Shelving in New Jersey
Industrial shelving is the hand-loaded counterpart to pallet rack. Smaller items, lighter loads, and human-height access — no forklift needed. From open steel shelving in a parts room to high-density mobile shelving in a medical stockroom, it's the system you use when individual items matter more than full pallets. New Jersey has the densest concentration of warehouses on the Eastern Seaboard. The Port of New York and New Jersey (the largest on the East Coast) feeds a massive warehouse corridor along the NJ Turnpike and I-287. Exit 8A of the Turnpike in Cranbury/Monroe has become shorthand for the state's distribution center concentration.
Learn more about shelving in New Jersey ↓Shelving Suppliers in New Jersey (5)
DMW&H
East Coast Storage Equipment
Full-service material handling systems provider since 1994. Sells new and used pallet racking, shelving, mezzanines, and conveyor systems with two NJ locations.
Eastern Lift Truck
Eastern Lift Truck is a premier Steel King Excalibur dealer with 20+ locations serving the Mid-Atlantic region.
Gauer Metal Products, Inc.
Gauer Metal Products was the first manufacturer of carton flow shelving in the world beginning in the 1940s. They manufacture the Flo-Rak carton flow rack system and custom metal fabrication from their Kenilworth NJ facility.
UNEX Manufacturing, Inc.
UNEX Manufacturing designs and builds engineered-to-order material handling and storage solutions. They specialize in carton flow systems gravity conveyors and high-density pick storage with over 60 years of experience from their Lakewood NJ facility.
When to Choose Shelving
- ✓Items are picked by hand, not by forklift
- ✓Individual units weigh under 50-100 lbs
- ✓You need to organize a high number of small SKUs in a compact area
- ✓Access needs to be fast and visual — workers need to see what's on the shelf
- ✓Your space doubles as a showroom, parts counter, or retail area
Key Specs to Ask About
- •Shelf width, depth, and height (standard widths: 36", 42", 48")
- •Shelf capacity per level (typically 200-800 lbs per shelf)
- •Open vs. closed shelving (closed has side and back panels)
- •Shelf material (steel, wire, particle board)
- •Post type and adjustment pitch (determines shelf spacing flexibility)
- •Mobile carriage option (for high-density configurations)
How It Compares
| Factor | Industrial Shelving | Pallet Rack |
|---|---|---|
| Loading method | Hand-loaded | Forklift-loaded |
| Item weight | Under 50-100 lbs per item | 1,000-5,000+ lbs per pallet |
| Typical height | 6-8 feet (standing reach) | 12-30+ feet |
| Best for | Small parts, cartons, hand-pick items | Full pallets, bulk storage |
| Cost per position | $15-$50 per shelf | $50-$150 per pallet position |
If a person is putting items on it by hand, it's shelving. If a forklift is loading pallets onto it, it's pallet rack. The dividing line is weight and loading method. Most warehouses use both — rack for bulk pallet storage, shelving for pick faces and small-item storage.
New Jersey has the highest population density of any US state AND the most Superfund toxic waste sites. It also has the densest concentration of warehouses on the Eastern Seaboard. Coincidence? Probably not.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between industrial shelving and pallet rack?
How much does industrial shelving cost?
What's high-density mobile shelving?
How many shelving suppliers are in New Jersey?
The Library of Congress holds 170 million items on approximately 838 miles of shelving. Laid end-to-end, those shelves would stretch from Washington DC to Chicago.
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Shelving in Nearby States
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