The Best Shelving for Black and Yellow Storage Totes | HDX and Costco
Black and yellow storage totes are great, but not when they clutter your garage floor...
You bought the 27-gallon black and yellow plastic storage totes because they're tough, affordable, and easy to find. And honestly? They really are a great product.
But now they're stacked three or four high against the wall. To get to the bottom tote, you have to move the top three, shuffle them across the floor, grab what you need, and stack everything back up again.
That routine has a name. We call it The Garage Floor Shuffle - and it's one of the biggest wastes of time in an otherwise productive weekend.
The thing you're looking for? It's always in the bottom tote.
The solution isn't more totes. It's getting them off the floor and onto the wall - stored out of the way, but easy to reach when you actually need them.
If you want the short answer quickly: Top Tier Shelving has three smart shelf depths to store black and yellow totes without sacrificing floor space.
- Top Tier Large (34" depth)
- Top Tier Medium (27" depth)
- Top Tier Small (20" depth)
- and all of their CORNER configurations as well!
Why Floor-Mounted Tote Racks Miss the Mark
You've probably seen them:
- DIY 2x4 tote racks on Youtube
- Metal (or plastic) "tote towers" at the big box stores
They're not bad products. They have real upsides and we're not here to knock them outright. In a showroom - or in a massive garage - they look and function great.
But they all share the same problem.
They live on the floor.
Floor space is prime real estate in a garage. After hundreds of garage visits, we can tell you this: very few homeowners have extra floor space to spare.
That space is already spoken for:
- Cars
- Car doors that need to be opened
- Home gyms
- Workbenches
- Bikes, strollers, lawn equipment
Floor-mounted racks often make it harder to park, harder to open doors, or impossible to use the garage the way it was intended.
Wall-mounted shelving solves this by design. Top Tier Shelving mounts your storage up and off the floor, giving you all of the benefits of 27-gallon black and yellow totes without giving up the space underneath them.
Top Tier Shelving Co.'s Perfect Fit Guide for 27-Gallon Black and Yellow Plastic Totes
Not all garages are the same. That's why Top Tier Shelving is available in multiple depths. Three of them are designed specifically to work with the most common black and yellow totes - the 27-gallon size sold by Home Depot, Costco, and Lowe's.
The Perfect Fit: Top Tier Shelving Co.'s Medium Shelf (27" Deep)
Our Medium Shelf is exactly 27 inches deep, making it a perfect match.
- Zero wasted space
- Totes sit perpendicular to the wall
- You can store double the number of totes compared to shallower shelving
This is the most efficient way to store 27-gallon totes when you want maximum capacity in a clean footprint.
Maximum Capacity: Top Tier Shelving Co.'s Large Shelf (34" Deep)
For higher-volume storage, the Large Shelf offers 34 inches of depth.
- Easily holds 27-gallon stackable storage totes perpendicular to the wall
- Also fits larger black and yellow 40-gallon totes that match the popular 27-gallon ones
- Ideal for seasonal storage, large items like coolers, long-term storage, or anyone who needs to get as much storage in their garage as possible
If you want flexibility now and later, this is the shelf that offers the most storage volume on the market.
Smart Use of Tight Spaces: Top Tier Shelving Co.'s Small Shelf (20" Deep
The Small Shelf is a great solution when space is limited.
- Totes sit parallel to the wall
- Perfect for narrow side walls, areas near car doors, or garages with lower ceilings
- Plenty strong to support stacked totes
In tight garages, Top Tier Shelving's Small Shelf lets you store heavy-duty black and yellow storage totes where deeper shelving simply won't fit.
See it Before You Buy It: Free 3D Garage Designs
Because 27-gallon black and yellow totes are so common, we include them directly in our FREE thoughtful 3D garage shelving designs.
All we need are a few photos of your garage.
- See exactly how many totes fit.
- See which shelf depth works best in each area
- See your garage before you order anything
Send your photos:
- Email: designers@toptiershelving.com
- Text: (919) 624-8525
Want to know what happens after you send pictures? Click here to see how our free 3D design process works.
Grab the 2x4 Lumber While You're There
Top Tier Shelving uses standard 2x4 lumber to create a strong, customizable deck. We recommend 2x4s, though any "two-by" lumber works.
The good news? The same stores that sell black and yellow totes also sell the lumber you need.
A Simple Game Plan
- Design Your Shelving
- Use the FREE Top Tier 3D Design Service, or
- Follow the Top Tier Shelf-Help Measuring Guide
- Order Your Shelving and Install the Assemblies
- Easy Installation
- Clear Instructions
- U.S.-based customer support from experts that know the product best
- Record measurements between assemblies and calculate your lumber need
- Measure and Purchase Lumber
- Cut to length for each section
- We're happy to help if you have any questions about lumber
- One Run to the Store
- Pick up your totes and your lumber at the same time
- Install the Lumber, Load the Totes, Organize the Garage
- Finish installing Top Tier Shelving by cutting and installing the lumber
- Load the totes
- Stack your totes with confidence
- Enjoy the Floor Space You Just Got Back
Ready to Reclaim Your Garage?
Your garage floor is valuable space. It's meant for your car, your projects, and your life - not endless stacks of plastic bins.
Every Top Tier Shelving depth / size holds 650 pounds on each 4-ft section, making it a natural home for heavy-duty 27-gallon black and yellow stackable storage totes.
The totes did their job. Now it's time to give them a shelf that does its job better.