Plastic crates and bins for wholesale distribution
Wholesale distributors of HVAC, plumbing and electrical supplies run shelf bins and stacking parts bins in the warehouse, multi-compartment bins for fittings, totes for conveyors and vertical lift modules, and attached-lid totes for branch transfers and contractor orders. With thousands of small SKUs, the bin is the unit of storage, picking and counting, so its depth, dividers and label face matter as much as its strength.
- Containers
- Shelf bins, compartment bins, stack-nest and VLM totes, attached-lid totes
- Footprints
- 12, 18 and 24 in. shelf depths; 21x15 and 30x22 lidded totes; 600x400 mm
- What goes in
- Copper fittings, valves, wire connectors, breakers, fasteners, filters
- Rules to know
- Location IDs with barcodes; your VLM maker's tray and weight limits
Receiving, putaway, picking and the branch run
A wholesaler's day starts with case-packed product at receiving. Small parts are counted, broken out and put away into bins on shelving or into totes bound for automated storage. Orders are picked from those bins into totes, packed, and sent either to a contractor's counter, a job site, or a branch that restocks from the central DC on a scheduled truck.
MMH described in October 2023 how Van Meter, an Iowa electrical and automation supplies distributor, handles that flow: 30,000 stocked SKUs in a 300,000 sq ft DC, about 4,500 lines a day, with product for shelving or its 18 vertical lift modules decanted into totes that ride a conveyor to eight packing stations. Totes in that system go in and out of machines all day, which sets their size and their base.
Bins and totes on a wholesale floor
| Container | Used for | Footprints | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelf bin | Small parts on 12, 18 or 24 in. shelving | Sized to shelf depth | Akro-Mils sells 4 in. Shelf Bins and 6 in. ShelfMax bins. |
| Hanging or stacking parts bin | Pick faces on louvered panels and racks | Small | AkroBins hang or stack; front openings show the part. |
| Compartment bin | Fittings, connectors, fasteners | 12 and 18 in. depths | Six-compartment bins appear in the MMH case below. |
| Divided box | Mixed small parts in one location | Varies | Akro-Grid dividers make compartments as small as 1-1/8 in. |
| Conveyor or VLM tote | Decant, storage, pick to pack | 600x400 mm, 24x15 | Flat-bottomed totes run best; check your VLM tray height. |
| Attached-lid tote | Branch transfers, will-call, job-site orders | 21x15, 30x22 | ORBIS lists sizes such as 21.8 x 15.2 x 17.1 and 30 x 22 x 20.5 in. |
Location codes, counts and bin upkeep
Bins only work if everyone can find them. Supply House Times advised plumbing and HVAC distributors in June 2015 to give every storage location a unique ID code, place a barcode beside the readable ID, and count case-packed small parts such as copper fittings by the piece when they are received. A bin with a clean label face and a holder for the location tag makes that easier to keep up.
The gains can be large. MMH reported in October 2018 that a construction and mining equipment maker cut the small-parts area at its master parts DC from 150,000 sq ft to about 75,000 sq ft by replacing steel shelving, drawers and corrugated and wooden boxes with six-compartment molded plastic bins in 12- and 18-inch depths. The bin order shipped in 7.5 truckloads, 6.5 fewer than single-compartment bins would have needed, and picker travel fell.
There is no food-contact rule here, but upkeep still matters. Wipe out cutting oil and brass dust when you re-slot a location, replace cracked label holders, and retire bins whose front lips have split, since a broken lip spills fittings into the next bin.
New bins for a re-rack, used totes for the branches
A re-rack or a new building is the time for new bins bought to one depth and one colour scheme, so every aisle reads the same. Measure shelf depth and the clear height between shelves first; a 12, 18 or 24 in. shelf takes a different bin, and bins that stick past the shelf edge get knocked. Akro-Mils says better organization can "Reduce stockouts, improve picking time, and increase storage capacity".
Branch and contractor deliveries are a good place for used attached-lid containers. ORBIS keeps lids permanently attached so covers aren't lost, and says its flip-lid totes nest open to cut empty return space by up to 75%. Akro-Mils builds a padlock eye and steel hinge pins into its ALCs, which helps on will-call shelves. On a lidded tote, our A, B or C grade comes with notes on hinges, lid fingers and the lock eye.
For VLM and conveyor work, use the tote your equipment maker approves, then look for that model used. See nest-stack totes for the tapered types that save space on return trips.
Selling bins when you re-rack or move
Moving to a new DC, merging branches or switching bin systems leaves pallets of older bins and totes behind. We buy them in quantity. Send counts by size and model, colour, condition, whether dividers and label holders are included, and the address. Start at sell totes and crates, or see how distributors in Texas and Illinois get loads moved.
Questions
Which bin sizes fit our shelving depth?
Match the bin to the shelf: 12, 18 and 24 in. shelves each take their own bin depth. Send shelf depth and clear height and we quote bins that sit flush.
Do you have divided or compartment bins for fittings and small electrical parts?
We quote compartment bins and divider sets from makers that make them, including grids with compartments down to 1-1/8 in.
Will these totes work with our conveyor or vertical lift modules?
Give us the conveyor width and your VLM tray dimensions and weight limit. Flat-bottomed totes are the usual fit; we check the model sheet.
Can you buy back bins when we re-rack or move warehouses?
Yes. A count by size and a pickup address get it started.
Sources
Figures on this page come from these pages, last reviewed 2026-11-08. Makers update their sheets; confirm a model's figures on its current sheet before you order.