Wire Mesh Containers & Warehouse Storage Equipment
Balford manufactures metal storage and turnover equipment in Zhejiang, China: foldable wire mesh containers, folding steel panel bins, steel pallets, stacking racks and automation-ready storage units — as standard sizes or built to your drawing.
The range covers machinery manufacturing, auto parts, textiles, food processing, e-commerce logistics and cold-chain storage. Standard units are quoted from the size tables below; everything else is made to drawing through a DFM review before quoting.
A folding wire mesh container — the standard unit of warehouse turnover. Sides fold flat for return transport.
What We Manufacture
Six product families, all welded steel fabricated in our own plant from laser-cut and formed sheet, tube and wire.
Foldable Wire Mesh Containers
Also called butterfly cages: a welded mesh box on a pallet foot, with sides that fold down for empty return. Four base footprints cover most requirements — variants change the mesh pitch (50 × 50, 50 × 100, 25 × 25 mm), the base beam layout and the wire diameter, which is what moves the rated load between 300 and 1,000 kg.
| Model | Outside size L×W×H (mm) | Mesh | Wire Ø (mm) | Load (kg) | Tare (kg) | Volume (m³) | Stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A-1 | 800 × 600 × 640 | 50 × 50 | 5.8 | 1,000 | 28.1 | 0.22 | 4 high |
| B-1 | 1,000 × 800 × 840 | 50 × 50 | 5.8 | 1,000 | 43.3 | 0.52 | 4 high |
| C-1 | 1,200 × 1,000 × 890 | 50 × 50 | 5.8 | 1,000 | 59.7 | 0.84 | 4 high |
| D-1 | 800 × 500 × 530 | 25 × 50 | 4.8 | 600 | 20.6 | 0.15 | 4 high |
Mesh Boxes & Steel Panel Bins
Where a mesh container is open, a bin carries bulk parts, swarf, food or cold-chain product. The mesh boxes below are welded wire on a steel base; the panel bins replace the mesh with steel sheet, folding for return or fixed for permanent storage.
| Model | Outside L×W×H (mm) | Inside L×W×H (mm) | Wire Ø (mm) | Post / base (mm) | Load (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L-1 | 1,200 × 1,000 × 900 | 1,080 × 900 × 700 | 5.6 | 2.0 / 2.0 | 1,500 |
| L-2 | 1,000 × 800 × 770 | 925 × 725 × 570 | 5.6 | 2.0 / 2.0 | 1,500 |
| L-3 | 1,200 × 1,000 × 770 | 1,125 × 925 × 570 | 5.6 | 2.0 / 2.0 | 1,500 |
| L-4 | 800 × 600 × 660 | 770 × 560 × 430 | 5.5 | 3.8 / 2.3 | 1,000 |
| L-5 | 1,000 × 800 × 880 | 930 × 760 × 650 | 5.5 | 3.8 / 2.3 | 1,000 |
Steel panel bins and angle-iron frames
| Type | Model | Outside (mm) | Inside (mm) | Load (kg) | Stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Folding steel panel bin | L-4 | 1,200 × 1,000 × 900 | 1,080 × 900 × 700 | 1,500 | 3–4 high |
| Folding steel panel bin | L-5 | 1,000 × 800 × 850 | 880 × 700 × 650 | 1,500 | 3–4 high |
| Fixed steel panel bin | L-6 | 840 × 640 × 600 | 740 × 540 × 450 | 1,500 | 3–4 high |
| Fixed steel panel bin | L-7 | 900 × 700 × 660 | 800 × 600 × 500 | 1,200 | 3–4 high |
| Fixed steel panel bin | L-8 | 1,000 × 800 × 800 | 900 × 700 × 640 | 1,200 | 3–4 high |
| Angle-iron frame bin | L-9 | 800 × 600 × 640 | 780 × 585 × 440 | 1,000 | 3–4 high |
| Angle-iron frame bin | L-10 | 1,000 × 800 × 840 | 980 × 785 × 640 | 1,000 | 3–4 high |
Steel Pallets
Half deck or solid deck, three-way or four-way fork entry, in electrostatic powder coating or hot-dip galvanizing. Steel pallets hold their dimensional accuracy under repeated automated handling, which is why they are specified for shuttle systems and AS/R machines as well as for plain forklift work.
| Deck | Size L×W×H (mm) | Deck spacing (mm) | Entry | Dynamic / static load |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Half deck | 1,000 × 800 × 125 | 50 | 3-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
| Half deck | 1,000 × 1,000 × 125 | 60 | 3-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
| Half deck | 1,100 × 1,100 × 125 | 50 | 3-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
| Half deck | 1,000 × 1,200 × 125 | 67 | 3-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
| Half deck | 1,200 × 800 × 125 | 50 | 4-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
| Half deck | 1,200 × 1,000 × 125 | 60 | 4-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
| Half deck | 1,200 × 1,200 × 125 | 67 | 4-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
| Full deck | 1,000 × 800 to 1,200 × 1,200 × 125 | solid deck | 3-way / 4-way | 1–2 t / 4–10 t |
Stacking Racks
Two families with very different jobs. Textile racks hold roll goods — greige, printed, knitted, silk, carpet — with faces that avoid snagging and crushing. Cold-store racks use removable load tubes so a fully loaded rack can be handled by forklift, AGV or stacker crane at −25 °C.
