Metal Stillages for Storage, Handling and Transport
You need a stillage that fits the load, the way it moves and the space it occupies between movements. JS Burgess designs and manufactures metal stillages for industrial storage, handling and transport, from repeatable standard designs to fully bespoke solutions built around your components and process.
Whether you’re protecting long profiles, moving automotive parts line-side, carrying construction materials or improving warehouse storage, we’ll help you specify a steel stillage that works safely and efficiently within your operation.
Every product is designed and manufactured at our UK facility, with the capacity to support prototypes, repeat orders and high-volume production programmes.
Find the Right Metal Stillage for Your Operation
The right stillage starts with the job it needs to do.
Use the selector to narrow down the most relevant product type, then tell us about the load, handling method and quantities you need.
What are you handling? Profiles, automotive parts, tyres, pipes or construction materials, curtain walling, glass, beds or mattresses, warehouse stock, or another product.
How will it move? Forklift, pallet truck, conveyor, crane-assisted operation or another handling method.
What matters most? Damage protection, stackability, return transport, fast access, containment, storage density or line-side presentation.
Do you need a standard design, an adaptation to an existing fleet or a completely bespoke stillage?
Make an EnquiryWhat Are Metal Stillages?
Metal stillages are reusable steel frames, platforms or containers designed to support goods during storage, handling and transport. They’re sometimes described as steel stillages, steel pallets or post pallets, depending on the design and application.
Unlike a basic timber pallet, a metal stillage can be built with posts, sides, dividers, doors, dunnage or purpose-designed supports that hold the load in the correct position. That makes stillages particularly useful for long, heavy, bulky, fragile or high-value components that need more protection and control through the supply chain.
A well-designed stillage can help you reduce product damage, improve loading and unloading, use warehouse and vehicle space more effectively, and create a repeatable handling process for your team.
Make an EnquiryWhy choose JS Burgess metal stillages?
Your stillage should solve a handling problem, not create a new one.
We design each solution around how the load is presented, moved, protected, stored and returned.
| Benefit | What it means for you |
| Designed around the load | Dimensions, supports, access points and dunnage can be planned around the product rather than forcing the product into a generic frame. |
| Built for your handling process | Fork pockets, pallet-truck access, castors, lifting considerations and operator access can be designed around the way the stillage will move through your site. |
| Better use of space | Stackable, folding, collapsible or demountable designs can help you use warehouse, vehicle and return-transport capacity more efficiently. |
| Protection where it matters | Mesh, sheet steel, posts, dividers, straps and bespoke dunnage can help keep components separated, supported and easier to identify. |
| UK design and manufacture | You can work directly with an in-house engineering and manufacturing team, from an initial brief or drawing through to repeat production. |
| Support for volume programmes | JS Burgess can support prototypes, approval samples, repeat batches and large production runs where consistent manufacture and delivery control matter. |
For a wider view of JS Burgess design, fabrication, finishing and logistics support, explore our manufacturing capabilities.
Make an EnquiryExplore Our Metal Stillage Range
Choose the category that best matches your load or process. Each specialist page includes examples and more detailed application information.
Profile Stillages
Support long aluminium, PVC and plastic extrusions along their length while reducing contact and movement that could damage finished surfaces. Profile stillages can be designed around your product lengths, handling method, stacking requirements and preferred dunnage.
Automotive Stillages
Move components safely between suppliers, storage and line-side use. Automotive stillages can incorporate bespoke dunnage, defined part locations and operator-focused access for items such as windscreens, exhausts, bumpers, fuel tanks and interior components.
Pipe & Construction Stillage
Give pipes, profiles and conduit continuous support during storage and transport. Choose options such as folding or demountable legs and protective dunnage where sensitive finishes need to be kept away from direct steel contact.
Curtain Wall Stillages
Transport window modules, glazing systems and curtain wall components with a design suited to the panel size, route and site conditions. Flat-load and upright solutions can be considered alongside access, wind exposure, stacking and transport efficiency.
Tyre stillages
Store and move automotive, commercial and specialist tyres while preventing movement and making better use of warehouse space. Stackable and collapsible designs can be configured around tyre dimensions, fleet compatibility and return logistics.
Post pallet stillages
Upgrade from a basic pallet when you need secure vertical stacking and easier access to the load. Post pallets can be specified with bar, mesh or solid floors, stacking features, ticket holders and identification options.
Glass handling stillages
Support glass, sheet materials and finished panels using A-frame or L-frame configurations designed around the load size, required capacity and handling method. Optional dunnage, side restraints, fork guides, castors and locking features can be considered.
