Kitting out an office, depot or site with lockers looks simple until you start specifying. How many doors? Allocated to each person, or shared on a daily-use basis? What lock? Where do phones and laptops get charged? This guide walks through how to choose staff lockers and workplace lockers for an adult workforce — the practical decisions that decide whether a bank of lockers actually works on day one and still works in five years.
It is written for offices, warehouses, factories, depots and mixed sites. If you are buying for a school or a gym, we have dedicated guides for school lockers and gym and leisure lockers that cover the safeguarding and wet-area points those settings need.
Start with one question: allocated or daily-use?
Almost every other decision follows from how the lockers will be used.
Allocated lockers give each member of staff their own compartment, kept long-term. This suits a stable workforce where everyone is on site most days — they want somewhere to leave a coat, bag, helmet or personal kit. You need roughly one compartment per person, so taller single- or double-door lockers tend to win because they hold a full-length coat and a bag.
Daily-use (or "shift" / hot-desk) lockers are shared. Staff take any free locker at the start of a shift and clear it at the end. This suits shift patterns, hybrid offices and large sites where not everyone is in at once, because you can serve more people with fewer lockers — often a 6, 8 or more compartment-per-bay format. The trade-off is that daily-use banks need a lock type that resets easily between users (see below).
Get this right first: it sets your door count, your footprint and your lock choice in one decision. If you are unsure, count peak simultaneous occupancy rather than total headcount — that is the number that matters.
Sizing and configuration
Lockers are described by the number of doors (compartments) per bay, typically from 1 to 16:
- 1 and 2 door — tall compartments for full-length coats, large bags and bulky PPE. Best for allocated use where storage volume matters.
- 3, 4 and 6 door — the office and general-workplace workhorses. Enough room for a coat folded over, a bag and personal items, while fitting more people into the same floor space.
- 8 to 16 door — compact cube compartments for daily-use, valuables-only or device storage, where people only need somewhere secure for a phone, wallet and keys.
Standard banks are usually around 1,800mm tall on a plinth or feet. Wider compartments are worth specifying where staff carry hard hats, hi-vis, boots or sports kit — a standard-width door can be a tight squeeze for bulky PPE. Think about footprint too: nesting lockers side by side in runs against a wall is the most space-efficient layout, and sloping tops stop the top surface becoming a dumping ground.
Material and finish: why steel
For a shared adult environment, welded steel lockers are the sensible default. They take daily knocks, resist forced entry far better than flat-pack laminate, and last for years rather than seasons. Powder-coated mild steel is the standard finish and gives you a wide colour choice for zoning departments or shifts.
Consider the environment: in damp, dusty or outdoor-adjacent areas (loading bays, washrooms, changing areas) perforated or vision-panel doors help ventilation so kit and PPE can dry, and make it easy to see at a glance which lockers are occupied. In clean office settings, solid doors look tidier. Our workplace lockers range is built around UK-made Probe steel lockers, so the same family covers solid, perforated and vision-panel doors across door counts.
Choosing the right lock
The lock is where workplace lockers most often go wrong, because allocated and daily-use need different things.
- Cam locks (key) — simple and cheap, ideal for allocated lockers where each person keeps a key long-term. You will need a key-management system and a master key for lost keys.
- Hasp / padlock — staff supply their own padlock. Low cost to you, flexible, and common on sites — but you have no override if a padlock is lost or someone leaves.
- Coin-return / coin-retain — the classic daily-use lock; the user "rents" the locker with a returnable coin or token and clears it each day. Perfect for shared shift or hot-desk banks.
- Combination locks — no keys to issue or lose; codes can be reset between users, which suits both allocated and daily-use.
- Electronic / RFID / keypad — staff use an existing ID card or a chosen PIN. Best for larger or hybrid workplaces; many give facilities a digital audit and a staff override for forgotten codes.
Rule of thumb: allocated banks suit cam, combination or electronic locks; daily-use banks suit coin-return, combination or RFID so the locker frees up cleanly for the next person.
Charging lockers for phones, laptops and devices
More and more workplaces need somewhere secure to charge devices — site phones, two-way radios, tablets on the shop floor, or laptops in a hot-desk office. Rather than running extension leads, charging lockers build USB or mains sockets into each compartment so kit charges while it is locked away. If device charging is part of the brief, look at our charging lockers range, which covers USB-A, USB-C and 3-pin mains versions — and bear in mind any mains installation should be signed off by a competent electrician.
Quantity, layout and the practical details
A few things that are easy to overlook but matter on installation day:
- Quantity — for allocated use, plan one compartment per person plus a small contingency for new starters. For daily-use, base it on peak simultaneous occupancy, not headcount.
- Fixing — tall locker banks should be fixed back to a wall or bolted together in runs so they cannot be pulled over. Don't site them blocking fire routes.
- Seating — if staff change footwear or PPE, pair lockers with cloakroom benches so there is somewhere to sit.
- Identification — number plates, colour zoning by department or shift, and a simple register keep a large bank manageable.
- Accessibility — include some lower compartments within easy reach for anyone who cannot use the top tier comfortably.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between staff lockers and workplace lockers? None, really — the terms are used interchangeably for lockers provided for employees. "Staff lockers" tends to emphasise personal storage, "workplace lockers" the general office or industrial setting. Both are specified the same way.
How many lockers do I need? For allocated use, one per person plus a small buffer. For daily-use, count the maximum number of people on site at the same time — that is how many compartments you need, and it is usually far fewer than your total headcount.
What size locker is best for an office? For most offices, a 3, 4 or 6-door format gives the best balance of personal space and footprint. Go to taller 1 or 2-door lockers only where staff need to store coats and large bags long-term.
Should I buy steel or laminate lockers? For a shared workforce, welded steel. It withstands daily use, resists break-ins, and lasts. Laminate looks smart in premium office fit-outs but costs more and is less robust under heavy use.
Specifying your lockers
Work through it in order: allocated or daily-use, then door count and size, then door style (solid, perforated or vision-panel), then lock type, then whether you need charging — and finally quantity based on real occupancy. Browse the full lockers range and the UK-made Probe locker collection, or for a refresher on construction and security see our guide to choosing metal lockers for the workplace.