Boltless rack shelves are also known as rivet shelves or boltless shelves. Although the assembly and installation of boltless shelving are easy, they can seem complicated if you don’t know the style of boltless racks you need for your storage system.

Having some insight about the types and components of boltless rack shelving is crucial so that you don’t get confused when choosing. Also, since boltless rack shelving is a popular storage solution, you should stay informed about it. Here is a guide about them.

Types of boltless shelving

There are two general categories of boltless rack shelves, namely a single rivet also known as low profile. The other one is a double rivet, also known as long span.

Single rivet boltless shelving

Single rivet is a high-density type of shelving that utilizes single rivet beams on the central positions but uses double rivet beams at the upper and lower positions for sturdiness and rigidity.

Single rivet units come in 48 inches wide. They offer more accessibility than double rivets do although they generally provide lower capacity.

Double boltless shelving

With double boltless shelving, steel manufacturers such as Eonmetall make units in capacities ranging from 48inches to 96inches wide. They offer high capacity, and you can utilize them with many storage options to enhance their storage flexibility and capability.

What are the components that make up boltless shelving?

Boltless rack shelving consists of three major components, namely; upright or vertical posts, horizontal beams and decks.

Upright posts

In boltless shelving, two types of components make up the vertical or upright beams. One is the angle post that is useful in all the four sides of a single unit. It offers durability and time strength.

The other one is the tee posts. Tee posts are useful as add ons. In simple terms, they are a standard post between two shelving units. Their strength is that they give you an allowance to arrange affordable shelving rows.

Horizontal beams

These serve as the right to left supports to hold up the decking and as the front to back supports to prevent the twisting of the upright posts. Typically, they hold the shelving unit in place. There are many types of horizontal beams to meet various requirements. They are available in both standard and heavy-duty. 

Decking

Decks come in many forms including particle board which can be wood, wire mesh, metal, corrugated metal or melamine.

Other components 

There are other components of boltless shelving such as tie plates, centre/tie supports and footplates.

Center supports offer the shelf additional support from front to back, tie plates join the shelve units side to side and eliminate the need for special add on posts. Footplate provides an anchor to the floor for the shelve units’ safety and stability.

THE TAKEAWAY

Knowing the various components of a metal rack shelving unit is essential if you want to utilize it for your storage system.