Workbenches, Racking & Shelving

Keep your workspace tidy and organised with our quality selection of workbenches, racking and shelving. At Cromwell online, we stock a wide range of adjustable, self-assembly options for comfortable working and safe storage. Choose from stand-alone racks to incorporated desks and shelving and construct the best workstation for your needs.

We stock a huge choice of workbenches and workstations with convenient accessories to extend your set-up or replace worn parts. Racking and shelving accessories include bracing to support heavier storage, as well as shelf dividers and convenient tool hooks.

Discover our range of storage systems from reliable brands including Bott®, GPC® and our own brand, Matlock®.

What are workbenches, racking & shelving?

Designed for safe storage and working, workbenches, racking and shelving can be independent of one another, or a combined unit. Commonly made with heavy-duty metal, shelves and racks keep products or components stored away from the floor and come in a range of designs to suit almost anything, including large sheets of plywood, tools and office files.

Workbenches provide a sturdy location for assembly or packing tasks, as well as a heavy-duty desk for warehousing environments, like goods-in or warehouse management. When assembled with a shelving attachment, a well-designed workbench and shelf combo can increase productivity and prevent the downtime of fetching and picking.

Why workbenches, racking & shelving?

When working in a busy warehouse environment, safe and secure storage is a must to prevent trips and falls. Racking is synonymous with storage and distribution businesses and can be labelled for easy location of stock.

A popular design uses metal framework, which allows for modular upgrading and adjustment. Workbenches, for example, feature height adjustment to ensure a comfortable position for the worker. This can improve posture and reduce work-related muscle pain to improve productivity.

Workbenches, racking & shelving types

There are a multitude of styles and designs for workbenches, racking and shelving. Commonly made from metal, they sometimes feature wooden surfaces or shelves. Modular styles allow for standalone units or a combination to suit the user, creating personalised storage and working systems.

Shelving & racking

• Closed/open   -   Open shelving can be viewed from all angles and is ideal for keeping equipment accessible, while the closed variant sees the back and sides sealed off to keep items like paperwork securely stored

• Duty   -   Heavy-duty, medium-duty, standard-duty: these types speak for themselves. Standard and medium suit offices, while heavy-duty will withstand knocks and bumps and hold heavier items

Workbenches

• Saw horse   -   Classified under workbenches, saw horses come as a twin pack and can fold away for easy storage

• Drawers & cabinets   -   A workstation with built-in drawers and shelves allows for easy access to tools or other components required for the job

• Mobile   -   A trolley-style workbench that incorporates drawers and shelves that can be moved to the required location

• Cabinet   -   A small workbench mounted atop of a lockable cabinet, ideal when space is short

• Standard   -   A standard workbench often features metal framework and a wooden table-top

• Computer unit   -   A cupboard with a pull-out shelf for a keyboard and mouse, with a small work surface ideal for a laptop

Considerations when choosing workbenches, racking & shelving

• Location - as well as identifying the space available for your workbench, racking and shelving, checking the location will identify whether a standard-duty or heavy-duty structure is required.

• Capacity - it's important that the racking and shelving you choose can safely hold the items you want to store in it. Accessories, such as cross bracing can help to reinforce shelving if you want to up the product weight stored on it. Always check the manufacturer's technical instructions before adding to or reinforcing racking and shelving.

• Open/closed - depending on what you wish to store on the shelving or racking you purchase, open racking will allow for access from all sides, while closed racking will keep products securely in place.

• Accessories - brands like Bott® manufacture a wide range of accessories for their shelving and racking units, including tools racks and shelf dividers which help to improve organisation and accessibility.

• Modular - this is a popular design for smaller warehouses as workbenches, racking and shelving can be changed and added to at a later date in line with the needs of the business.

FAQs

Does shelving need to be inspected?

Yes, regularly inspecting weight-bearing structures is the best practice in any working environment. It is especially important if the shelving is located near to equipment like forklift trucks and cherry pickers as this increases the risk of impact damage.

Does racking need to be bolted down?

To ensure stability and remove the risk of the racking falling on an employee, racking must be securely bolted to the floor.

What kind of metal is used for a workbench?

For strength and longevity, stainless steel is the most common material used to build a workbench, while sometimes aluminium is used as a lighter weight alternative when the workbench is mobile. Some tasks benefit from a wooden surface, and in this case, a steel framework has an MDF or pine surface slotted into and attached to the framework.