Bin racks turn a wall of loose small parts into a pick face. Instead of fasteners, fittings, seals and terminals sitting in unlabelled boxes on a shelf, each size gets its own bin at a known position, and the person picking can see what is running low without opening anything. For a stores area, a maintenance workshop or an assembly line feed, it is usually the cheapest change that measurably shortens picking time.
The range here splits into two genuinely different formats, and the choice between them decides how the rack behaves for the next ten years.
Louvred panel racks: mixed bin sizes, double-sided
The GPC Bin Racks are 1920 mm high × 930 mm wide, built on a light grey frame with galvanised louvred panels, and available single or double sided. Bins hook onto the louvres rather than sitting on shelves, which is what allows one rack to carry several bin sizes at once and lets you re-arrange the layout later without buying anything.
Five bin sizes are used across the configurations:
- Bin 1 — 106W × 136D × 76H mm
- Bin 2 — 106W × 187D × 76H mm
- Bin 3 — 140W × 274D × 127H mm
- Bin 4 — 210W × 375D × 179H mm
- Bin 5 — 280W × 457D × 254H mm
The double-sided configurations are supplied as bin mixes rather than as an empty frame: BRDS03Z (32×1, 48×2, 24×3, 16×4, 12×5), BRDS07Z (64×2, 48×2, 32×4) and BRDS11Z (48×1, 48×2, 48×3, 24×4). Matching extensions — BRDE08Z and BRDE12Z — carry the same bin counts, so a run can be grown later without changing format.
Read the bin mix, not just the price. A rack loaded with 64 of the smallest bins and a rack loaded with 32 of the largest cost broadly the same and suit completely different stores.
Welded shelf racks: uniform bins, heavier parts
The GPC Galvanised Bin Racks take the other approach. They are constructed from welded steel with bin retainers and hold four bins per shelf across eight shelves, in two depths and one width:
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GRH842 — 455D × 1350W, to suit SB002 bins
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GRH843 — 610D × 1350W, to suit SB003 bins
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GRH845 — 455D × 1350W, to suit SB005 bins
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GRH846 — 610D × 1350W, to suit SB006 bins
The bin retainers matter more than they sound: they stop a pan being pulled clean off the shelf when someone tugs a heavy part out of the back of it. This is the format to specify where the parts are heavy, oily or hot enough that plastic bins on louvres are the wrong answer.
Bins are ordered separately
On the galvanised welded racks, the steel bins are supplied as separate items under SKU SB00BIN. This is the single most common reason a bin rack order arrives looking incomplete, so confirm the bin quantity and size alongside the rack rather than after it.
Choosing between the two
Three questions settle it:
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Do you need more than one bin size on the same rack? If yes, take the louvred panel format — that is exactly what it is for.
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Can the rack be approached from both sides? A double-sided unit doubles the pick face in the same footprint, but only if it stands away from a wall with clear access behind.
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How heavy is the heaviest part? Steel bins on welded shelves with retainers handle abuse that clip-on plastic bins will not.
Where a bin rack stops being the right answer
Bin racks are for parts you pick by hand, several times a day. Once the item is boxed, palletised or too heavy to lift out of a bin, the storage should change with it — see heavy duty shelving for cartons and totes, racking and shelving for the wider range, and workshop storage where drawers rather than open bins are the better fit for tooling and instruments. Our small parts storage guide compares all four formats side by side.
All units here are manufactured by GPC Industries Ltd in the UK. If you are laying out a full stores run rather than buying a single rack, tell us the parts, the bin sizes you already use and the aisle width, and we will configure it around those.
Bin rack FAQs
What is a bin rack?
A rack that gives each size of small part its own bin at a known position, so the person picking can see what is running low without opening anything.
What are the two formats?
Louvred panel racks, where bins hook onto galvanised louvres, and galvanised welded racks with bin retainers that hold four bins per shelf.
What size are the louvred bin racks?
GPC Bin Racks are 1920 mm high by 930 mm wide with a light grey frame and galvanised louvred panels, available single or double sided.
What bin sizes are used?
Five bin sizes: Bin 1 106W x 136D x 76H mm, Bin 2 106W x 187D x 76H mm, Bin 3 140W x 274D x 127H mm, Bin 4 210W x 375D x 179H mm and Bin 5 280W x 457D x 254H mm.
Which double-sided configurations are there?
BRDS03Z, BRDS07Z and BRDS11Z are supplied as bin mixes rather than empty frames. Matching extensions BRDE08Z and BRDE12Z carry the same bin counts.
Are bins included with the galvanised racks?
No. Steel bins are sold separately under SKU SB00BIN, so confirm bin quantity and size with the rack.
Which format should I choose?
Take the louvred format if you need more than one bin size on the same rack, and a double-sided unit if it can be approached from both sides. Steel bins on welded shelves suit heavier parts.
Who makes them?
GPC Industries Ltd, in the UK.
When is a bin rack the wrong answer?
When items are boxed, palletised or too heavy to lift from a bin. See our heavy duty shelving collection and racking and shelving range.
GPC Industries BRDS03Z
