March 11th, 2022

What is a Stillage?

Understanding the Versatility of Stillage Units is Key

As purveyors of Britain’s finest stillage products, we’ve written in depth about stillages in the past, but we still regularly get asked ‘what is a stillage’, so felt the need to address this one head-on for the benefit of our readers.

A stillage is a pretty standard piece of equipment in manufacturing and warehouse environments. It’s also quite common in bars, where it is used to move barrels of beer. But exactly is it?

There are a many different types of stillage, each of which are essentially a form of durable pallet used to hold stored goods off the ground. Most stillages feature a cage resembling a large metal box, which serves to support and prevent the contents of the stillage from slipping out. The cage can also be customised according to what you want to carry or store.

The Benefits of Stillage Cages

Most stillages units are manufactured to be stackable to maximise floor space as much as possible. Offering flexible bulk storage, they also allow your space to become more organised, making it easier to find products when you need them most.

In addition to this, industrial and metal stillages also help to reduce the time it takes to load and unload items or products during transportation, making them and incredibly cost-effective storage and transportation option for many businesses.

Here is a closer look at the benefits of using stillage cages;

Safety

Stillage cages are designed for safety. They ensure the safe retaining of different shapes and sizes of goods. For instance, some have heavy-duty, durable steel sides that can withstand prolonged force from heavy goods, creating a safe working environment in the warehouse, storage facility or shop floor.

Mobility and Handling

Stillages also allow for incredible mobility and handling. They stop your products from falling over while remaining super easy to manoeuvre. Most stillage cages are also designed to attach to forklifts or pallet jacks, further enhancing their mobility.

However, it is still possible to use stillages without forklifts. This is because some stillage models come with wheels that make it easy to move loads in the absence of a forklift driver.

Stacking

Stillages can be stacked, either with a pallet between the stack levels or without. Whichever way you choose, this allows you to store more goods even with limited space.

Common Types of Stillages

Stillages are available in many different types, broadly categorised into the following:

Metal cage stillages

Most metal cage stillages have solid sides or mesh steel as support sheets. However, it is not uncommon to find some with a combination of both.

They are commonly used to hold small products like clumps and strut supports but can also be customised for larger items.

Hypacage

A hypacage is a stillage used for handling, moving, and storing large items. Despite that, it is relatively lightweight due to the presence of a wire mesh exterior. The wire steel mesh walls are also fully compactable through folding, allowing you to store the stillage without occupying too much space.

The average standard Euro hypacage also tends to have side hatches that can be lowered for easier loading and unloading. This has made the hypacage one of the most versatile and convenient options around. They also have a reduced risk of injury and product damage.

A-frame stillages

A-frame stillages are used to move and store large flat items. They feature a cross beam between two legs for support, a design that ensures the load is protected from damage.

As a result, A-frame stillages are popular in the glass industry and other industries that manoeuvre fragile goods. The glass is usually strapped to the inwardly leaning A-frame to reduce the chances of breakage during transportation.

Profile stillage

Profile stillages feature a simple design that allows them to hold items upwards without damaging them. Nonetheless, they can’t store fragile items like glass as safely as A-frame stillages do. Instead, they are more commonly used for materials like extruded plastic and aluminium.

Post pallet stillages

These resemble traditional steel pallets in many aspects, the only extra being that they have posts attached to them, hence the name.

The posts are placed on each corner to make it easy to stack multiple stillages. This reduces the amount of space needed for storage while preventing the products from being damaged by the weight above.

Further classifications

A stillage is a highly customisable piece of equipment, coming in commons sizes but most British manufacturers (ourselves included) offer bespoke size and custom size solutions made to order.

Thus, there are numerous styles and designs that differ from those mentioned above. Most of these are industry-specific, and their design and effectiveness depend on the manufacturer.

Here at RollPallet UK, we have dozens of such designs for various specific purposes.

These include the Collapsible Gitter Box, Collapsible Stillage Cage Pallet, Collapsible Plastic Pallet Box, Jumbo Hypacage Pallet, Hypacage Half Euro Dimensions, Standard Pallet Retention Unit, Euro Pallet Retention Unit, and so much more including fully customised stillage trolleys.

Our collapsible unit options are the most popular for those with busy wholesale FMCG businesses, while the solid stillages are most common for those in need of a fixed, heavy-duty cage for storage.

How to Choose the Right Stillage for Your Business

Obviously, if it’s from RollPallet UK, it’s the right stillage for your business! But with so many options available, how do you find the stillage for you?

Well, it’s all about application. What will be using the stillage for? What kind of goods do you plan to move and store? What does your warehouse storage situation look like? With these questions in mind, you want to look at the following factors:

1. Construction Quality

A good stillage should offer your precious cargo maximum protection. So depending on how fragile your material is, you ought to go for steel pallet cages.

You should also think about the durability. Generally, galvanised steel cages are more resistant to rust and corrosion and will take a long time before they end up in the bin or recycling unit.

2. Stackable Design

This becomes of great importance if you have limited space in your warehouse or factory floor. In that case, you should choose stillages with stackable feet, so you can stack your pallets wherever you deem fit for additional storage.

This design allows you to store more product in the same space, saving you a lot of money in the long run.

Tip: You should also purchase cages compatible with your shelving systems just in case you need to store them on shelves.

3. Easy Storage

How easy is it to store the stillages when they are not in use? If you want super easy, you should go for those that can be folded up or even dismantled during storage. For your safety and the speed of your processes, it’s advised that you pick a design that is easy to dismantle and/or fold.

4. Built-in Security

If you deal with many sensitive goods, you should go for stillages with tamper-resistant measures. Such designs use locks and several other countermeasures to keep the load safe.

Choose Your Ideal Stillage Today

Roll Pallet UK offers an immense collection of stillage cages that suit the needs of all industries. We source our equipment from the best stillage manufacturers in the market, and don’t scrimp on quality or cost.

So, why not place your order today? If you’re unsure what works for you, one of our experts will help you find the perfect stillage for your organisation.