Twin slot shelving is a wall shelving system of metal uprights, screwed to the wall, with brackets that hook into pairs of slots down each upright. The shelves rest on the brackets, so you can move a shelf by lifting its brackets out and hooking them in higher or lower.
It is easy to adjust and takes almost any shelf board. This guide covers the sizes, how to fit it, what it holds, and how it compares with wooden rail shelving such as ours.
How does twin slot shelving work?
Each upright is a metal channel about 25 mm wide with two rows of slots. A bracket’s hooks lock into the slots, which holds it against knocks and movement. On the UK ranges we checked, from Wickes, BiGDUG, and Shopfitting Warehouse, the slots are 32 mm apart, so a shelf moves in 32 mm steps.
Not every system uses the same spacing. Regalraum gives 5 cm slot spacing for its uprights, so buy uprights and brackets from the same range.
Twin slot shelving sizes
Uprights and brackets come in set lengths, which vary by brand. The table lists the lengths sold by two UK retailers.
| Retailer | Upright lengths | Bracket lengths |
|---|---|---|
| Wickes | 425, 997, 1219, and 1981 mm | 170, 220, 270, 320, 370, and 470 mm |
| BiGDUG | 1000, 1220, 1600, and 1980 mm | 170, 270, and 370 mm |
Match the bracket to the shelf depth. Wickes says its 470 mm bracket suits shelves up to 600 mm deep.
How to install twin slot shelving
The uprights carry the whole load, so take the most care fixing them. BiGDUG recommends asking a suitably qualified person to make sure the uprights are installed correctly.
- Check the wall is strong enough and that you won’t drill into pipes or cables.
- Hold the first upright plumb with a spirit level, mark it, and screw it to the wall through every fixing hole.
- Fix the next upright plumb and level with the first, so the slots line up.
- Hang each pair of brackets in the same slot on both uprights, so the shelf sits level.
- Lay the shelf boards on the brackets and fix them if the instructions say to.
On upright spacing, BiGDUG recommends no more than 600 mm apart for its system. Shopfitting Warehouse and twinslotshelving.co.uk say no wider than the shelf boards, and twinslotshelving.co.uk suggests a third upright or closer spacing for shelves over 1 m wide. Follow the figure your supplier gives.