Guide · · Range
Roll Cages for Supermarket and Wholesale Deliveries: Types, Sizes and Prices
A 2-sided nestable roll cage is the standard choice for supermarket and wholesale deliveries: it is rated 500 kg, folds flat, nests when empty and starts from £28 ex VAT at trade quantities (minimum order applies). Add shelves for bread and small goods, or a locking door for tobacco, spirits and other high-value stock. Most roll cages are sold in minimum orders of 50 units, confirmed on your written quote.
Which roll cage do supermarkets and wholesalers actually use?
The roll cage that moves most grocery in the UK is the 2-sided nestable type, also called a roll container or logistics trolley: a steel base on four castors, two mesh sides that fold in, and an open front and back. Empty, the sides fold and one cage nests into the next, so a returning vehicle carries a stack of them in the space one loaded cage takes. The 2-sided nestable wire mesh roll container is rated 500 kg and starts from £28 ex VAT at trade quantities (minimum order applies).
A 3-sided cage adds a fixed back panel, which stops cartons sliding out on ramps and tail lifts and gives you a wall to stack against. A 4-sided cage adds a front gate as well and is the choice for mixed loads, bakery trays and anything that would otherwise fall out when the vehicle brakes. Tell us 2, 3 or 4 sides on your enquiry and the configuration is confirmed on your written quote.
Shelved cages split the load into layers so you are not stacking bread under tins. Locking cages add a door for stock that has to be counted and secured between the yard and the shop floor. If stock only ever moves across a warehouse floor, a warehouse trolley or platform trolley is the cheaper tool, but for anything that goes on a vehicle, use a roll cage. All of these sit in our roll container range, made to order at our partner factories and inspected before dispatch.
2, 3 and 4-sided roll cages compared: capacity, use and price
The table sets out the four cage types most buyers ask about. Prices are guide prices in GBP ex VAT at trade quantities; minimum order applies and the written quote confirms the final figure.
| Cage type | Build | Rated capacity | Typical use | Minimum order | Guide price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-sided nestable roll cage | Wire mesh, folding sides, nests when empty | 500 kg | Grocery, cash and carry, 3PL delivery rounds | 50 units | from £28 ex VAT |
| Dip galvanised steel roll cage | Steel mesh, hot dip galvanised | 500 kg | Wet yards, chilled stores, wash-down areas | 50 units | from £28 ex VAT |
| 3-layer shelved roll cage | Galvanised, three shelves, brake castor | 500 kg | Bread, small goods, store picking rounds | 100 units | from £64 ex VAT |
| Locking storage cage | Steel, lockable, on castors | 300 kg | Tobacco, spirits, returns, high-value lines | 50 units | from £24 ex VAT |
Two further types are worth knowing. Stackable wire storage cages are built to stack on top of each other, which suits bulk lines in a cash and carry or a 3PL warehouse. Security cages with a lockable door, such as the 300 kg locking storage cage from £24 ex VAT at trade quantities (minimum order applies), keep tobacco, spirits and electricals under lock between goods-in and the shop floor.
How much weight does a roll cage need to carry?
Most cages in the range are rated between 300 kg and 500 kg, with lighter 200 kg and 250 kg models for small goods and a 600 kg rolling pallet cage at the top. For a supermarket or wholesale delivery, 500 kg is the sensible default: a cage full of canned goods, drinks or chilled dairy gets heavy fast, and the rating has to cover the worst case on the round, not the average.
Two things matter more than the headline number. First, the castors: the rating is only real if the wheels and their fixing plates carry it, so look for a decent wheel diameter that rolls over yard thresholds and tail lift lips. Several models in the range run on 127 mm (5 in) polyurethane wheels, which are quieter on a shop floor than nylon. Second, the base: a welded steel base with a mesh or solid deck will not sag under a full load the way a light frame does.
If cages are pushed up ramps or across rough yards, specify a brake castor on at least one wheel. The 3-layer roll cage trolley with brake is rated 500 kg across its shelves and starts from £64 ex VAT at trade quantities (minimum order applies).
Zinc plated or dip galvanised: which finish lasts?
