Group of stack and hang bins in red, blue and yellow

Medical storage bins are the smallest unit of a supply system, and the one staff touch most. Get the bins right — the height, the divider, the colour, the label — and picking gets faster on every shelf, cart and wall panel in the building. This page covers the Quantum Medical bin and container families we supply, the manufacturer’s published options for each, and how to choose between them. Labs USA is a supplier and project partner, not the manufacturer; for the shelving the bins live on, see healthcare shelving.

Clinician moving stacked bulk bins loaded with wrapped supplies
22published sizes of stack-and-hang bins
3shelf bin heights: 4, 6 and 8 inch
9colours listed for colour-coded systems
Freebin programme planning with every quote

One bin family per job, not one bin for everything

Most supply rooms fail at the bin level: bins too tall for the shelf pitch, no dividers where small items live, and no colour convention anyone remembers. The fix is cheap, because bins are the least expensive part of the system.

Quantum Medical publishes its bin range as distinct families, each shaped for a different picking job. The families below are the ones we quote most for hospitals, clinics and surgery centers. Every dimension and capacity figure on this page is the manufacturer’s published number from its current bins catalog or a live product page we loaded; anything not published that way is confirmed on the quote instead of guessed here.

The bin and container families we supply

Economy shelf bins in beige, blue, black, yellow and green with divided traysShelf binsOpen-hopper bins in 4, 6 and 8 inch heights, sized for 12, 18 and 24 inch deep shelving. The workhorse of par-level supply rooms.
Ultra stack and hang bins in mixed colours and sizesStack-and-hang bins22 published sizes and 9 colours. Stack on shelves or hang from louvered panels and rails; optional clear windows and dividers.
Large stackable bulk containers in red, black, blue and beigeBulk containersHULK containers from 2 to 3 feet long for bulky, heavy stock, with stacking ledges, optional windows and mobile versions on casters.
Dividable grid containers in grey, red and blue with internal dividersDivided containers and drawersDividable grid containers and heavy-duty drawers that compartmentalise small items for storage, kitting and distribution.
Stack and nest totes in red, blue and grey, one tipped forwardTotes and tubsStack-and-nest totes, cross stack tubs and attached-top containers for distribution and repack routes.
Clear tip-out bin unit with an open hopper frontTip-out binsClear compartments that tip open to 45 degrees, stackable or wall mounted, for the smallest items at the point of use.

Shelf bins: the par-level standard

Shelf bins are open-fronted bins that sit in rows on standard shelving. Quantum publishes three heights — the Economy 4 inch line in 15 sizes and 7 colours, the STORE-MORE 6 inch line in 14 sizes, and the STORE-MAX 8 inch line in 12 sizes — all designed for 12, 18 and 24 inch deep shelf units and racks. On its live pages the manufacturer describes the 8 inch bins as holding 95 percent more than the 4 inch bins and 65 percent more than the 6 inch bins.

Every shelf bin in the line has a molded-in label holder, a wide hopper front for full access, and a rear hang-lock that lets the bin tilt forward on the shelf so staff can reach the back without pulling the bin out. Optional dividers split a bin into lanes — the manufacturer describes them as the way to build a par-level system, and that matches how our hospital customers use them.

The practical rule: pick the bin height from the item, then set the shelf pitch from the bin. A 4 inch bin under an 8 inch shelf pitch wastes half the opening. We check both together — see healthcare shelving for the units these bins are usually specified with.

Red shelf bin with dividers holding collection tubes and small packaged supplies

Stack-and-hang bins and picking bins

The Ultra stack-and-hang family is the most configurable bin Quantum publishes: 22 sizes, 9 colours, published bin load capacities from 15 to 80 pounds when attached to panels or rails, optional clear windows that raise usable capacity, and dividers with published slot counts per bin. A full-width rear hanger lets the same bin move between a shelf, a louvered panel and a rail — which is what makes a wall mounted storage programme cheap to add later.

QuickPick bins open on both the front and the back, so a bin sitting in a pass-through rack can be picked from either side. They stack vertically or cross-wise, nest when empty, and take dividers in both directions to make up to four compartments. Stackable shelf bins carry the same rear hanger on the 12, 14 and 18 inch deep sizes and add a raised front opening for bigger, heavier items.

Colour is the feature to plan rather than pick at the end: one colour per service line, item class or department, written down once. Nine published colours is enough for any convention we have seen used well.

Blue double-access bins holding wrapped packs and small containers

Bulk containers for oversize stock

Above the shelf-bin scale, Quantum publishes the HULK container lines in 24, 30 and 36 inch lengths — containers the manufacturer describes as suited to heavy-duty, extra-deep shelving, with front, back and side grips, wide stacking ledges and anti-slide locks so stacked containers stay put. Options include clear windows, dividers, and mobile versions with casters; the published mobile version of the 24 inch container carries up to 250 pounds on four 3 inch swivel casters, all with brakes.

Giant Stack & Stock containers add a wide open hopper front for large items, and Magnum bins are published with double wall thickness, up to 150 pounds of stacking capacity and a working range from minus 40 to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. For moving any of them, the published polymer dolly carries up to 1,000 pounds with a pull-ring rod option.

Bulk containers earn their keep in gowns, irrigation fluids, packaged linen and bulk consumables — the stock that a central supply room otherwise leaves in cardboard on the floor.

