Check out our large selection of stainless steel storage cabinets for cleanrooms and labs!

If you haven't been tasked with choosing stainless steel storage cabinets for a cleanroom, make no mistake; you have an important job ahead of you. There are many factors to consider. Choosing the right class and gauge of steel is essential for ensuring your new cabinet will hold up to the environment. Other considerations include the type of door, cabinet top, and surface coating. Overwhelmed? We will guide you through these considerations, leading you to buy the perfect stainless steel storage cabinet for the first (or hundredth!) time.

Classes of Stainless Steel

The class of stainless steel is the single most important choice for cabinets in a cleanroom environment. Overall, the 300 series stainless steel is a hard but brittle metal with close to 15-18% chromium and has superior corrosion resistance over the 400 series. Stainless steel Type 304 is the basic alloy. It's nonmagnetic and cold-formed, strengthening the steel. Type 304 is ideal for cleanrooms due to a small corrosion rate, meaning less contaminants and particulates are released in the cleanroom. If industrial chemicals are used in the cleanroom, consider choosing Type 316 steel with higher corrosion resistance. 

Stainless Steel Gauges

The stainless steel cabinet gauge is a measurement of the metal’s thickness. The lower the gauge, the thicker the steel. When choosing a cleanroom stainless steel cabinet, you should opt for a lower gauge. Thick metal is less susceptible to denting and vibrations, preventing the release of particulates into the cleanroom.

Painted Cabinets

Always take potential contaminants into consideration when purchasing stainless steel painted cabinets. A painted cabinet could chip, contaminating the cleanroom or lab. Contamination leads to lost production time which can be very expensive in terms of both time and money.

Cabinet Tops

Don't forget about the cabinet top! If the cabinet will be primarily used for lab applications, a flat top will suffice. However, a stainless steel storage cabinet with a slope top is a better option for a cleanroom application because the cabinet is easily cleaned and won’t allow the accumulation of particulates on the top.

Storage Cabinet Doors

There are several door options for stainless steel storage cabinets; two of the most popular being solid stainless steel and glass stainless steel supply cabinets. If you do choose a glass door you should be aware that it makes it a lot harder to ship. In the shipping process your door could crack or spider depending on the type of class. You never know what shipping and freight companies might run into during shipping.

Stainless steel storage cabinets are certainly worth the investment but it’s important to choose your cabinet carefully and make sure it’s the right type for your cleanroom or lab. Contact Clean Room World today for advice on which stainless steel storage cabinet is right for your needs.

Check out our complete section of type 316 stainless steel tables.