Search for warehouse packing furniture and you'll find packing tables, packing benches, packing stations and packing workstations, often describing exactly the same thing. So is there a real difference, and does it matter which one you buy? After more than 30 years helping companies organise their packing areas, here's how we see it.
Packing table: a frame and a worktop
A packing table is the simplest option: a strong frame and a flat work surface at a comfortable height. It works well where packing is occasional, where goods are large and need clear space, or where the table sits alongside other equipment. Our 1800 x 900 packing table has a powder coated steel frame, a 25mm MFC top and cable ports for power and IT.
The weakness? With no storage, cartons and packaging end up on the floor or on the worktop, and that slows everyone down.
Packing bench: add storage underneath
A packing bench adds storage under the worktop, so cartons, mailing bags and void fill stay within arm's reach. Ours have an enclosed lower shelf rather than an open frame, which keeps dust off your packaging and stops things disappearing under the bench. We explain why in why we use a closed cabinet design.
Packing benches suit operations with a mix of box sizes and bulkier packaging. See our packing benches and packing tables.
Packing station: a complete work position
A packing station is built around the packer's whole job. On our range that means carton storage dividers below the worktop, so flat-packed boxes are stored in order by size and the right one is always to hand. Add an upper shelf unit and the station becomes a complete work position:
- Louvre panel with bins, tape dispenser clip and label roll holder
- Monitor and keyboard brackets on a sliding rail, set to each operator's height
- A drop shelf for loading larger cartons
- Pre-wired power sockets, ready to plug in
- A surface to display your SOPs and work instructions
If your team packs a high volume of orders every day, a packing station is usually worth the investment in time saved. See our full range of packing stations.
Which one do you need?
Ask yourself three questions:
- How many orders do you pack a day? A few dozen, and a packing table or bench may be fine. Hundreds, and every second spent looking for a box or reaching for tape adds up. That's when a packing station earns its keep.
- How many carton sizes do you use? Lots of sizes means carton dividers will save time and stop boxes getting damaged.
- Do different people use the same station? If so, look at adjustable monitor brackets or our electric height adjustable workstation.
Whichever you choose, think about castors too. Our 1200mm and 1800mm models are available on locking castor wheels, so you can reconfigure your layout for peak.
Don't forget what happens either side
The bench is only part of the picture. How picked goods arrive, and how packed parcels leave, matters just as much. A gravity roller conveyor running past a line of packing stations lets parcels roll away to despatch without anyone carrying them. Read how to get the most from a gravity conveyor and what is the best layout for a packing area.
Made in Salisbury
All our packing tables, benches and stations are made in our own workshop in Salisbury, with steel frames and 25mm MFC worktops finished with 2mm ABS edging. If you're not sure which is right for you, book a design consultation or call us on 01722 697916. We'll happily talk it through.
