“There are two different types of rivet shelving for a couple of different reasons. Single rivet is more of a medium duty shelf which is used for projects where you are storing things that are not quite as heavy where you don’t need a double rivet unit,” said Buy Metal Shelving Sales Rep Cameron Canfield.  “Double rivet options are for more more serious, weight bearing shelving solutions.”

A double rivet racking example. Notice the two rivets that fit easily into the pre-made slots of the uprights. This configuration holds more weight, but at a price…

It truly is about that simple, but here is an in-depth explanation as to why the two are so different even if they don’t appear too different on the surface.

Let’s begin with why they are called “single rivet” and “double rivet” systems.  That is due to the actual design itself—a single rivet rack will only have one rivet that fits into the slot of the upright.  The double rivet will have two rivets that fit into the pre-made slots on the upright.  Both of these racking systems can be put together without any other tool or bolts, nuts, etc…

A single rivet solution. Notice it appears similar to a double rivet racking system, however with only one rivet holding the weight which offers a lower shelf profile.

Now because of that design, the main benefit of a single rivet unit is you can fit more shelves into the setup because the beams are lower profile compared to the double rivet unit design.

Here is an idea!  Do an Internet search, find photos of the two types and then look at the them side-by-side.  If you happen to be lucky enough to see them in a showroom, bring a ruler or tape measure and you’ll quickly discover that the double rivet unit shelf profiles are 2.75 inches thick and then the single rivet unit shelf profiles are only 1.65 inches thick.

So that means with the single rivet type, you’re saving about 1.5 inches just on a shelf profile alone.  The bonus is that with the 5/8th inch decking that you use on a single rivet unit which is 5/8th inch particle board decking that sits on the shelves, that decking will fit down into the beam and not sit on top of the beams—saving you another 5/8ths of an inch that the double rivet racks won’t allow because the decking sits on top of the shelves and takes away that space.

The single rivet shelf is not as tall as a double rivet, however it cannot hold as much weight as the double rivet racking systems for your warehouse.

If you are looking for as many shelves as possible, then the advantage goes to single rivet design for offering more shelves because the shelves are lower profile, and the decking sits down into the shelving supports.  Again, this means you can fit more actual shelves into the setup than with a double rivet setup.

A single rivet rack allows the decking to actually sit inside the shelf, saving you even more space.

What about when it comes to weight?  Is single rivet just as good as double rivet?

“As far as the weight restrictions go, with a single rivet unit you can get up to 350 pounds per shelf, which in a lot of people’s situations that is perfect because normally they don’t need more than that,” said Canfield.  “On the other hand with the double rivet units you can get up to 2,000 pounds on the channel beam (shelves) but it has to have its center supports in it.  So you can get significant more weight on a double rivet unit.”

Notice how thick/tall the profile is to a double rivet shelf? Also notice the pre-drilled holes for bracing that increases the weight load of a double rivet shelving system.

There is a clear advantage to the double rivet if you have some serious weight to store.

Now in the size category, there isn’t much difference when it comes to single rivet versus double rivet.

“Single rivet and double rivet units actually use the same actual upright posts, so you can go all the way up to a 12 foot high unit because they use the same posts.  There is not any difference as to how high you can go on those.  So we can quick ship up to 12 feet tall for either the double Rivet or Single Rivet units,” adds Canfield.

Single rivet units will usually come in a three foot and a four foot width.  However realize that in a double rivet rack you can get up to 8 feet wide and both options usually all go up to four feet deep, and will come in 12 inches, 18 inches, 24 inches, pretty much in six inch increments all the way up to 48 inches with the quick ship options.

“Single rivet units are perfect for high density storage situations,” explains Canfield.  “If you have shelves or a bunch of boxes that are only seven inches tall, you can get far more shelves into one single rivet unit than you could get into a double rivet unit—the tradeoff however is the weight capacity.  This is because you are saving about two inches per shelf in the profile alone with the single rivet.  We put our Rousseau and other manufacturer’s literature into single rivet units here are work because it doesn’t weigh a lot and the single rivet allows for more shelves so you can stack all the sales literature and buyers catalogs.”

So do you need more shelves?  Then the advantage goes to single rivet systems because they are perfect for smaller items that don’t weigh a lot, and the client wants to have more shelves in there to separate everything and not waste space because the shelves have too tall a profile.

This double rivet uses a typical particle board decking. Notice how any decking you choose would have to sit atop the shelf, and cut into the useable space available.

What about decking options?  With double rivet you can add either a steel decking or a light weight feather deck, or the solid wood deck.  This is because a lot of those types of decking require center supports to hold that weight load you find with double rivet units.

With single rivet units you just don’t have that center support option to hold that type of decking, so you lose the significant weight bearing capacity and hence, there are not as many decking options.

Another view of a single rivet racking system, showing how the wood deck sits into the shelf, and gives the user more room between shelves.

So that is the difference when it comes to single rivet racking versus double rivet racks?  It could be summed up like this; with the double rivet you have far more decking options and with the double rivet unit you get far, far more weight capacity while still having the ability to center support your items, all of which gives that big weight capacity advantage when storing heavy items.

The single rivet unit’s main benefit is that lower profile so the client can put more shelves into the same amount of space since the shelves have a lower profile.  That right there is the main benefit of the single rivet unit—the high density of the shelving.

“For me it comes down to application,” summarizes Canfield.  “After listening to the customer’s needs, I usually suggest double rivet units unless their needs fit into the single rivet unit specs where you need more actual shelving for a lighter load.”