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Ashelf (pl.:shelves)[1] is a flat, horizontal plane used for items that are displayed or stored in ahome,business,store, or elsewhere. It is raised off thefloor and often anchored to awall, supported on its shorter length sides bybrackets, or otherwise anchored tocabinetry by brackets,dowels,screws, ornails. It can also be held up bycolumns or pillars. A shelf is also known as acounter,ledge,mantel, orrack.[1] Tables designed to be placed against a wall, possibly mounted, are known asconsole tables, and are similar to individual shelves.
A shelf can be attached to a wall or other vertical surface, be suspended from aceiling, be a part of a free-standing frame unit, or it can be part of a piece of furniture such as acabinet,bookcase,entertainment center,headboard, and so on. Usually, two to six shelves make up a unit, each shelf being attached perpendicularly to the vertical or diagonal supports and positioned parallel one above the other. Free-standing shelves can be accessible from either one or both longer length sides. A shelf that is attached to a wall with concealed mounting hardware (a floating shelf bracket) is called afloating shelf.[2] A shelf or case designed to hold books is a bookshelf.
The length of the shelf is based upon the space limitations of its siting and the amount of weight which it will be expected to hold. The vertical distance between the shelves is based upon the space limitations of the unit's siting and the height of the objects;adjustable shelving systems allow the vertical distance to be altered. The unit can be fixed or be some form ofmobile shelving. The most heavy-duty shelving ispallet racking. In a store, the front edge of the shelf under the object(s) held might be used to display the name, product number, pricing, and other information about the object(s).
Shelves are normally made of strong materials such aswood,[3]bamboo orsteel, though shelves to hold lighter-weight objects can be made ofglass orplastic.Do it yourself (DIY) shelves can be made from things such as an old door,[4] colored pencils[5] or books.[6] Additionally, shelves can also be 3D printed, allowingdo it yourself (DIY) projects to have intricate detail.
Pipe shelving can be used in ahome,business,store orrestaurant. It generally consists mainly of wood boards resting on black orgalvanized steel gas pipe.Copper pipe can be used but it is not recommended[by whom?] for heavy-duty shelves. Pipe shelving can also be modified to be used as retail clothing displays and wall shelves. Pipe shelving supports rest on the floor with floorflanges (these need not be attached) and attaches to the wall with flanges that are directed backwards. Many different designs exist and some companies make these shelves for commercial and residential applications and others make these shelves as DIY projects.[7]
Pipe shelving is mainly attached to a wall but some companies have designed free standing units. Pipe shelving has even been used in reclamation projects such asshipping container architecture and was used byMarriott Hotels & Resorts in a bar project.[8]
When hanging shelves on a wall, home designers generally try to ensure that the shelf should be no wider than 1.4 x bracket's width and no wider than 1.2 x bracket's height.[citation needed] Spacing brackets for a long shelf should be no more than 4 x shelf-breadth between each bracket - this holds true for normal materials used at home.[9]
Length and size of screws holding the shelf to the wall differ depending on the material of the wall. A good rule of thumb for concrete walls is that the screw should go into the wall at least as far as one-tenth the width of the shelf. But there are shelf systems where a brace is hung on the wall, onto which brackets are attached without screws.
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The word shelf originates in late 14th century Middle English.[1] The word is from the Old Englishscylfe; similar to Low Germanschelf meaning shelf and Old Norse-skjalf meaning bench.[1]
Media related toShelves at Wikimedia Commons