Shelf Track

How to choose good shelving track for storefront displays and back room storage

Choosing shelving track can be an important part of displaying product in a business storefront and in organizing and storing excess inventory. The last thing you want is to spend time mounting a shelving track system that won't support the product your business intends to display.

Shelving tracks are linear track that contain slots to hang adjustable brackets for shelves. Shelving track, along with the brackets for shelves needed to complete the job, are available at most hardware stores such as Lowe’s or Home Depot.

Before you begin your search for track shelving, here a few things to keep in mind:

1) Double-slot track provides more strength and stability, compared to single-slot track.

2) Determine what your business plans to store or display on the intended shelves. Consider a variety of available shelf track options, such as adjustable shelf tracks and sliding track systems, depending on intended uses.

3) Adjustable shelving tracks allow you to tweak and adjust shelving to desired heights.

 

Know the types of shelving tracks you need for your products

Determine the weight and quantity of the products your business intends to display or store on the shelves. Track shelving for books differs greatly from the shelf track you'll need for storing heavy office equipment, or even lightweight T-shirts.
Try: You'll probably want to go with double-slot shelving for heavier objects. ClosetMaid makes the Max Load Hang Track, a system made to support 600 pounds per 6 feet of shelf. For lighter use, Knape & Vogt DualTRKStandard track supports up to 300 pounds per shelf.

Consider using industrial track shelving, such as sliding track systems

For businesses looking for shelving and shelving track for inventory purposes, sliding track can prove very beneficial. Though much pricier than wall-mounted shelf track -- most sliding track systems will cost in excess of $1000 -- sliding track is mounted to the floor and allows for storage racks and shelves to move along the track with ease.
Try: Sliding track systems are ideal options for retail stores with excess inventory in back rooms. They help condense storage space and hold up to 800 pounds per shelf. There are several companies that offer sliding track, including QNS Distributors and OMF, Inc. OneWayFurniture, Inc. offers several types of X⁵ sliding track shelving.

Buy shelf track systems that will fit in your available space

You can buy shelving tracks in a variety of pre-cut lengths. You should know what size track your business will need. Determine whether you want shelving up an entire wall, or just a portion of it.
Try: Most industrial track shelving comes in lengths such as 84, 60, 48, and 40 inches. Be sure to measure not only the height of walls, but also the width to determine how much shelving track you’ll need. Use an industrial or professional tape measure to get an accurate measurement. Also, when using shelf track to support heavy objects, it's imperative to locate wall studs to secure the track. Using a stud finder will ensure you find wall framing with ease. Utilizing a level when mounting track will help safeguard against mounting track at angles. Lowe's and Home Depot are good places to find shelf track supplies.

 

• When looking into the appropriate shelving track, take into consideration the available finishes. Most shelving track comes with finishes to prevent rusting, chipping, and cracking.

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