Storage Cabinets can help ease the pain of storing and organizing. It may seem like a straightforward purchase, but you might want to lay some groundwork first. When choosing the right storage cabinet there are a few things you should consider beforehand.
Evaluating your storage needs
Knowing what exactly you want to keep inside the storage cabinet will make the process of choosing the right one a lot easier. Evaluating your needs may also help in determining whether you need to secure the items being kept in the cabinet or not.
Security Measures
Shelf Openings
The number of openings between shelves, including the space at the bottom of the cabinet.
Single-Point Lock
Secures the doors at the center point only. Single-point locks provide little security. Depending on what you store inside, this might be a great option for you.
Two-Point Lock
Secures the doors at the top and bottom of the cabinet. The two-point lock provides moderate security. It is recommended for guarding items with higher importance.
Three-Point Lock
Secures the doors at the top, center, and bottom of the cabinet. Three-point lock provides a high level of security. It is crucial if you have items of value so that no one can break through easily.
Piano Hinge
The door hinge runs continuously from the top to the bottom providing more security in strength. This security measure is highly recommended for restricted or secured areas. It is an easy solution for safekeeping of valuable possessions.
Shelf Capacity
This is the maximum amount of weight evenly distributed a shelf can safely hold. Being aware of the load capacity of a storage cabinet can help in preventing overload and damage. Making sure that your cabinet can carry the weight of what you plan to keep inside is important.
The gauge of the steel of the cabinet will help in determining the capacity of the shelf. Each gauge number related to the standard minimum thickness.
As the gauge number goes down the steel become thicker. For example: 18 gauge is at minimum 0.428 inches thick, and 12 gauge is at minimum .0966 inches thick. On average, 18 gauge can hold up to 40 lbs.
Environment
Storage cabinets can be kept anywhere but knowing the exact conditions of its surroundings can alleviate a lot of potential damage from exposure to outside elements. For example, weather changes or ambient room temperature can cause damage to the wrong type of cabinet.
Delivery Methods
Unassembled
Putting things together might not be your thing, but if it is then you might be in luck. Unassembled cabinets may cost less and are less expensive to ship. However, if assembly is required, hardware is provided by the manufacturer.
Set-Up
The cabinet is either bolted or riveted together at the factory, no assembly required.
All-Welded
The cabinet is put together using various welding techniques. No assembly is required.
Choosing the Right Storage Cabinet
| Types of Cabinet |
Shelf Capacity |
Description |
| Light-Industrial Cabinets |
12-199 pounds |
These cabinets are constructed with the lightest gauge of steel (20-24 gauge), designed for non-abusive work environments or office storage. |
| Standard-Industrial Cabinets |
200-399 pounds |
These cabinets will be constructed with a lighter gauge of steel (16-22 gauge), designed for moderately harsh work environments. |
| Heavy-Industrial Cabinets |
400-999 pounds |
These cabinets are constructed with a thick gauge of steel (14-20 gauge), designed for long-term use in harsh environments. |
| Ultra-Capacity Industrial Cabinets |
1,000+ pounds |
These cabinets are constructed with the thickest gauge of steel (12-16 gauge), designed for the most abusive environments, and for storing the heaviest material. |
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