Clinician holding a bin beside a column of stacked bulk containers

Divided containers, drawers, totes and tubs

Dividable grid containers compartmentalise small and medium items for storage, kitting and distribution. Dividers run both ways and the manufacturer publishes subdivision down to a 1-1/8 inch square, with snap-on covers for the containers that travel. Its live page pairs them with wire shelving units and bin carts, which is exactly how case-pick and repack areas use them.

Super Tuff Euro drawers are published in nine sizes as heavy-duty polystyrene drawers for open shelf units and pick racks, with molded divider slots and a full-width back ledge so a tipped drawer does not spill behind the shelf.

Gloved hand reaching into a red divided container holding capped sample cups

Stack-and-nest totes come in nine published sizes with snap-on lids that can be locked for supply routes through public corridors; they stack loaded and nest empty. Cross stack tubs hold a published 100 pounds, turn 90 degrees to cross-stack with access to the tub below, and take clip-on label holders. Attached-top containers hinge open without a separate lid to lose, and latch containers snap closed to keep dust and splashes off stored items in rougher spaces.

These are the container families that run the dock-to-department route — see medical supply carts for the tub rack carts that ship assembled with bins, and facilities storage for the receiving end of the flow.

Cross stack tubs in grey, white and blue with clip-on label holders

Where each bin family earns its keep

Stack of red double-access picking bins holding wrapped suppliesDouble-access pickingOpen-front-and-back bins in pass-through racks let restocking happen from the back while picking continues from the front.
Orange stackable shelf bin with a black cross dividerHeavy items at shelf levelStackable shelf bins with raised fronts keep bigger, heavier stock in bins instead of loose on the shelf.

Point-of-use micro-storage is the tip-out bins’ job: clear cups that tip open to 45 degrees and lift out completely for refilling, in housings that stack on a counter or mount to a wall. The manufacturer publishes dividers, a locking rod for the wide housings and a louvered panel bracket — the details are on our wall mounted medical storage page, because that is where most tip-out systems end up.

Configuring a bin programme

Six decisions, made once for the whole facility rather than shelf by shelf:

  • Bin height from the item — 4 inch for small packaged items, 6 inch for the general mix, 8 inch where volume beats visibility
  • Bin depth from the shelf — the published lines are sized for 12, 18 and 24 inch deep shelving; never overhang the shelf edge
  • Colour convention first — one colour per service, class or department, written down and reused at every refresh
  • Dividers where counts matter — divided lanes are what turn a bin wall into a par-level system
  • Windows and lids by location — clear windows for stacked bins, lids and latches for anything that travels or sits in dusty plant areas
  • Labels as part of the order — every family has published label holders or molded slots; decide the label standard before the bins arrive
On cleaning and autoclaving. The manufacturer’s current bins catalog lists the Ultra stack-and-hang, HULK and stackable shelf bin families as autoclavable up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit and resistant to extreme cold, and its wire catalog publishes the same 250 degree figure for the bins on its bin transport carts. Those are the manufacturer’s published material limits, not a reprocessing recommendation — validate any cleaning or autoclave cycle against your own protocols.

Want the bin sizes worked out for you?

Send us a shelf list or a room plan and what lives in it. We come back with a bin schedule by family, size and colour, divider counts, and a quote — free. The Design Center has intake checklists and planning tools.

Resources

Medical storage bin FAQ

What sizes do medical shelf bins come in?
Quantum publishes shelf bins in three heights — 4, 6 and 8 inches — across roughly a dozen footprint sizes per height, all designed for 12, 18 and 24 inch deep shelving. The stack-and-hang line adds 22 more sizes. We match bin sizes to your shelf depths and item list on the quote rather than quoting a single size.
Are the bins autoclavable?
The manufacturer’s current catalog lists the Ultra stack-and-hang, HULK and stackable shelf bin families as autoclavable up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, and publishes the same figure for the bins supplied on its bin transport carts. That is a published material limit, not a reprocessing instruction — validate any cycle against your facility’s own protocols.
How many colours are available, and should we use them?
Nine colours are listed for the stack-and-hang line and up to seven for shelf bins, depending on the family. Use them deliberately: one colour per service line, item class or department, decided once and documented. A colour convention makes a misplaced bin obvious and survives staff turnover.
Can the same bins be used on shelving and on walls?
The stack-and-hang family and the deeper stackable shelf bins have a built-in rear hanger, so the same bin works on a shelf, a louvered panel or a rail. That is worth planning for: a bin programme bought for shelving can grow onto walls without rebuying bins.
What keeps small items organised inside a bin?
Dividers. Shelf bins, stack-and-hang bins and the dividable grid containers all have published divider options, and the grid containers subdivide down to a 1-1/8 inch square. Divided lanes with labels are what turn bins into a countable par-level system.
What about really heavy or oversized stock?
The HULK lines run 2 to 3 feet long and are described by the manufacturer as suited to heavy-duty, extra-deep shelving, with mobile versions on braked casters and a published 1,000 pound dolly for moving loaded containers. We match the container to the shelf capacity as part of the layout.
Do you supply the bins with the shelving, or separately?
Either. Most projects specify bins and shelving together so heights, depths and pitches line up, but we also quote bin-only refreshes for existing shelving — the published lines are sized for standard 12, 18 and 24 inch shelf depths, so they usually fit what you have.
Do you publish prices for bin programmes?
No — bins are ordered in carton quantities and pricing depends on families, quantities and freight, so we quote the programme as a whole. Quotes are free, itemised by family and size, and include layout support for the shelving the bins sit on.

Get a medical storage bin quote

Tell us the departments, the shelf depths and what needs a home. You get a bin schedule by family, size and colour, divider and label counts, and freight and lead times — free.