Lockers are used in a variety of commercial spaces. Storage lockers are found in hospitals, gyms, and other public facilities. Users benefit by having access to safe and secure storage for their personal items. Lockers meet these needs while being durable, clean, and multi-functional. There are a number of options available for storage lockers, including style, bank size, tiers, locking hardware, venting, dimensions, colors, tops, and accessories.

From the standpoint of style, your organization may prefer a more standard z-locker shape, an athletic type, or a utility cabinet. The bank size is the number of lockers in any unit. One, two, or three are the most common. Tiers begin with the single tier that is a full height unit and usually extend up to six high. However, some lockers have even higher tiers. The most common number of tiers is one, two, and four. In the U. S., locker systems can be calculated using six feet divided by the number of tiers. The most common unit is 12”. Next common is the 15” and then the 18”. Outside of these sizes are special orders.

The most common venting option is horizontal venting. Also available are lattice mesh and full lattice mesh options. Common lock options are padlock, key, coin key, in-door combination, keypad, RFID, card, and button interface. Locker colors used to be a uniform dark grey. Now, there are other available colors. Materials for lockers may be metal, wood, phenolic, plastic, and High Density Polyethylene (HDPE). Hooks include the metal J hook, double primary hook that are common in the one and two tier unit. Also available are garment rods.

Besides visual appearance, there are other considerations in the selection of locker tops. A slope top might be the preferred selection in school settings because it prevents objects from being stored on the top. On the other hand, a flat top may provide additional storage in another commercial space. In schools, inset handles of combo or loop are common. In other locker rooms raised handles are common. Fillers are used in typical 4”, 8” 12”, and 18” sizes at 72” high.

Recessed locker installation is commonly used in schools. In other spaces, the standard wall installation includes a slop or flat top, side, or front. There is also an island locker installation option. In some cases, the door and trim might display different colors.

Lockers are available in metal, wood, phenolic, and high density polyethylene (HDPE). Metal is a common locker material. This material is low cost, standardized, and has a variety of price points. However, metal requires a significant amount of maintenance, including painting. Metal is also susceptible to dents, rust, corrosion, and it’s difficult to remove graffiti from metal lockers.

Wood is usually found in higher end setting, as this material is more costly. Wood is porous which makes it susceptible to mold, mildew, water damage, and retaining odors. Wood lockers require significant maintenance that includes repainting and refinishing.

Phenolic is used in high traffic areas. This material has a high cost and is extremely heavy. Phenolic has a black core that can lead to exposed edges through delamination.

High density polyethylene (HDPE) is impermeable to moisture and steam. HDPE never rusts, never requires paint, and never delaminates. This material resists odor and is fully customizable. There is solid color throughout. HDPE is composed of recycled materials and is recyclable. No harmful chemical cleaners are necessary.

Some of the common uses of HDPE is for athletic, emergency response, industrial, healthcare, recreational, mining, educational, and specialty environments. Athletic uses are germ and bacteria resistant, as well as impact and dent resistant. In emergency response environments, HDPE can be installed as an open design that allows for air circulation of dry gear. Two-tier units are the most common configuration for industrial environments. HDPE allows for years of storage that is easily cleaned and flexible. In healthcare setting, HDPE is resistant to bacteria and impermeable to moisture. For this type of space, the z-locker is two tiers in one that permits the separation of medical clothing from shoes. Recreational lockers require additional durability as it is one of the most extreme environments. Mining environments will use harsh chemicals and also must withstand use and abuse. Extra ventilation in mining lockers allows for quicker drying. Educational lockers should have an easy to maintain design scheme.

HDPE content varies based on the manufacturer, but post-consumer content in this material is generally up to 34% with some with up to 100%. Post-industrial recycled content is around 25% to 75% which is significantly higher than other locker materials. As HDPE is a solid plastic material, it does not require the paints, coatings, adhesives, or sealants used in other materials.

Another benefit of using HDPE is the reduction of interior noise pollution. Every three decibels increase of sound is twice as loud. A washing machine is just over 74 decibels. The slamming sound of a metal locker door could be compared to an alarm clock at around 81 decibels. The material used for HDPE lockers generates a significantly less noise pollution level.

Some of the LEED credits that HDPE lockers can qualify for are Materials & Resources, Indoor Air Quality, and Building Product Disclosure & Optimization. Organizations could also check the Health Product Declaration (HPD) from the manufacturer that lists any items of concern.

The initial costs of metal is lower than HDPE, but HDPE has lower cleaning, painting, and maintenance costs. HDPE is also resistant to dents. Over 10 to 20 years, metal lockers would generally cost several times more. The installation costs for both materials are similar.