Purchasing Your Wire Shelving

The Lifetime Ventilated Wire Closet Shelving is a highly functional and cost effective way to outfit a closet, pantry or storage area. This wire shelving is the strongest in the industry and uses the best hardware available to ensure years of reliable performance. All the shelving is sold by the foot (rounded up to the nearest whole foot) and custom cut to fit your dimensions. We offer our both the standard tight mesh shelving, and unique Open Slide shelving in 12 and 16 inch depths, and the tight mesh in also available in 9 and 20 inch depths. If you're ready to go, scroll down to start designing and building your new closet, or use the links below to jump to a specific closet component.

Measure Your Space | Tight Mesh Shelving | Open Slide Shelving | End Mounting Brackets
Shelf Support Braces | Versa Clips | Vertical Support Pole and Shelf Clips | Shoe Shelf Bracket | Design Help

MEASURE YOUR SPACE - Below are some suggestions for measuring your closet or wall space where your will be installing the new shelving. Please note that you will need to order each shelf size and type individually.

Wall to Wall (walls on each end) - measure the back wall and deduct one inch from the total length (remember to also round down to the nearest half inch). The one inch deduction is to allow for corners that are out of square and ease of installation. The end mounting brackets, which need to be purchased separately, allow for the wire to be cut short at least one inch, and are used to hold and support the front ends of the shelf when a side wall is present.
Wall to Open (wall on one side) - measure the length of the wall that will carry the shelf and deduct one half inch after you round down to the nearest half inch (remember you will still need one end mounting bracket for the side wall).
Open End to Open End (no side walls) - simply determine the length of shelf desired. No deduction is necessary and no end mounting brackets are needed. You will, however, need at least two of the appropriate-sized shelf support braces found on our Wire Closet Shelving page.

Once you select a shelf style and depth you would like to order and have measured your space, enter the length (width) of shelf you need into the Length in Inches: field on the appropriate product page. Remember to round your length to the nearest half inch. You can adjust the quantity field if you need more that one shelf, but please note that different shelf lengths MUST be added to your cart separately. Due to shipping restrictions on small package delivery we can only ship shelves that are up to 90 inches long. If you require shelves longer than 90 inches, the total length of shelving should be ordered in half lengths and a joiner support clip can be used to secure the two shelves together.

TIGHT MESH SHELVING - Tight mesh wire shelving has twice the number of cross members, which provides a flatter surface and added strength. The tight mesh design helps prevent items from tipping over and smaller items from falling through the open spaces, as well as less of a waffling affect on the clothing resting on the shelves. Tight mesh shelving is a great option for any closet space, and remember that we will custom cut each shelf for you.

SHOP NOW: 9 Inch | 12 Inch | 16 Inch

OPEN SLIDE SHELVING - Open Slide wire shelving is awesome for closet spaces where you will be hanging clothes because the unique design allows hangers to slide completely uninterrupted from one end of the shelf to the other. This is in contrast to traditional wire shelving where you can only slide the hanger about ten inches from side to side making it difficult to select and remove garments. These shelves are a great option for bedroom closets, coat closets, and laundry room spaces. If any ends of your open slide shelving are open or do not reach a side wall, you can add end caps to those ends of each shelf to prevent hangers from sliding or falling off.

SHOP NOW: 12 Inch | 16 Inch

END MOUNTING BRACKETS - An end mounting bracket must be installed on any side wall that your new shelving reaches. The end mounting bracket comes in one universal size and supports all sizes of our available tight mesh and open slide shelving, and includes the necessary tri-loc mounting hardware for secure installation into drywall or wood stud. If you feel like your closet walls are not square enough for an easy installation, the angled end mounting brackets should be ordered instead. They swivel up to 45 degrees to help account for any imperfections.

SHOP NOW: End Mounting Bracket | Angled End Mounting Bracket

WIRE SHELVING DOUBLE END CAPS - Wire Shelving Double End Caps install onto 12 and 16 Inch Open Slide Closet Shelving to provide a finished appearance and prevent clothing from falling off the end of the wire rail. Double End Caps are sold in sets of two and easy to install by simply pressing onto the ends. End caps provide a more finished appearance and prevent fabric snagging and damage to your hands when rummaging through your closet.