Bed Stillages
Protect mattresses, bed frames, components and finished products from the factory floor through storage and distribution. Folding and demountable options can help reduce the space used by empty stillages between movements.
Standard and bespoke stillages manufactured in the UK
If you’re comparing metal stillages for sale, the most important question isn’t simply whether a product is available. It’s whether the design fits your load, handling equipment, storage layout and return journey.
Some requirements can be met with a proven design or a small adaptation. Others need a custom metal stillage developed around a component, an existing fleet or a new production process. You can come to us with a drawing, a CAD file, a sample product or simply the handling problem you need to solve.
Depending on the project, we can support concept development, 3D modelling, prototypes or approval samples before repeat manufacture. Some stock stillages may be available on a two-day lead time, subject to current availability and the required specification. Bespoke lead times will depend on design, quantity, finish and delivery requirements.
Configure Your Metal Stillage
A stillage can be kept simple or engineered around a detailed process. The options below show the areas we can discuss when developing your specification.
| Option | How it can support your operation |
| Open posts or open sides | Provide clear access and visibility for long products, boxes or components that do not need full containment. |
| Mesh sides | Keep contents contained while maintaining visibility and ventilation. |
| Sheet-steel sides | Provide stronger separation and protection for small parts or loads that need more complete containment. |
| Drop fronts, doors or hatches | Improve access at loading, picking or line-side stages without dismantling the whole stillage. |
| Removable dividers or posts | Adapt the same basic frame to different products, batch sizes or loading sequences. |
| Folding, collapsible or demountable design | Reduce empty-return and storage volume when the stillage is not carrying a load. |
| Fork pockets, pallet access or castors | Match the stillage to forklifts, pallet trucks, tugs or manual movement within the intended process. |
| Dunnage and load protection | Use rubber, felt, PU, textile, bag or custom-formed supports where components need separation or surface protection. |
| Stacking features | Use feet, cups, nipples or other defined interfaces to support stable vertical storage within the approved design. |
| Finish and identification | Choose wet paint, powder coating or galvanising where appropriate, plus RAL colour matching, stencilling, ticket holders or labels. |
The final configuration, safe working load and handling instructions must be agreed for the specific design and intended use.
How to Specify a Stillage
You don’t need a finished drawing before you contact us. The following information gives our team a useful starting point and helps us recommend the right approach.
- What the stillage will carry, including the product type, dimensions, weight and any vulnerable surfaces.
- The maximum load and the safe working load you need the design to support.
- How the stillage will be loaded, unloaded and moved, including forklift, pallet-truck, conveyor, tug or crane-assisted operations.
- Whether the units need to stack when full, nest, fold or dismantle when empty.
- The access you need, such as open sides, removable posts, drop fronts, doors or hatches.
- Any dunnage, separators, restraints, castors, labelling, ticket holders or Kanban requirements.
- The operating environment and preferred finish, including indoor, outdoor, wet, corrosive or demanding site conditions.
- Required quantity, repeat-order expectations, delivery location and target programme.
- Any existing drawings, CAD files, sample products or stillages that the new design must match.
From Handling Challenge to Manufactured Stillage
A bespoke stillage should make the process easier for the people using it. Our team can work with you from an early concept or established design through to manufacture and delivery.
- Share the load and process. Tell us what you’re handling, where the current problems occur and what the stillage needs to improve.
- Develop the design. Our in-house team can use 3D modelling to review dimensions, access, ergonomics, protection and handling interfaces.
- Confirm the solution. Where required, a prototype, sample, or first-off approval can be produced before the wider manufacturing run.
- Manufacture and finish. Fabrication, welding, assembly and finishing are managed through JS Burgess manufacturing facilities, with options including paint, powder coating and galvanising.
- Plan delivery and repeat supply. We can support high-volume orders, project management and delivery coordination for ongoing programmes.
Learn more about our bespoke fabrication service and in-house manufacturing capabilities.
Make an Enquiry
Related Cages and Material-Handling Products
A metal stillage isn’t always the best fit. If your priority is full containment, parcel movement, cylinder storage or loose-part handling, one of the related products below may be more appropriate.
| Related product | When to consider it |
| Steel cages | For contained storage and transport where visibility, ventilation and secure sides are important. |
| Gas cylinder transport cages | For the storage and movement of LPG or other cylinders within a purpose-designed cage solution. |
| Parcel cage stillages | For parcels, totes and distribution flows where folding and one-person operation may improve the return cycle. |
| Collapsible cage stillages | For contained loads where the empty cage needs to fold down for storage or return transport. |
| Industrial bins | For small parts, components or materials that benefit from solid-sided containment rather than an open stillage. |
Metal stillage FAQs
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is a metal stillage? | A metal stillage is a reusable steel frame, platform or container used to support goods during storage, handling and transport. Designs range from simple post pallets to fully contained or component-specific structures with dunnage, dividers and access features.
