WHAT ARE GLASS RACKS
Glass racks are particularly useful for hotels, resorts, caterers, cruise ships, banquets, and any business that deals with drinking glasses.
They are designed to hold and protect glassware during washing, storage, and transport, preventing your wine glasses and tumblers from breaking in the dishwasher or when you transfer them from one place to another.
Such racks have a criss-cross base design for water, soap, and air to flow easily, so you can have clean and dry glasses without taking them out of the rack before your next use.
WHAT ARE GLASS RACKS MADE OF
Glass racks are often made of durable plastic such as polypropylene, which is highly resistant to impact and remains stable under heat, making it ideal for repeated washing cycles. It also resists most chemicals, including cleaning agents used in dishwashers. This resistance means that the racks won’t degrade over time, even with frequent exposure to harsh cleaning products.
CLOSED SIDES OR OPEN SIDES
There are two types of outer walls for glass racks:
Closed Sides: These racks feature fully enclosed outer walls that keep fingers and contaminants out during transport and storage, preventing fingerprints on spotless wine glasses and eliminating the need to rewash them before their next use. Since most dishwashers spray from the top and bottom, the enclosed design does not interfere with washing.
Opened Sides: These racks have walls with an open grid pattern for better airflow. This design is more suitable if you hand wash your tumblers and stemware, as it allows the glasses to dry faster. However, the open sides can expose the glassware to pests and dust during storage, making it less sanitary.
GLASS RACK VARIATIONS
Glass racks come in different configurations, each suited for glassware of different diameters and heights, so you can find the perfect fit for anything from wide balloon wine glasses to slender flute glasses.
FULL SIZE VS HALF SIZE
Full-size racks have a square base, typically measuring 50 x 50 cm, and can fit in a standard commercial dishwasher. Half-size racks measure 50 x 25 cm, making them a practical choice for limited storage space or smaller dishwashers.
COMPARTMENT OPTIONS
With the same base area, a rack with fewer compartments can accommodate larger glass diameters. For example, a 16-compartment full size rack fits glassware with a maximum diameter of 10.9 cm, making it suitable for tasting wine glasses. In contrast, a 49-compartment full size rack is designed for glassware with a maximum diameter of 6 cm, ideal for smaller drinkware like shot glasses or champagne flutes.
Since we are looking at the widest part of the glass, which may not be the rim or base, be sure to measure the diameter accurately before confirming which configuration to buy.
DROP EXTENDERS
While different number of compartments caters to glassware with various widths, drop extenders ensure that your glass racks are at the correct height to protect your taller glassware like highball tumblers and stemmed wine glasses.
Each drop extender is an additional frame that fits on top of a base rack or another extender, increasing the height of each compartment and providing sufficient vertical space to prevent breakage.
GLASS RACK HANDLING TIPS
A glass rack dolly, designed to fit full-size glass racks, makes it easy to transport glassware without heavy lifting or risking damage. By stacking your glass racks on the dolly, you can effortlessly roll them from the dishwasher to storage or serving areas. Some dollies even come with a handle for better steering and control.
For added protection, glass rack covers fit over the top to shield glassware from dust, pests, and other contaminants. When paired with a dolly and closed-wall racks, you create a fully enclosed system that keeps your glassware clean and ready for use.
To easily identify different types of glassware, many glass rack manufacturers feature colour-coded systems. Some have coloured bottoms, while others have slots for inserting coloured cards. By assigning a specific colour to each type of glassware, you can quickly locate what you need without searching through every rack.