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Transport damage gets the attention, but a large share of automotive parts are written off while sitting perfectly still. A liner that survives a lorry journey can still creep under a stack of three containers over a winter, and the dent it forms never comes back.
Static and dynamic loads are different engineering problems. A transit liner is judged on how it absorbs a drop and returns to shape in milliseconds. A storage insert is judged on how little it deforms under a constant load applied for eighteen months, because that slow movement is what lets a part settle, rub and lose its datum position.
That is why storage inserts are specified at higher densities than transit dunnage. Where a drop application might use a 30 kg/m3 grade for maximum cushioning, a racked insert often runs 60 kg/m3 or above, trading a little compliance for resistance to permanent set.
Compressive strength guides the selection. EPP spans roughly 0.3 to 2.5 MPa depending on density, and we calculate the contact pressure at each support face from the part weight and the number of stacked containers. The grade is chosen against that figure with a working margin, not against habit.
We then validate the choice with a static load test that holds the insert under its service load for a compressed time window and measures deformation. Results are reported in millimetres so you know what the cavity will look like at the end of its planned life, not just on the day it ships.
Dimensions follow your racking, not a catalogue. Inserts are sized to the beam spacing and clear height of the shelf, with reinforced edges where they are pulled in and out, and hand reliefs positioned for gloves. An insert that fights the shelf gets dropped, and dropped inserts fail early.
Weight discipline still matters. High density is applied only where the load actually passes, while non-structural walls stay lighter. The result is an insert that resists creep at the contact faces without turning every manual shelf pick into a two-person job.
The material is dimensionally stable from about −40 °C to +130 °C, so the same insert design works in an ambient store, a cold room and a drying area. Closed-cell structure means it does not absorb moisture, swell or support mould during humid summers.
Identification features are designed in: a recessed label area so barcode labels sit flat without lifting at the corners, engraved part references, and colour coding where a store holds similar parts on adjacent shelves.
A simple quarterly inspection, checking cavity depth against the original drawing, is enough to catch wear before it reaches the part. Send us your part drawing and rack dimensions and we will return a density proposal with a predicted deformation figure.