A stillage is usually selected where a basic pallet does not provide enough support, protection or control for the load. |
| What is the difference between a stillage, a pallet and a cage? | A pallet is generally a flat load platform. A stillage usually adds posts, frames, supports or other features that help locate, stack or protect the goods. A cage provides more complete containment through mesh or solid sides. The terms can overlap, so the best choice depends on the load, access requirements, handling equipment and storage process. |
| What types of metal stillage do you manufacture? | JS Burgess manufactures profile, automotive, tyre, transport and warehouse, post pallet, pipe and construction, curtain wall, glass handling, and bed or mattress stillages. We also produce bespoke stillages for products and processes that do not fit an established category. Related ranges include steel cages, parcel cages, gas cylinder cages and industrial bins. |
| Can you design a bespoke stillage for a specific component? | Yes. You can provide a drawing, CAD file, sample component, existing stillage or an outline of the handling challenge. The design can be developed around the component dimensions, required orientation, vulnerable surfaces, operator access, pack factor, safe working load, handling equipment and return logistics. Prototypes or approval samples can be discussed where required. |
| Can metal stillages be stacked or folded when empty? | They can be designed to stack when loaded and, where appropriate, fold, collapse, nest or dismantle when empty. These features can reduce the warehouse and vehicle space used during return movements. The stacking arrangement, maximum stack height and operating instructions must be defined for the individual design and used only within the agreed limits. |
| How do I choose the correct dimensions and safe working load? | Start with the maximum product dimensions, total load weight, load distribution and how the stillage will be lifted and supported. You should also account for access, dunnage, stacking, transport constraints and any future product variants. JS Burgess can use this information to develop the specification, but the final safe working load and handling method must relate to the approved design and intended use. |
| Can you add dunnage, dividers, castors, doors or removable posts? | Yes, where they are suitable for the application. Options can include rubber, felt, PU, textile or custom dunnage; removable dividers and posts; mesh or sheet panels; drop fronts, doors and hatches; castors; ticket holders; labels; and defined stacking features. The configuration should be selected around the product, workflow and handling risks rather than added as a generic extra. |
| What finishes are available for steel stillages? | Available finishing routes include industrial paint, powder coating and galvanising, depending on the product and operating environment. Colour matching to an appropriate RAL shade can be discussed, along with stencilling and identification requirements. The right finish will depend on whether the stillage is used indoors, outdoors or in wet, corrosive or abrasive conditions. |
| Are stillages covered by LOLER? | HSE guidance generally treats pallets and stillages as part of the load, including permanent or semi-permanent lifting points in most cases. LOLER applies to the lifting equipment and lifting accessories used in the operation. However, the exact position depends on the design and use, and the stillage still needs to be suitable, maintained and used safely. Seek advice from a competent person for your specific lifting operation. |
| What information do you need for a quotation? | Provide the load or component description, dimensions and weight; required quantity; preferred stillage size; handling method; stacking or return requirements; access and dunnage needs; finish; delivery location; and target programme. Drawings, CAD files, photographs or sample products are helpful but not essential for an initial conversation. |
| What are the lead times for stock and bespoke stillages? | Some stock stillages may be available on a two-day lead time, subject to availability and final specification. Bespoke lead times depend on the design work, approval process, quantity, materials, finish and delivery programme. Share your required date early so the team can confirm what is realistic for your project. |
| Can JS Burgess manufacture large quantities of stillages? | Yes. JS Burgess manufactures and ships tens of thousands of products each year and can schedule high-volume production runs for complex programmes. The team can support project management and delivery coordination where repeatable quality, batch planning and reliable supply are important. |
Tell Us What Your Stillage Needs to Handle
Give us a brief outline of the product, weight, dimensions, handling method, quantity and any stacking, access or protection requirements. You don’t need to have a finished specification; our team can help you work through the practical options.
Recommended product-type field options: Profile stillage; Automotive stillage; Tyre stillage; Transport or warehouse stillage; Post pallet; Pipe or construction stillage; Curtain wall stillage; Glass handling stillage; Bed or mattress stillage; Other or bespoke.
Recommended project-details: Tell us what the stillage will carry, the approximate dimensions and maximum weight, how it will be moved, whether it needs to stack or fold, the quantity required and any dunnage, access, finish or delivery requirements.
Please don’t hesitate to call us on 01663 719 300 should you have any questions, require a quotation or wish to discuss a specific project with us. We’d be delighted to help. Or alternatively please fill out the form below and we will respond to you shortly.
