Light Duty Racking — Boltless Hand-Loaded Shelving for Picking, Archive & Retail Backroom

Light duty racking is a hand-loaded steel shelving system rated 50–500 kg per shelf level, designed for workers (not forklifts) to pick, stock and rotate inventory. It uses 1.2–2.0mm cold-rolled steel, boltless rivet or slotted-angle assembly, 25–38mm shelf adjustment pitch, costs USD 35–280 per bay, and assembles in 8–15 minutes. Heavy duty pallet racking is forklift-served, rated 1,500–8,000 kg per pallet position, uses 2.5–4.0mm uprights, requires chemical anchoring + building permits, and costs USD 650–2,200 per bay. Choose light duty when workers (not forklifts) move the inventory.

Boltless rivet (volume seller): 200–500 kg/level, 8-min hammer assembly, 38mm pitch, USD 65–180/bay. Best for e-commerce picking, retail backroom, MRO, parts catalog — basically 80% of hand-loaded warehouses. Slotted angle: 50–150 kg/level, bolt-up with one wrench, 25mm pitch, USD 35–55/bay (cheapest tier). Best for archive document storage, banker boxes, small-parts bins where load is light but you need maximum shelf-count and lowest cost.

18 days standard production for powder-coat light duty; 22 days for HDG cold-storage variant; 25 days for custom dimensions or specialty finishes. Container loading: 40HQ holds 400–600 flat-packed bays (vs 80–120 if shipped assembled — that is the entire economic case for KD shipping). 20GP holds 180–260 bays for trial / small POs. Container loading photos and video before sailing standard.

Spec to the heaviest single SKU + 20% safety margin, never average. Common picks: 150 kg/level for archive box files and small-parts bins; 200-300 kg/level for e-commerce totes and DTC pick face; 400-500 kg/level for auto parts, MRO consumables and heavy retail backstock; 300-800 kg/level for long-span carpet / lumber / fabric rolls. Quoted loads are uniformly distributed (UDL) — point-loads or single-corner loads cut capacity 30-50%.

Generally no. Light duty under 2.4m height is classified as mobile equipment in 90% of jurisdictions — no building permit, no fire-marshal review, no seismic calc. Exceptions: (1) units > 2.4m height = M10 chemical anchor mandatory per OSHA 29 CFR 1910; (2) seismic Zone D-F (California, Italy, Japan, Mexico City) = add K-bracing + M12 anchor + stamped seismic calc by local PE; (3) pharma / hospital cleanrooms = AS 4084 / GMP-stamped engineering pack regardless of height.

Boltless rivet systems are mostly proprietary across brands — Mecalux, Cisco-Eagle, Edsal, Tennsco and Western Pacific each use slightly different slot patterns and beam-bayonet profiles. AME ships full new bays (uprights + beams + decks together) so compatibility is built-in within each AME PO. For brand-mixing projects we recommend ordering 1 sample bay first for on-site fit test. Slotted angle is the exception — 25mm pitch is industry-standard across Asia and Europe, so AME slotted angle beams drop into most existing slotted-angle uprights.

Yes — order HDG variant: hot-dip galvanised 80–120 μm per ISO 1461 + Q345B / S355JR low-temp impact steel (Charpy V-notch tested at -30°C). Operating range -25°C to +25°C. Used in pharma vaccine fridges, cold-chain DCs, ice-cream packaging plants, refrigerated supermarket backrooms across Europe, North America, Australia. 15-year structural warranty + 5-year HDG corrosion warranty.

40–55% lower FOB Shenzhen pricing than Mecalux / Cisco-Eagle / Edsal / Tennsco quotes — even after shipping and 5–10% import duty. We use the same Q235B / Q345B cold-rolled steel grades, same EN 15620 design methodology, same powder-coat thickness (Akzo Nobel / Sherwin-Williams epoxy-polyester). Major DTC e-commerce, auto-parts distributors and hospital procurement source from us specifically for this cost differential while maintaining equivalent engineering rigour.

10-year structural warranty on standard powder-coat configurations (uprights, beams, shelves, frames, feet). 15-year warranty on HDG cold-storage / outdoor / hospital cleanroom variants. 20-year spare-parts availability — all components stocked in Dongguan for replacement orders. Covers manufacturing defects, weld failure, paint corrosion-through, slot deformation. Excludes user damage (overload above stamped notice, chemical exposure outside rated environment, forklift impact).

Boltless rivet: 8-12 minutes per bay for a 5-level bay with steel decks — one person + one hammer + the multi-language guide. Slotted angle: 15-20 minutes per bay with one wrench. Long span: 15-18 minutes per bay (heavier beams). Multi-tier mezzanine: 4-6 hours per tier including walkstair and safety rail. North American warehouse staff routinely build out 50-bay picking lines in one 8-hour shift.

Yes — full audit-grade documentation pack with every regulated-industry project. Includes: (1) mill-test certificate per steel coil; (2) powder-coat material safety data sheet (food-grade epoxy-polyester); (3) EN 15620 / AS 4084 / RMI MH28.2 compliance certificate; (4) stamped load-capacity report by chartered PE; (5) antibacterial epoxy declaration (EU GMP / FDA 21 CFR 110 / HACCP); (6) OSHA 29 CFR 1910 load-notice plate template. Used by hospital pharmacies, FDA-registered food contract packers and pharmaceutical Tier-1 distributors.

Yes — custom orders are standard, not exception. Custom dimensions (any width 600–2700mm, depth 300–1000mm, height up to 3000mm without mezzanine), custom shelf deck (perforated metal, woven mesh, antibacterial epoxy, food-grade), custom RAL / Pantone colour match for brand consistency, custom front-edge label strips, custom barcode / QR-code etching. Minimum order quantity for custom colour: 50 bays. Lead time adds 3-5 days for custom; same FOB Shenzhen / CIF / DDP options.

Standard: 30% T/T deposit + 70% before B/L. L/C at sight for orders ≥ USD 30,000. After 3 successful POs, repeat customers can negotiate net 30-60 OA subject to credit check. Performance bond 5% available for major projects (held 12 months). Pre-shipment inspection by SGS / BV / TÜV welcome. Major DTC / retail / hospital procurement often arrange escrow / inspection-based milestone payment.

Yes — all major global ports. Direct shipping to Los Angeles, Long Beach, Oakland, Houston, NY/NJ, Savannah, Vancouver BC, Hamburg, Rotterdam, Felixstowe, Antwerp, Le Havre, Genoa, Barcelona, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Auckland, São Paulo, Veracruz, Manzanillo. FOB Shenzhen (default), CIF, DDP available. Typical transit: 22-28 days West Coast USA, 28-35 days East Coast / EU, 25-32 days Australia / NZ.

Yes — categorically yes for any commercial / warehouse / retail / archive operation. Residential metal shelving (Costco / Home Depot consumer grade) typically rates 50-80 kg/level on paper but real-world commercial use shows shelves bowing or cracking within 6-12 months under repetitive load. AME light duty rates 200-500 kg/level with 10-year warranty, 25-38mm reconfig pitch (vs fixed shelves on residential), front-edge label strip standard, and OSHA / EN compliance documentation. The 2-3× cost premium pays back in < 18 months through avoided injury claims, faster pick velocity and zero shelf replacement.