SHOP NOW: Wire Shelving Double End Caps

OPEN SLIDE END CAPS - End caps finish off your Open Slide Wire Shelves and prevent snagging to your garments. Made of pliable rubber, these white caps come in packs of 40 (20 medium and 20 large), which should cover most closets. Wire shelving end caps provide a neat, finished appearance and prevent damage to your hands and your skin from raw-cut edges. Designed specifically for Open Slide Wire Shelving, these caps give your custom closet a professional look.

SHOP NOW: End Caps for Wire Shelving - Open Slide

TIGHT MESH END CAPS - Give a finished appearance to your Tight Mesh Shelving using Tight Mesh End Caps for Wire Shelving. The white rubber caps conceal jagged edges and prevent runs in clothes and damage to your skin when rummaging through the closet. The rubber end caps are easy to apply and come in sets of 40 (30 medium and 10 large), which should be enough for most-sized closets. Tight Mesh Wire Shelving looks much more professional with the addition of these white end caps.

SHOP NOW: End Caps for Wire Shelving - Tight Mesh

OPEN SLIDE CORNER SHELF - Purchase Open Slide Wire Corner Shelf - 12 Inch for a more finished appearance in your 12 Inch Open Slide Wire Closet. The corner shelf adds a continuous hang bar where you might normally have two shelves butting together or overlapping in a corner. It makes a handsome addition to any wire closet by providing a convenient continuous hanging bar for clothing. It's super-easy to install with the included hardware and makes for a more handsome, professional-looking custom closet.

SHOP NOW: Open Slide Wire Corner Shelf - 12 Inch

SHELF SUPPORT BRACES - If any of your shelves measure longer than 36 inches OR do not reach a side wall, you must order the appropriate size of shelf support bracket for proper installation. It is recommended a shelf support bracket be placed on each end, and every 18 to 24 inches along the length of the shelf depending on expected weight loads. For heavy duty jobs, we recommend using both end mounting brackets and shelf support brackets when installing shelves. Each bracket includes tri-loc mounting hardware for secure installation into drywall or wood stud.

SHOP NOW: 9 Inch | 12 Inch | 16 Inch

VERSA CLIPS - Regardless of the design and which brackets you use, the appropriate amount of Versa Clips need to be ordered and used to hold the back of the shelf to the wall. Also called "back clips" by most, Versa Clips should be installed at each end of the shelf, and at least every ten inches along the length of the shelf. You should also mount some of your Versa Clips ABOVE the shelving to prevent the shelf from popping out of the other clips when there is a lot of weight resting on the front of the shelf. Versa Clips are sold as a set of 10, and include the necessary hardware for installation.

SHOP NOW: Versa Clips - Set of 12

VERTICAL SUPPORT POLE and SHELF CLIPS - The vertical support poles and shelf clips can be used for added strength in larger closets, or as an alternative to using the shelf support brackets if you want to minimize the amount of mounting hardware going into your walls. The support pole stands at the front edge of the wire shelving, and the clips simply screw in place on the pole to support the front of the shelf. If you opt for support poles and clips, it is recommended they are placed at each end, and approximately every 36 inches along the length of the shelving. As always, proper installation will also require Versa Clips along the back of each shelf. Please note that the shelf clips are sold as a set of 5.

SHOP NOW: Vertical Support Pole | Shelf Clips - Set of 5 | Metal Shelf Clips

SHOE SHELF BRACKET - The plastic shoe shelf bracket can be used to transform a standard 12 Inch Tight Mesh shelf into a shoe storage rack in your closet design. To create your shoe rack simply invert the 12 inch tight mesh shelf so the front lip is facing up and serves as a guard to hold shoes in place, mount the back of the shelf along the wall with the required Versa Clips, and then let the angled shelf rest on this bracket. The bracket can rest against the wall or floor, and creates an angled shoe rack for simple storage and display of all your favorite footwear in a closet, mudroom, or entryway.

SHOP NOW: Wire Shoe Rack Shelf Bracket