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How big is a 10×5 storage unit?

As a business owner, you know that time is money. But space is also money! Often, it can be more economical to use business storage units to stash office supplies, marketing materials, raw materials and other items rather than renting office space for the same. The first challenge here is determining how much storage space you need for your business storage unit. The next challenge is identifying the right amenities to protect your business valuables while they are in storage.

In this article, learn more about how big is a 10 x 5 storage unit. Also learn about how to select the ideal storage unit and prepare your items for storage. You will also learn about different types of storage. Traditional and portable.

How Big Is a 10 x 5 Storage Unit for Business?

When a storage unit is listed as “10 x 5,” what is really meant is that the space measures about 10 feet long by five feet wide. In total, a 10 x 5 storage space usually will deliver about 350-400 cubit feet of storage space. This type of space is much longer than it is wide, so it is less suitable for big, bulky or cumbersome items.

Consideration “ho big” is more applicable for traditional storage units. Because with portable storage, like Box-n-Go, you can order multiple units. This way you do not have to guess on the size of space you need. just order extra units. You will not pay for them if you do not use them.

What Types of Items Fit Well Inside a 10 x 5 Storage Unit?

Visualize a 10 x 5 storage unit as one room in a home. It would be sufficient for two larger items (such as a single king bed and a chest of drawers) and several boxes of goods. Generally you can place one to 1.5 rooms of furniture and belongings in this space. Again, when you use the portable storage approach, like Box-n-go, you can order extra units and use whatever space you need.

For business storage units, you can expect to easily store the following types of items inside a 10 x 5 storage unit.

– Lamps and lighting, extra light bulbs.
– Small desks and desk sets.
– Event furniture and equipment (folding tables, portable easels, etc).
– Printer and copier ink and toner.
– Office chairs and ergonomics aids (foot rests, back supports, et al).
– Paper goods for restrooms and cleaning staff.
– General administrative and office supplies.
– Marketing materials (brochures, business cards, letterhead, envelopes, etc).
– Extra small appliances (copiers, fax machines, scanners, et al).
– Break room supplies (including semi-perishables like sodas, coffee, creamer, et al).

Here, it is important to keep in mind that storing unusual, different-shaped items may limit the amount of space you have for stackable such as boxes of supplies. For this reason, you may want to use two business storage units. One for stackable items that offers easy access. Another for less frequently required awkward or unusual items and office furniture pieces.

Step by Step to Choosing the Perfect Size Business Storage Unit

Follow these steps in order to feel confident you are selecting the perfect size business storage unit for your company’s storage needs.

1. Make your inventory of items to be stored.

When you know exactly what you need to store, this helps you achieve two goals. Select the appropriately-sized business storage units. Maximize the use of your available storage space. Creating your inventory in advance also helps you plan for easy access for items you will need frequently. You don’t want to place these items at the very back of your storage unit under items you rarely if ever need!

When you are using Box-n-go as your storage provider, you will get easy to use inventory sheets to help you keep track of your items.

2. Separate out items by storage unit and measure them.

Boxing up items makes it easy to measure their length, width and depth and choose your storage space size accordingly. If it is not possible to assemble the items to be stored physically to measure them, you can do it on paper. Once you select your business storage units provider, their customer service support team can also provide you with assistance selecting the right size unit.

The idea of separation makes a lot of sense for portable storage units, like Box-n-Go. As long as you keep the inventory, you can easily schedule access to the units you need.

3. Don’t forget to consider the weight of items to be stored.

A single ream of printer paper is pretty easy to lift and carry. But a whole box of printer paper reams can be really heavy and difficult to move or manage, once stored away. This can be especially important when storing items off the ground floor level. You also want to avoid storing heavy valuables on top of lighter items that could be crushed and ruined.

When you are using portable storage, there is an overall weight limitation. So lease consider what you are placing inside your unit.

Some items placed into a traditional storage unit may also benefit from adequate airflow and air circulation around them to avoid degradation and damage. While it may be tempting to pack everything in to your 10 x 5 storage unit to save money, your savings are nullified if your stored items are ruined in the process!

Things are quite different with portable storage like Box-n-Go. Box-n-Go storage units are breathable. So no ventilation and air circulation considerations are important.

4. Other factors in safe storage needs such as temperature control.

One of the worst feelings is to come back to your storage unit and discover your stored items have deteriorated and are no longer usable! You definitely don’t want this to happen to you. Here again, creating your inventory of items to be stored can really help you think through safe storage practices. Will you be storing semi-perishables such as coffee, tea or creamer that needs to be protected from humidity? Are you storing office materials like printer ink, toner cartridges or batteries that may be sensitive to temperature extremes of hot or cold? Are your stored materials unusually rare or valuable?

Answering these types of questions during the inventory planning stage can direct your search towards a business storage unit that will provide for special storage needs, including these:

– Air conditioning and/or heating inside your storage unit.
– Humidity control inside your storage unit.
– Ventilation inside your unit and around stored items.
– Elevation off the ground floor (or second level) to guard against water damage.

All of the above considerations are especially applicable to the traditional storage. With portable storage, like Box-n-Go, due to the unit construction and type of building used to store the units in, the above factors are not as critical.

There are also factors that are applicable to both types of storage:

– Special security measures including on-site security guard, video monitoring, locks, gated entry/exit, limited hours of operation, et al.
– Storage insurance in the case of theft, vandalism, damage or loss of your stored items due to situations beyond your control.

5. Consider employee access to the storage unit.

When you are renting a storage unit for personal use, you probably aren’t too worried about others gaining access to it. Because it will just be you and your family using it. But when the unit is for business purposes, you may need to allow employees access to it as well. Here, it is always smart to talk with your company’s risk management team. They can help you determine which items should be stored for general employee access. As well as which items may best be stored for special access only. This can reduce the potential for theft and insurance claims, which can raise premiums in the future.

6. Choose a strategic location for the storage units.

Finally, consider how often you may need to visit the storage unit and access your business supplies. If you or another company representative will need to visit frequently. Picking a more convenient location can really maximize employee time. For example, if your employees will be visiting the storage unit to pick up supplies for product demonstrations or convention exhibits, you want to choose an easy-access location that is central to where you regularly do business events.

This consideration is very critical when choosing portable storage. Portable storage is delivered to you. So the geography is no longer an issue. You can have your exhibits delivered to convention hall nearby when you need it. Also, you do not have to send your employees out for access. Your items can simply be delivered to you.

By understanding the different storage unit sizes and layouts, you can think through the best unit size to store your business materials, supplies and valuables. By thinking through what you need to store, its size, value and weight, you can select one or more storage units to accommodate your short-term and long-term storage needs.

Finally, by considering the economics of storing necessary business materials and supplies, you can avoid spending more on office space by storing items off-site in a business storage unit instead. This smart move will reduce your business overhead, streamline your daily operations and boost profitability at year-end.

Consider Box-n-Go for all your business storage needs

Box-n-Go can be your one stop solution to all your storage and moving needs. Simply call us at 1-877 269-6461 and we will take care of the rest.