Steel Shelving and a Storage Mezzanine for Nucor Steel Utah in Plymouth, UT

Steel mills run around the clock, and the equipment that keeps them moving, from overhead cranes to mobile machines, depends on spare parts, supplies and tools being where the crew expects them. Floor space inside the plant is valuable, and every storage project has to fit around existing building structure, traffic and production.

The plant needed two things: dependable shelving for boxed parts and supplies, and more usable storage area without building out. Steel shelving covered the first. A storage mezzanine covered the second by adding a deck above the floor instead of taking more floor.

Pairing both in one order meant one supplier coordinated two manufacturers, one set of approvals and one point of contact in Salt Lake City.

The mezzanine is a Panel Built structural steel design: square tube columns on base plates, structural perimeter and intermediate beams, and bar joists under the deck. It was specified to a seismic design category suited to the site, and the specification notes that the owner should confirm the existing floor can carry the column loads, a standard step for any mezzanine.

When the plant asked how the structure goes together, our answer was that it is almost entirely bolted. These mezzanines are meant to be modular, so they can be moved or extended later if the storage area changes.

See our Panel Built page for the manufacturer, and industrial mezzanines for the full range of mezzanine types.

ResinDek floor. The plant asked whether the deck would be diamond plate or grating. It was quoted with ResinDek, an engineered wood panel with a resin coating, laid over a galvanized steel sub-deck. It gives a smooth surface for carts and hand pallet trucks and is quieter underfoot than open grating.

Stair and handrail. The package includes an OSHA stair with diamond plate treads and a landing, plus handrail meant for factory and storage occupancies, finished in safety yellow with a kick plate. The plant also looked at a steeper stair that climbs more like a ship’s ladder to save floor space, and chose to keep the standard stair from the original design.

Our industrial stairs and work platforms page covers stair types and when a steeper design makes sense.

• Verify on site before production. Existing beams, columns and utilities decide where a mezzanine can go. A field check is cheaper than a field fix.
• Confirm the slab. Mezzanine columns put concentrated loads on the floor. Have the floor checked before you commit to a footprint.
• Choose the stair early. A standard stair takes more floor; a steeper stair saves space but is harder to climb with parts in hand. Decide before drawings are final.
• Plan seismic details. Much of Utah is an active seismic area, so tall shelving is commonly anchored and mezzanines are designed to a seismic category. Our shelving anchoring guide covers the common questions.
• Schedule around outages. Approvals, deliveries and installation are easier when they line up with the plant’s maintenance calendar.
• Keep shelving flexible. Adjustable steel shelving can be re-spaced as the spare parts list changes, and some common sizes are in stock at select manufacturers, subject to confirmation.