Hey everyone, it’s Jake here from your go-to deep drawn parts supplier, and today we’re talking about something that I see so many shops and even big clients mess up: storage for deep drawn parts. I get it—when you’re cranking out parts to hit deadlines, the last thing on your mind is where you’re stashing the finished pieces. But trust me, I’ve seen first-hand what happens when you skip the proper storage: dents that ruin a $5000 run, rust that makes a part useless in a critical assembly, or even warping that forces a full redo. This isn’t just about “putting boxes on a shelf”—it’s about making sure the parts we spent hours (and sometimes days) perfecting make it to your line exactly how they left our press room. Let’s break this down, no jargon, just real stuff I’ve learned over 12 years in this game. Deep Drawn Parts
First off, let’s start with the basics: what even are deep drawn parts, and why do their storage needs differ from, say, a stamped bracket or a CNC machined block? Deep drawn parts are the ones where you take a flat metal blank and stretch it into a shape that’s way deeper than it is wide—think cups, housings, enclosures, even the metal cases for battery packs or small appliances. The key here is that most are thin-gauge metal, often aluminum, steel, stainless steel, or copper, and they’re not super rigid, especially when they’re still raw (not coated or assembled yet). They have sharp edges, tight bends, and delicate flanges that can bend out of shape if you stack them wrong, or scuff easily if they rub against something abrasive. I’ve had a client call me panicking because they unloaded a pallet of 10,000 drawn aluminum cups and half of them had dents in the side walls—turns out their warehouse just piled boxes on top of each other with no dividers. That’s a $2k loss right there, just from bad storage.
First big storage rule: separate parts by size, shape, and material grade. This sounds simple, but I can’t tell you how many warehouses mix 2-inch diameter steel cups with 6-inch aluminum enclosures on the same shelf. Why does this matter? For one, a 6-inch enclosure is heavy—if you stack boxes of those on top of smaller, flimsier parts, the smaller ones will get crushed. Even worse, different metals react differently to each other when they’re in contact. Oh right, galvanic corrosion! That’s the silent killer of metal parts. If you leave a steel part touching an aluminum part for weeks, especially in a humid space, they’ll start corroding at the contact point, and you won’t even see it until you pull the part out to use it. We learned this the hard way a few years back when a client got a shipment of stainless steel draw housings mixed with steel washers in the same bin—by the time they installed them, the contact areas were pitted, and they had to replace an entire batch of valves because of it. So our standard practice now is that every material grade (aluminum 5052, cold rolled steel 1018, 304 stainless, copper) gets its own dedicated storage rack, and parts are organized by their specific diameter and height too. Tall, narrow parts go in vertical bins so they don’t bend over sideways, while short, wide parts can go in flat stacks with dividers.
Next up: environmental controls. I know, I know—warehouses are big and expensive to climate-control, but this isn’t just for aerospace parts (though if you’re making aerospace deep drawn parts, this is non-negotiable). Let’s split this into two big factors: temperature and humidity. First, temperature. Most deep drawn parts don’t mind extreme cold, but they hate rapid temperature changes. If you pull a pallet of parts from a cold loading dock in winter and haul it into a warm, humid warehouse, condensation forms on the metal surface, and that leads to rust. I’ve seen this so many times in places like Michigan or Canada where winter temps drop below freezing and warehouses don’t have climate-controlled entry zones. The fix here? Either let parts acclimate to the new temperature for 24 hours before moving them to storage, or if you have a small space, keep storage areas at a consistent 60-70°F (15-21°C) year-round. That’s a sweet spot that works for almost all our parts, no fancy equipment needed.
Then humidity—this is the big one for rust and corrosion. The ideal humidity level for storing deep drawn parts is 40-50% relative humidity. Any higher than that, and you’re asking for surface rust, even on coated parts. Now, I’m not saying you need a $10k dehumidifier for your whole warehouse—we use smaller, portable dehumidifiers in our bulk storage zones for parts that are waiting to ship, and that’s worked for every client we’ve shipped to in the Midwest and Southeast. If you’re storing parts long-term (like more than 3 months), you might want to go a step further and use desiccant packs in the bins or boxes. Desiccants are those little white packets you get in shoe boxes, but the industrial ones are way bigger—they absorb moisture so it doesn’t sit on the metal. We also don’t recommend storing parts in basements or ground-floor storage areas if you can avoid it, because those spots get more damp from concrete moisture. The concrete itself can leach moisture, so if you have to put parts on the floor, use pallets to lift them at least 6 inches off the ground. I’ve seen concrete floors soak up so much moisture that even parts wrapped in plastic developed rust spots over a month—lifting them off the floor eliminates that issue.