Both are zinc coatings on steel and both look silver when new. Zinc plating is a thin electroplated layer: bright, tidy and fine for cages that stay in a dry ambient store. Hot dip galvanising is a far thicker coating applied by dipping the finished frame in molten zinc, which is why it survives wet loading bays, chillers and daily wash-down without rust taking hold at the welds.
For supermarket and wholesale work, where cages go out in the rain, sit on a tail lift and get hosed down, specify galvanised. The 500 kg dip galvanised steel roll container starts from £28 ex VAT at trade quantities (minimum order applies). On a cage that will be in service for years, the thicker coating is the better buy.
How many roll cages fit on a delivery vehicle?
Work it out from two measurements rather than a rule of thumb. Take the usable deck length and width of the vehicle in mm, and the footprint of the cage from the product page. Divide deck length by cage depth and deck width by cage width, round both down, and multiply: that is your loaded count with cages nose to tail. Keep a strap, load bar or the vehicle's own restraint rail across each row, because a loaded roll cage on castors is a moving load, not a pallet.
Two-sided nestable cages change the sums on the way back. With the sides folded the cages slide into each other, so the empties from a full delivery come home in a fraction of the deck space. Ask for the nested pitch, the deck length each additional empty cage adds, on your written quote: it decides how many drops one vehicle can make before it has to return empties.
What to check before you buy roll cages at pallet quantities
- Minimum order. Most roll cages in the range are sold in minimum orders of 50 units, the 3-layer shelved cage in 100. Read how minimum order works and plan for a fleet, not a trial pair.
- Rated capacity. Match it to your heaviest cage, not your average one: 500 kg for grocery and drinks, 300 kg for dry goods and returns, 200 kg only for light small goods.
- Finish. Dip galvanised for wet, chilled or outdoor use; zinc plated for dry indoor stores.
- Castors. Wheel diameter, wheel material, fixed or swivel layout, and whether you want a brake on the cage.
- Footprint and height. Check the cage against your vehicle deck, tail lift platform, door widths and chiller door height.
- Maintenance. Roll cages are work equipment, and the HSE's PUWER 1998 guidance expects them to be kept in good repair. Bent sides, seized castors and missing pins are the faults that hurt people, so build a check into the returns process.
- The quote. Prices on the site are guide prices in GBP ex VAT. Your written quote confirms price, freight, duty, VAT, minimum order and lead time, and is valid for 30 days. Open a trade account to keep repeat orders simple.
Roll cages discussed in this guide
Rolling Pallets Material Storage Cage (LPT-20375)from £64 ex VAT
2 Sided Nestable Foldable Heavy Duty Logistics Wire Mesh Roll Containerfrom £28 ex VAT
500 kg Capacity Steel Roll Container -Dip Galvanisedfrom £28 ex VAT
3-Layer Industrial Logistic Roll Cage Trolley Brakefrom £64 ex VAT
Rolling Storage Basket Locking Storage Cage (LPT-24904)from £24 ex VATQuestions people ask
What is the difference between a roll cage and a roll container?
Nothing in practice. Roll cage is the supermarket and retail term, roll container and logistics trolley are the warehouse terms, and in the UK roll cage is the phrase most buyers search for. All three describe a wheeled steel mesh cage for moving stock.
How much weight can a roll cage carry?
Standard supermarket roll cages are rated 300 kg to 500 kg. Our range runs from 200 kg light duty cages up to a 600 kg rolling pallet cage, and the rating is shown on each product page.
What is the minimum order for roll cages?
50 units on most models and 100 units on the 3-layer shelved roll cage. We sell to business customers only, at trade quantities, and the exact minimum, price, freight and VAT are confirmed on your written quote.
Should I choose zinc plated or galvanised roll cages?
Galvanised if the cages go outdoors, into chillers or through wash-down. Zinc plated is adequate for cages that stay in a dry ambient store.
How many roll cages fit in a van or on a lorry?
Divide the deck length and width by the cage footprint on the product page and round down. Two-sided nestable cages nest when empty, so the return trip carries many more cages than the outbound trip.
How do I order roll cages, and what happens next?
Add the cages to your basket and send it as an order request, or email [email protected]. You receive a written quote by email, valid 30 days. Once you confirm, the cages are made to order, inspected with photos and video sent to you before dispatch, then delivered to your UK address.
Sources: HSE: Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 (PUWER)
