Bulk Storage Containers
Bulk storage containers turn a loose pile of parts, castings, or wire spools into a stackable, forkable unit that a plant can move, count, and put away without repacking every time. This collection is the loose material end of our storage layer, all Vestil, running from a 53 dollar folding plastic crate to a 740 dollar utility box on wheels. The anchor is the collapsible steel wire container that folds down when empty and stacks four high when loaded. Around it sit lockable utility boxes for spill kits and shop supplies, lightweight folding crates for light duty transport, and wire reel caddies that store and dispense electrical spools. The open mesh and molded builds trade the security of a closed cabinet for visibility, drainage, and the ability to collapse out of the way between jobs. The guide below sorts the collection by what you are storing and how it needs to travel.
Compare Caddies & Containers
| Model | Price | Capacity | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vestil Utility Boxes | $587 | 400 lb | View → |
| Vestil Wire Containers | $251 | 1,000-4,000 lb | View → |
| Vestil Wire Reel Caddies | $165 | 300 lb | View → |
| Vestil Economy Wire Reel Caddy | $130 | 150 lb | View → |
| Vestil Folding Container | $53 | 500 lb uniform capacity | View → |
Caddies & Containers Buying Guide
The collapsible wire container is the workhorse. When people search for bulk storage containers, the steel wire mesh basket is usually the picture in their head, and it earns the spot. Vestil's wire containers are all steel welded mesh with corner eyelets for rigidity and stacking, legs wrapped and welded around the base to kill sharp edges, and a front half drop gate that lets a worker load and pick without lifting over the full wall. They stack four high loaded and sit on a base with four inch clearance underneath so a forklift or pallet truck can pick them from any side. Empty, the design collapses down for storage and return freight. Open mesh means you can eyeball inventory, hose the container out, and let a wet or oily part drain instead of pooling. Pricing runs about 250 to 642 dollars by size, and they drop straight into teardrop bays in pallet racking and accessories.
Match the mesh gauge to the load. The three wire container sizes are not the same basket scaled up, they are two different duty classes. The 32 inch VWIRE-32H is 11 gauge mesh with a half inch opening and a 1,000 pound uniform capacity, right for dense small parts, fasteners, and bar ends that would fall through a coarser grid. Step up to the 40 and 48 inch models and the mesh goes to 3 gauge wire on a two inch opening with a 4,000 pound capacity, built for castings, weldments, and heavy bulk that needs the airflow and the strength more than a fine grid. Read the capacity as uniform load spread across the base, not a point load in one corner, and remember that a four high stack puts three full containers of weight on the bottom unit's structure. Size the container to the heaviest thing that will ever sit in it, then confirm the mesh will actually hold your smallest part.
Lockable utility boxes for spill kits and shop supplies. When the contents need a lid and a lock instead of open mesh, the Vestil utility boxes are the answer. Each one is a 48 by 31 inch box rated for a 400 pound uniform load and about 15 cubic feet, with a heavy duty double walled lid sloped to shed moisture, forklift accessible pockets, and a hasp so it can be locked. That combination makes them the standard home for spill kits staged around a plant, sorbent and PPE that has to stay dry, sealed, and grabbable in a hurry, along with shared shop supplies that walk off when they sit on an open shelf. The UBX-Y-NW sits still at 587 dollars; the UBX-Y-W adds five inch solid rubber wheels for 740 dollars so one box follows the crew. Forest green and safety orange builds are available from the factory when the box needs to signal what is inside. If you need real chemical segregation or fire rating, that is a cabinet job, covered in cabinets and shelving.
Folding crates for the light, repeatable move. Not every load is a half ton of castings. The Vestil folding container is a plastic crate at about 18 by 21 by 12 inches that folds down to a three and a half inch stack when empty and weighs nine pounds, so a rack of them collapses into almost nothing between runs. At 53 dollars it is the cheapest unit in the collection and the right tool for hand carried parts, kitting, and the light repeatable move between cells where a steel container is more basket than the job needs. Buy them by the stack: the whole point is that a dozen empties take the space of one, then unfold when the line needs them.
Wire reel caddies store and dispense the spool. Electrical and maintenance crews have a specific version of this problem, the wire reel, and the caddies solve storage and dispensing in one frame. The standard Vestil wire reel caddy holds 300 pounds across four spool bars, has wire guide holes in the bottom for clean pull off, a built in hand hole, and can hang on a wall or ride an optional hand truck, at 165 dollars fixed or 237 dollars with the caster and handle kit. The economy caddy trades capacity for spindle count: 150 pounds total across eleven spool bars, three large axles for reels up to 14 inches and eight small axles for reels up to seven inches, a storage tray on top, and six inch semi pneumatic wheels so it rolls to the job for 130 dollars. Both keep spools off the floor and turning freely, which is the difference between pulling clean wire and fighting a tangle. They pair naturally with the mobile benches in tool storage and workbenches.
Stacking, capacity, and where this fits the plan. However you fill these, OSHA 1910.176(b) still applies: material stored in tiers has to be stacked, blocked, interlocked, and limited in height so it stays stable and secure against sliding or collapse. That is the standing argument for honoring the four high limit on the wire containers, keeping the heaviest units on the bottom, and not treating a stack rating as a suggestion. Load each container evenly rather than piling weight in one corner, and give a loaded stack a stable footprint before a forklift ever touches it. These containers are the loose material layer that sits underneath the shelving, cabinets, and racking in the wider industrial shelving hub, and they work best when the floor around them is marked so full and empty units stay in their lanes, which is what the tape and line markers in floor markers are for.
Frequently Asked Questions
It depends on the mesh. The 32 inch VWIRE-32H is 11 gauge mesh rated for a 1,000 pound uniform load, while the 40 inch and 48 inch models use heavier 3 gauge wire and carry 4,000 pounds. Treat the number as load spread evenly across the base rather than concentrated in one spot, and derate for a point load.
Yes. The wire containers stack four high when loaded, and each one sits on a base with four inch clearance underneath so a forklift or pallet truck can move it from any side. Follow OSHA 1910.176(b) when you tier them: stacked material has to be stable and secure against sliding or collapse, so keep the heaviest units on the bottom and do not exceed the four high limit.
The steel wire containers are a collapsible design, so they fold down for storage and return freight when empty and go back up when you need them, and the half drop front gate opens for loading and picking. The plastic folding container collapses even smaller, down to a three and a half inch stack.
The standard wire reel caddy holds 300 pounds on four spool bars and can wall mount or ride an optional hand truck. The economy caddy holds 150 pounds but carries eleven spool bars, with three large axles for reels up to 14 inches and eight small axles for reels up to seven inches, plus its own six inch semi pneumatic wheels for rolling to the job.
Yes. Each utility box has a heavy duty double walled lid sloped to shed moisture and a hasp so it can be locked, which is why they are a common home for spill kits and shared shop supplies. They are forklift accessible, and the wheeled version rolls on five inch solid rubber casters.