Choosing a shelving system should be easy, shouldn’t it?
All you need to do is work out where and what you want to store, calculate how many materials you’ll need to accommodate, and then go and purchase an appropriate shelving system.
It’s that simple: or is it? What about the weight of the items you want to store? Is the shelving system going to be strong enough to take the load? What about the spread of the load? Are you intending to distribute this evenly across the shelving span, or will there be areas of concentrated weight?
Now that might seem like an awful lot of questions, but in any storage area where shelving is used, safety has to be the number one priority. It’s paramount that the health and safety of employees is considered, and it is also extremely important that the goods are looked after and stored properly. If these are damaged they will be expensive to replace, and if fault or negligence is suspected, then the insurance may not cover any losses. Therefore any business planning to install a shelving system must first calculate the weight of the items to be stored, and then ensure that this weight is distributed evenly.
So what is a uniform distributed load?
A uniform distributed load, or UDL, is a phrase commonly used by shelving suppliers to help explain how much weight can be safely stored on each shelf section. A uniform distributed load dictates that products should be stored evenly with no single point handling excessively more load than the remainder of the shelf.
Why is it important to calculate the UDL?
Well, stating a UDL value is essential as the weight capacity of any shelf is reduced if loaded unevenly. If the load is spread evenly and correctly across the whole width of the shelf this greatly reduces the stress placed on any structural beams and uprights. A UDL allows the maximum load to be safely applied.
What next?
When you see the UDL value stated on any racking or shelving product description you should use this to evaluate and calculate whether the selected item is appropriate for your storage needs. If you feel you will be storing items close to the UDL level, then it is recommended that you upgrade your choice of shelving or racking to a product with a higher capacity to reduce the possibility of overloading.
Our experienced team at Monarch Shelving can help you choose the correct shelving or racking for your business. Please contact us on 01706 880355 or 01706 880462 or email us for assistance.
