Overloading is the most common and most dangerous violation when using warehouse cages. Many workshops think a little extra is fine, but the cage's load design is calculated on the rated load, and structural damage after overloading is cumulative—by the time a problem appears, it is often too late.
Overloading first damages the base structure. A warehouse cage's load is mainly borne by the base frame and bottom plate; beyond the rated load, the base beams bend and deform, the mesh sags in the middle, and in severe cases the bottom-plate welds crack. A standard medium cage is typically rated at 800~1000kg; at 20% overload, bottom deformation can already be visible to the eye.
Second, it undermines stacking safety. When stacked, the bottom cage carries the weight of all cages and cargo above; an overloaded bottom cage is already deformed, and adding more on top makes the center of gravity even less stable—a forklift bump or floor vibration can topple the whole stack. This is not a theoretical risk; it is a real scenario that recurs in warehouse accidents.
Overloading also accelerates fatigue failure. The wire and weld points of a warehouse cage fatigue under repeated loading and unloading; overloading effectively discounts the design life. A cage that would normally last 8~10 years may, under chronic overload, show cracked welds and bent posts in just 3 years—repair cost far outweighs the trips saved.
How to tell whether you are overloaded? The simplest way is to read the cage's rated-load marking; every genuine warehouse cage leaves the factory with a nameplate stating static and dynamic load values. Nanjing Tongnuo Warehouse Equipment Manufacturing Co., Ltd. recommends loading to 80% of the rated load, leaving a safety margin that protects both the cage and the operators.