One of the best ways to utilize your garage’s full potential is to set up some storage shelves. Garages are blank canvases, able to become workshops, repair shops, or even just a place to stash your equipment for your car, your tools, and maybe a TV and stocked fridge. But they don’t exactly come with ready-to-use storage space, that’s up to you. With a series of sturdy shelves in your garage, you can create accessible, organized space for your most-used tools, equipment, and essentials. And, whether you’ve got car detailing products or a vast array of tools and loose bolts (don’t we all?), storage shelves will allow you to keep everything in one convenient place. We’ve rounded up some of the best storage shelves you can equip your garage with right here. Ready to get organized?
Best Storage Shelf Reviews & Recommendations
Best Overall
Edsal Black Steel Storage Rack
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Best Value
Furinno Turn-N-Tube 4-Tier Multipurpose Shelf
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Best for Home Garages
Topeakmart 5 Tier Storage Rack
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Best All-Weather
CX 4-Tier Storage Shelving Unit
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Best with Casters
NSF Heavy-Duty Steel Wire Shelving
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How We Selected The Products
What qualities did we look for as we chose the best storage shelves? Well, the available storage space and number of shelves were our priorities. But we also assessed the hundreds of available products for other features and qualities too, like their weight capacity, frame material, sturdiness, and potential longevity.
So, you can trust that the storage shelves on this list were all selected with sturdy support, durability, and garage environments at the forefront of their best qualities. These shelving units are perfect for the sometimes rough setting of the garage, and they can work in garages of all sizes. Plus, most importantly, they were chosen because they offer a high level of sturdiness and the ability to hold hundreds, if not thousands, of pounds of weight for long periods of time.
Buying Guide/What to Look For
Strong, Stable Frame
At the heart of any shelf is its frame, or the structure that the shelves (and all of your stuff) sit on. And if you want a durable, sturdy shelving unit, you’ve got to have a strong, stable frame. Some of the strongest products have steel or galvanized steel frames, which are coated to prevent rust and corrosion over time. Others are made from specially created plastic that’s engineered to hold a lot of weight. The heavier your intended items are, the stronger a frame you’ll need to look for.
Weight Capacity of Individual Shelves
If you’ve ever been frustrated by shelves that bow over time, you know just how strong they need to be—especially if you’re storing tools, equipment, and other garage necessities on a set of storage shelves. So, make sure to look closely at the weight capacity of a product’s individual shelves. If a single shelf can only hold a few pounds, it’s a lightweight unit. Shelves that can hold hundreds of pounds, on the other hand, are more capable and heavy-duty.
Overall Weight Capacity
In addition to the weight capacity of shelves, you should also consider the overall weight capacity of any storage shelving unit overall. Some can carry thousands of pounds of weight; others cannot. For your garage storage needs, higher weight capacity is a big benefit. The more your shelves can hold, the more value (and storage space) you’ll get out of them.
Wall Mounting
Lastly, it’s critical to consider whether or not you can easily mount your storage shelves to the wall. Even if you don’t live in an earthquake-prone area, accidents can happen and storage shelves can come crashing down. Protect yourself, your belongings, and your cars by choosing shelving you can attach and secure to the wall of your garage. That way, you’ll never have the unpleasant surprise of a falling shelving structure.
FAQs
Q: Is it cheaper to buy or build storage shelves?
While it might seem like it’s cheaper to build your own storage shelves, that’s a project that can wind up costing more than you think. Instead of purchasing your own materials, hardware, and more, you can have an affordably priced shelving unit delivered right to your door (complete with instructions). Plus, buying storage shelves saves you time!
Q: How deep should a storage shelf be?
This totally depends on what, exactly, you’re planning to store on your shelves. Think about what you’re going to put on them and measure it! If you’ll be using storage bins, measure their length or width. If you’re putting buckets or large tools, measure them in a couple directions to make sure they’ll fit. Then, you’ll know what to search for in terms of shelf depth.
Q: Is shelving hard to put together?
In general, storage shelves are pretty simple and straightforward to assemble. In fact, you’ll even find options mentioned above that require no tools. With brief instructions and a bit of hardware, it’s usually pretty easy to pull together an entire shelving unit in minutes.
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Founded as the /DRIVE YouTube channel before growing into a full-fledged online publication in 2015, The Drive brings you the best of what’s new in the world of speed, from gear reviews to the latest industry coverage—all from a veteran team of writers and editors with many decades of combined hands-on experience. Our reviews are driven by a combination of hands-on testing, expert input, “wisdom of the crowd” assessments from actual buyers, and our own expertise. We always aim to offer genuine, accurate guides to help you find the best picks.