigorous demands that a laboratory or cleanroom require. Stainless steel shelving is available with open wire shelves and also comes in a number of different types of solid shelves to allow you to customize a storage solution specific to your application. Stainless steel is also able to withstand high temperature cart wash and autoclave. For laboratories that have limited space, we recommend a high density shelving system. The Metro Top-Track systems eliminate aisle space that is otherwise often used in lab settings. Simply attach your desired number of mobile units to the overhead track, and move the units in and out of the way as they’re needed. A variety of sizes are available, and tracks and unit systems can be customized to meet your laboratory’s demands.

Office

Offices require shelving in copy rooms, storage closets, cubicles and individual office spaces, lobbies, maintenance offices — basically, everywhere.

Shelving holds the paper products, desk supplies, and other materials that allow offices to operate efficiently. While all offices are unique and have special needs when it comes to shelving, there are general goals that are universal in most offices:

• Improved Organization: Without adequate shelving in an office, organization is nearly impossible. Keeping materials stacked on tables or in drawers makes them prone to disarray and damage, which is a waste of time and money for any office. Steel or wire shelving units from Metro keep products clean, neat, and well-organized.

• Easy Access to Materials: The ability to quickly and easily access the materials you need for your own work or general office needs is crucial in an office setting. With efficient storage, you can save time rooting around for envelopes, specialized paper binding materials, and more.

• Helpful Add-Ons: For shelving units that need to double as workspaces or storage for uniquely-shaped items, Metro offers many add-ons, such as hooks, baskets, and bins. These can be easily added to shelves for better, more efficient storage.

• Customization: It is immensely useful to be able to change the layout of your shelving units as storage demands for office settings will naturally evolve over time. With Metro’s open wire shelving, adjustments can be made quickly and easily whenever you need them.

• Durability: Even in office settings, weight needs for storage can be demanding. Many of Metro’s shelves can hold hundreds of pounds each. House even the heaviest items without worrying about breakage or deterioration of your shelving.

Perhaps more than any other setting, office storage needs can vary greatly. While paper products, binders, writing utensils, and other office supplies will likely be at the forefront of your storage needs, you may also need shelving storage for kitchens, bathrooms, product inventory, and more. With Metro’s office shelving options, you’ll find exactly the storage you need at price points that fit your budget.

Garage

Whether you require shelves for your business’ garage or a home garage, shelving in these locations needs to take care of several space-specific challenges. The first of these challenges is cleanliness and safety. With so many chemicals and various toxins in garage settings, it is essential that you have adequate shelving to keep you and your employees or family safe. When storing items where spillage may occur, solid metal shelving is the best shelving option. Metro solid shelving features a 1/8” raised “ship’s edge” on all four sides of each shelf to contain spills. Any spill that occurs will be caught by this edge to help avoid contamination of other shelves or the floor. For general storage, open wire shelving is optimal. Durable and reliable, you can be confident that open metal shelving will not fall or break over time. Easily change shelf heights to fit the exact needs of your garage equipment, and if those needs change over time, simply readjust the shelves again. Your options are limitless.

In May of 1956, Metro’s founder Louis Maslow, a self-educated engineer and noted wire mechanic, developed the first commercially successful open wire shelving for the foodservice industry. Through the years, Metro has acquired over 200 patents in the shelving and storage world and has become the leading name in commercial and residential shelving. With a global manufacturing and distribution footprint that enables us to serve our customers all over the world, Metro continues to have an eye towards the future, continuing to innovate and design the next generation of storage solutions.

Here are just a few of the ways we go the extra mile to provide our customers with the best in service and quality shelving solutions:

Quality-Made Products

Our products at Metro are made from the best-possible materials. Each product that we offer undergoes rigorous testing by industry experts to ensure its optimal effectiveness for your needs. We also guarantee our products and offer a variety of warranties in the event that you ever experience an issue or problem with our inventory.

Industry Innovator & Originator of Wire

From the introduction of the original Erecta Shelving line in 1956 to the inception of Super Erecta Shelving (1969) and MetroMax Polymer Shelving (1989), Metro stands alone as a true innovator in the shelving and storage industry. Our brand name is synonymous with quality, strength, and innovation, and we are constantly working to improve our products and streamline our service even further. Today, you can find Metro products in restaurants, commercial kitchens, industrial environments, medical settings, and homes throughout the world.

Extensive Line of Products

From our tried and true open wire shelving to our metal, plastic, wall, and freestanding options, we offer numerous shelving options to meet your varied needs. We understand that no two environments are exactly alike, which is why we provide products that are versatile and customizable in nearly every way.

Putting Space to Work

At Metro, “We put space to work.” This is crucial to what we do. Shelving, unlike, any other form of storage is present in nearly all settings. While you may not realize it at a glance, it’s probable that every part of your home and business has at least some form of shelving in it. At Metro, we want to help you optimize this space and make it work for you. In restaurants, this means creating more prep space for cooks and sous chefs, easier to find utensils, cleaner food storage areas, and more. In hospitals, this means nurses and doctors who are better able to find the life-saving medications, utensils, tools, and other materials they need to do their jobs. And even in your home, Metro wants to make your life easier and more care-free. You’d think that the key to this would be the newest piece of technology, a computer, or a software program, but the fact is that the proper shelving can go a long way in making your life run smoother.

Consultative Service

Our service team is committed to providing you with an outstanding customer service experience. We understand that you have a choice when it comes to choosing shelving for your home or business. And we’re glad you’ve chosen us — we know you won’t regret it! If you’re not sure which shelving system is the best shelving for you, Metro-certified ESP Pro specialists are available to evaluate your process, environment and workflow to help you create a storage solution specifically designed to optimize your space. It has always been our goal at Metro to help the world gain time, space, energy, clarity, and productivity through our high-quality, state of the art shelving solutions. Though today, efficiency and productivity are generally seen to be things we gain by use of technology, at Metro, we know that sometimes, all it takes is a well-made shelf, composed of quality materials and made by industry experts. For every application, Metro has a shelving storage solution. If you’re looking to enhance and customize your workspace, improve workflow in your business, increase productivity, and generally make your life and work easier and better, you’re in the right place. Because at Metro, We put space to work.

Shelving.

A complete guide.

Types of shelving.

Locations & Applications

The Benefits of Storage and Organization with Shelving

Types of Shelving

Locations & Applications

Metro Shelving

A Premier Brand

Shelving Guide

Shelving.

A complete guide.

Types of shelving.

Locations & Applications

The Benefits of Storage and Organization with Shelving

Types of Shelving

Locations & Applications

Metro Shelving

A Premier Brand

Shelving Guide

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