| Use | Model | Outside (mm) | Inside (mm) | Load (kg) | Stack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Textile / fabric roll rack | L-11 | 1,200 × 1,500 × 1,250 | — | 1,000 | 3–4 high |
| Textile / fabric roll rack | L-12 | 1,500 × 1,500 × 1,500 | — | 1,000 | 3–4 high |
| Textile / fabric roll rack | L-13 | 1,200 × 1,000 × 1,000 | — | 1,000 | 3–4 high |
| Cold-store tube-insert rack | L-14 | 1,000 × 1,000 × 1,200 | 800 × 800 × 1,050 | 1,000 | 4–5 high |
| Cold-store tube-insert rack | L-15 | 1,200 × 1,000 × 1,500 | 1,000 × 800 × 1,350 | 1,000 | 4–5 high |
| Cold-store tube-insert rack | L-16 | 1,200 × 1,200 × 1,500 | 1,000 × 1,000 × 1,350 | 1,000 | 4–5 high |
| Cold-store tube-insert rack | L-17 | 1,400 × 1,100 × 1,500 | 1,200 × 900 × 1,350 | 1,000 | 4–5 high |
Automation-Ready Storage Units
An automated warehouse does not forgive a pallet that is 3 mm out or a container whose corner will not repeat. These units are built as standard modules so they can be handled by AS/R machines, shuttle systems and AGVs, and tracked through WMS/WCS — for cold stores, textile warehouses, e-commerce fulfilment and manufacturing plants.
- Dimensional repeatability: footprint and corner geometry held from part to part, because that is what the gripper and the stacker crane index on.
- Identified units: riveted or laser-cut blank areas for barcodes, RFID tags or a stencilled asset number.
- Cold-chain builds: galvanized or powder-coated finishes and load tubes rated for freezer operation.
Custom Automotive Racks and Stillages
Automotive racks are always made to the part: a stillage that carries a body panel, a line-side rack for a sub-assembly, or a returnable container for parts that must not touch each other in transit. We build them from the drawing or the sample part, with protective faces, locators and lifting points where they are needed, and support them with PPAP-aligned documentation and IMDS data for the programme.
Automotive work is covered in more detail on automotive components and material compliance.
Retail and Supermarket Shelving
The same sheet metal, tube and wire processes produce retail fixtures: gondola and wall shelving, display stands, hooks and rails, back panels and price strips. They are quoted from a drawing or a sample layout, powder coated in the colour required, and shipped flat where the design allows so that a store fit-out travels in a reasonable number of cartons.
If you are sourcing fixtures for a supermarket, convenience or warehouse-format store, send the layout and we will come back with the unit list, the steel specification and the packing plan.
Materials and Finishing
Storage equipment is judged by what it does after five years of forklift contact, so the steel and the finish are specified for the duty rather than for the quotation.
- Steel: Q235 carbon steel for frames, bases and panels; wire from 4.6 to 5.8 mm depending on the rated load.
- Welding: TIG, MIG/MAG and spot welding, with fixture-controlled squareness so units stack.
- Finishing: electrostatic powder coating in the colour you specify, or hot-dip galvanizing for outdoor and wash-down use. Wire elements can be zinc plated before assembly.
- Load ratings: quoted per unit, on the stacked configuration you intend to use — a rating for one unit on the floor is not the same number.
Finishing sits inside the same managed network as the rest of the plant — see metal finishing and secondary operations.
How We Make Them
Every stage runs on our own site in Zhuji, Zhejiang, on a 12,000 m² floor with an ISO 9001:2015 quality system:
- Laser cutting and sheet cutting for panels, bases and gussets.
- Tube bending and CNC bending for frames and rails.
- Sheet metal fabrication for formed panels and folded sides.
- Welding of frames, mesh panels and bases, with fixtures that hold squareness.
- Assembly of castors, gates, lids, locators and identification plates.
- Inspection and first-article reporting before the run is released.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can these units be made to our own sizes?
Yes — the tables are the standard range, and most orders are built to a drawing. Send the outside and inside dimensions, the load, the stacking height and how it is handled (forklift, pallet truck, AGV, stacker crane) and we will confirm the steel specification and price.
What is the difference between a mesh container and a mesh box?
The container is the folding turnover unit with a pallet foot, sized so it stacks and is moved by forklift. The mesh box is the same welded wire construction on a heavier base and post section, rated to 1,500 kg, for bulk storage rather than for high-frequency turnover.
How is the load rating decided?
By the wire or sheet gauge, the base beam layout and the stacking height you actually intend to use. Ratings are quoted for the stacked configuration, not for a single unit on the floor, because that is the condition the equipment has to survive.
Can you supply galvanized instead of powder coated?
Yes. Hot-dip galvanizing is the usual choice for outdoor storage, cold rooms and wash-down areas; powder coating gives colour control and a cleaner finish for retail and line-side use.
How are they packed for export?
Folding units ship knocked down or folded flat, which is the main reason the folding designs exist — a return load of empty containers costs a fraction of the loaded volume. Fixed units are nested or stacked with timber protection between layers, and the loading plan is confirmed with the order.
Send Your Drawing or Your Unit List
A drawing, a layout, or just the sizes and loads you need — we will come back with the steel specification, the finish and the price. Engineering feedback is usually returned within one business day.
Related pages
- Industrial carts and storage equipment — the trolley, cart and rack family built to drawing.
- Metal lockers and cabinets — sheet metal storage furniture for changing rooms and workshops.
- Sheet metal fabrication — cutting, punching, bending, welding and assembly in one plant.
- Welding services — TIG, MIG/MAG and spot welding for frames and mesh panels.
- Industrial equipment — the industries these units serve.