Warehouse Cart Shelves: Exploring the Options

Warehouse cart shelves are more complicated than you might think. Like any tool, a cart shelf should be designed to match the job. Cartons, pipes, and bulk-material sacks all require different approaches to material handling. Shelf design is one way to improve safety and efficiency as you handle the materials that keep your facility moving.  

Here are just a few of the shelving options, all of which are available with industrial carts from BHS. As an original equipment manufacturer, we’ll work with you to provide the ideal material handling solution — whether that’s an off-the-shelf Industrial Cart or an all-original model built to spec, complete with the perfect cart shelves for your materials. 

7 Options for Material Handling Cart Shelves

Before you choose a warehouse cart, write down the challenge you need it to solve. Do you need to speed up order picking? Feed your manufacturing line more efficiently? Reduce the risk of musculoskeletal disorders among your staff? Or all three? 

Once you know the job your cart will do, assemble some facts about the materials you plan to transport. Estimate the size and weight of these materials. These figures can help you choose cart shelves that have the appropriate dimensions and carrying capacity. 

From there, it’s time to look for specific shelf features. Here are seven of the options: 

1. Flat decks. Flat Deck Carts, Flatbed Carts, and Platform Trucks technically don’t have shelves; they have decks, which are platforms that sit atop the cart’s base. By omitting stacked shelves, flat decks support material handling for large, bulky items like furniture and heavy equipment. 
   
   
   
   
2. Fixed welded shelves. Order Picking Carts and Stock Picking Carts are designed for parcels and loose items, with two, three, four, or more tiers of shelving. If you have consistent material sizes, choose fixed welded steel shelves for the highest carrying capacities and durability. 
   
   
   
   
3. Adjustable shelves. Working with lots of differently shaped materials? Adjustable shelves allow you to redesign your cart with every load — and still offer relatively high carrying capacities. 
   
   
   
   
4. Lipped versus non-lipped shelves. At BHS, cart shelves are often available with a raised edge along the perimeter. Or you can choose flat, lipless shelves. The raised lip helps to retain loads during travel, while entirely flat shelves support overhanging loads.
   
   
   
   
5. Angled shelves. Need to keep orders secure without tying them down? Angled shelves slope gently — usually by about two inches (about 5 centimeters) — toward the center-point. This allows gravity to hold loads in place without requiring extra work from the operator. The BHS Angled Shelf Cart is one example of this design.
   
   
   
   
6. Flow-rack shelves. Simplify access to components and materials with Flow Through Racks. These shelves angle downward on one side, so contents slide toward the front for safer, more convenient access.
   
   
   
   
7. Cantilever shelves. Pipes, bars, lumber, and other long materials sit awkwardly on standard shelves. Cantilever shelves provide the simplest solution. See the BHS Cantilever Cart for an example.
   
   

Work with materials that don’t seem to fit any of these shelving types? Contact the BHS Sales Team to discuss a custom-built solution. Our engineers can design warehouse cart shelves that perfectly fit any material. Fill out our Custom Manufacturing form or call us at 1.800.247.9500 to get started.