Tyres are one of the most awkward products to store well. They are bulky, heavy, round and come in hundreds of sizes, from compact car tyres to agricultural and truck tyres that weigh well over 100kg. Stack them on the floor and they eat up space, become hard to find and are prone to damage.
Store them on the wrong racking and you lose capacity, slow down picking and put staff at risk of manual handling injuries.
Whether you run a national tyre distribution centre or a busy fitting centre, the way you store tyres has a direct effect on how much stock you can hold, how quickly you can pick it and how safe your team is.
In this guide, the Logical Storage Solutions team will look at the most common tyre storage problems, the racking systems that solve them and the parts of the UK where demand for efficient tyre storage is strongest.
Common Tyre Storage Problems and How to Solve Them
Wasted Floor Space
Floor stacking is quick to start with but it rarely uses the full height of a building. Well designed tyre racking takes storage upwards, turning unused air space into usable capacity so you can hold more stock without moving to a larger site.
Damaged and Deformed Tyres
Tyres stacked too high or left under heavy loads for long periods can distort, which leads to returns and wasted stock. Racking that stores tyres upright on beams, or in controlled stacks on decked levels, spreads the load evenly and keeps every tyre in saleable condition.
Slow Picking and Missed Orders
When hundreds of sizes sit in loose piles, staff waste time searching for the right tyre. Clearly labelled bays organised by size, brand or load index make every tyre easy to locate, which speeds up picking for same day trade orders and online sales.
Manual Handling Risks
Lifting heavy tyres from floor level or above shoulder height is a common cause of strain injuries. Racking designed with sensible beam heights puts fast moving sizes within easy reach, while heavier truck and agricultural tyres can be stored on pallets or post pallets for forklift handling.
Constantly Changing Ranges
Tyre sizes keep growing, with larger rims and heavier tyres for SUVs and electric vehicles now common. Adjustable racking lets you move beam levels as your range changes, rather than replacing the whole system.
Seasonal and Peak Demand
Stock levels can swing sharply through the year, particularly for distributors supplying winter and all season ranges or customer tyre hotels. A flexible layout absorbs those peaks without blocking aisles or spilling stock onto the floor.
Types of Tyre Racking
There is no single best tyre storage system. The right choice depends on your tyre mix, how quickly stock turns over and whether you pick by hand, by forklift or both. Our team often combines several of the options below in one building.
- Upright tyre racking: Adjustable beam racking configured so tyres stand on their tread in neat rows, the recommended way to store tyres without rims. It suits car and van tyres and gives clear, direct access to every size.
- Hand load tyre shelving: Lower level bays set at comfortable heights for fitting centres and trade counters, where staff pick individual tyres many times a day.
- Pallet racking for bulk tyres: Standard pallet racking holds post pallets and stillages of tyres for bulk storage, inbound deliveries and heavier truck and agricultural tyres moved by forklift.
- Combined pick and bulk systems: Hand pick levels at the bottom with bulk reserve stock above, so fast moving sizes are replenished from directly overhead without long trips across the warehouse.
- Wide aisle pallet racking: A flexible starting point for distributors with a broad range and high stock rotation, giving every bay direct access by counterbalance or reach truck.
- VNA pallet racking: For large tyre distribution centres, narrower aisles and taller racking add significant capacity within the same footprint.
- Mobile racking: Runs of racking on guided bases close up unused aisles, a strong option for slower moving sizes, seasonal ranges and tyre hotel storage where space is tight.
- Mezzanine floors with tyre storage: A mezzanine adds a second level for hand picked tyres, wheels and accessories above your goods in, fitting or despatch areas.
All systems can include beam level labelling, end of aisle signage and upright protectors to guard against forklift impact, keeping your racking safe and your stock easy to find.
Which Businesses Need Tyre Racking?
- Tyre wholesalers and distributors running large national or regional warehouses with thousands of SKUs
- Fitting centres and fast fit chains that need quick access to popular sizes at branch level
- Online tyre retailers fulfilling direct to customer orders and supplying partner garages
- Fleet and commercial vehicle operators holding stocks of van, truck and bus tyres
- Agricultural and plant dealers storing large, heavy tyres for tractors and machinery
- Car dealerships and service centres offering seasonal tyre storage for customers
- Retreaders and remanufacturers storing casings and finished tyres at different stages of production
Where in the UK Is Tyre Storage in Demand?
Tyres are needed wherever vehicles are built, serviced or moved, but some regions have a particularly strong concentration of tyre businesses.
- West Midlands: The heart of the UK car industry, with Jaguar Land Rover in Solihull and a dense network of suppliers, dealerships and fast fit centres. Distributors serving the region rely on high capacity storage around Birmingham and Coventry.
- East Midlands: Part of the Golden Triangle of logistics, with Toyota's Burnaston plant near Derby and national distribution centres along the M1 around Northampton. Its central location makes it a natural base for next day tyre deliveries across England.
- Staffordshire: Michelin has manufactured in Stoke-on-Trent since 1927, and the site now retreads truck tyres, supporting a wider network of commercial tyre businesses in the area.
- Yorkshire and the Humber: Home to Bond International, one of the UK's largest independent tyre wholesalers, which is headquartered in Pocklington and runs 11 distribution centres nationwide. The M62 and M1 corridors around Leeds and the port at Hull also handle large volumes of imported stock.
- North East: Nissan's Sunderland plant anchors a busy automotive supply chain, with tyre and parts distributors serving the region from sites around Newcastle.
- Oxfordshire: The Mini plant at Cowley keeps demand high for automotive storage around Oxford.
- East Anglia, Lincolnshire and rural Scotland: Strong farming economies create steady demand for heavy agricultural tyre storage, while distributors around Glasgow serve fitting centres and fleets across Scotland's Central Belt.
How Logical Storage Solutions Can Help
Logical Storage Solutions has more than 14 years of experience designing and installing storage systems nationwide, for businesses including Kwik Fit. Every tyre racking project follows the same straightforward process:
- Site survey: We visit your warehouse or fitting centre to measure the space, check clear heights and understand your tyre range, stock volumes and handling equipment.
- Design: We produce a layout that balances capacity, access and safety, combining hand pick and bulk storage where it makes sense.
- Installation: Our installation teams fit the system with minimal disruption, working around live operations where needed.
- Aftercare: Regular pallet racking inspections and prompt repairs keep your racking safe and every bay in use.
If tyres are taking over your floor space, slowing down picking or leaving your team lifting more than they should, the right racking can make a real difference.
Get in touch for a free quote and our team will design a tyre storage system around your business.