Wire shelving is incredibly versatile and offers convenience and simplicity in assembly and disassembly compared to traditional furniture. It’s adaptable to various spaces including kitchens, living rooms, bedrooms, home offices, and commercial establishments like malls and hotels, as well as for product displays, factories, and homes.
With a range of accessories available, it can be customized to serve different purposes such as adding handles and wheels to create carts or trolleys, or shelf dividers and ledges to form bookshelves, and more. There are also other variations to accommodate diverse storage and display needs, such as wire utility carts and SMT material carts.
So how do you choose the right wire shelving unit for your space? Durability is a primary consideration when purchasing shelving units, and this aspect is closely tied to the surface finish processing of the shelves. Below, we’ll discuss the surface treatment of wire shelving.
Stainless Steel 304
Stainless steel shelving is one of the most durable shelves available. Its rust resistance is superior to ordinary carbon steel. With electropolishing, it looks shiny and bright. It can be used in wet or dry environments.
Zinc-plated, epoxy powder coating
The surface of the shelving is galvanized and followed by epoxy powder coated, which greatly improves the corrosion resistance of the shelf, second only to stainless steel. It is suitable for use in low-temperature and humid environments, such as in cold storage, kitchens, and used as flower stands.
Chrome-plated
The chrome-plated model is one of the most common wire mesh racks on the market. The appearance looks beautiful, like the texture of stainless steel. Suitable for use in dry and low-humidity environments.
Epoxy powder coating
The epoxy coating on the surface of the wire shelving provides a certain level of corrosion and rust resistance, suitable for dry and low-humidity environments. Common colors include black and dark green, with black often used for the retail industry, while dark green is typically used for foodservice industry.
You can choose the one that best suits your usage needs based on the different surface treatment characteristics. Overall, for harsh environments or unlimited applications, we recommend stainless steel. If you pursue durability in a high-humidity place but also care about cost-effectiveness, we suggest galvanizing plus powder coating, which should last about 10 years under normal use. If you’re only using it indoors in dry conditions, powder coating or chrome plating is sufficient.