Packaging is another part of storage that a lot of people sleep on, and it’s way more important than just slapping a label on a box. What you wrap parts in, how you wrap them, and how you seal the package makes a huge difference. First, never use regular cardboard boxes for bulk storage of uncoated metal parts. Cardboard absorbs moisture, it has rough edges that can scuff parts, and it doesn’t protect against dust. Our go-to for bulk storage is corrugated plastic bins—they’re waterproof, they’re rigid so they don’t collapse when stacked, and you can wipe them clean if they get dusty. For individual parts that are delicate (like thin-walled drawn cups that can bend easily), we use a thin layer of polyethylene foam between each part, or even individual poly bags. The key here is that parts shouldn’t be touching each other, period. If you stack two cups directly on top of each other, the weight of the top one will leave a dent or a scratch on the bottom one, even if they’re the same diameter. I once had a client stack 500 1-inch steel cups in a cardboard box with no dividers, and by the time they got to the 200th cup, the sides were all bowed out—they couldn’t use them for their assembly, so we had to do a rush re-draw, which ate into their deadline and our margin. Now, we include dividers in every bulk shipment for parts that are prone to bending, and we tell all our clients to keep those dividers when storing the parts, not throw them away.
Also, don’t forget about labeling and organization. If you can’t find a part when you need it, what’s the point of storing it correctly? We label every bin with the part number, material grade, quantity, and even the date it was produced. That way, you can follow FIFO—first in, first out—and use the oldest parts first, which is crucial for parts that might have a shelf life (some coated parts can degrade if they sit too long). No one wants to pull a part that was produced 6 months ago only to find the coating is peeling because it was stored incorrectly. We also recommend keeping a simple log of where parts are stored, especially if you have a large warehouse. A little whiteboard or a spreadsheet that says “Aluminum cups 2-inch diameter: Bin 12, Rack B, Level 3” beats wandering around for 20 minutes trying to find what you need.
Wait, let’s talk about long-term vs. short-term storage, because the rules change a little depending on how long you’re keeping the parts. Short-term storage is anything under 3 months—this is the stuff you’re keeping on hand for upcoming orders or a just-in-time inventory. For short-term, you don’t need full climate control, but you still need to keep parts off the floor, separated, and out of direct sunlight. Sunlight might not seem like a big deal, but prolonged exposure can fade coatings and even cause some plastics in packaging to break down, not to mention it can heat up parts and lead to condensation when it cools down at night. For long-term storage (over 3 months), that’s when you step up the game: use sealed plastic bins with desiccants, keep them in a temperature and humidity controlled space, maybe even wrap larger parts in a protective plastic shrink wrap to keep dust and moisture out. We do this for clients that store prototype parts or parts for legacy products that might not be made anymore, and we’ve had zero issues with rust or warping when they pull them out after a year.
Also, what about handling when you’re moving the parts into storage? I know this sounds like a tiny detail, but it ties right into storage requirements. Never drag parts or bins across the floor—you’ll scratch them, and you’ll also leave the bins unbalanced, which can cause parts to shift and break. Use dollies or carts to move heavy bins, and lift with your legs, not your back, to avoid spilling parts. We train our warehouse team to handle every part as if it’s going straight to a production line, because the second you drop a bin or drag it, you risk damaging the parts. That’s a habit we’ve drilled into everyone, and it saves us and our clients from so many headaches.
Let me wrap this up with some common mistakes I see all the time, so you can avoid them. First, don’t overstack bins or boxes. The rule of thumb is that the total height of stacked boxes shouldn’t be more than 8 feet, and the weight of the top boxes shouldn’t exceed the weight the bottom box can handle. Most cardboard boxes have a weight rating on them—pay attention to that. Second, don’t mix different materials or part types in the same bin. Like I said before, galvanic corrosion is real, and a $0.10 washer can ruin a $5 part. Third, don’t store parts in the open air, even if you think they’re “tough metal.” Dust, rain, even morning dew in a warehouse can cause rust over time. Fourth, don’t skip acclimating parts if they come in from a cold space. That condensation we talked about? It’s a huge rust trigger, and it’s totally avoidable.
At the end of the day, deep drawn parts are precision components, and their storage needs are just as important as the drawing process itself. We put in the work at our shop to make sure every part comes out perfect, and we want our clients to get parts that are ready to use, not damaged before they even hit the production line. If you’re dealing with deep drawn parts and you’re not sure if your storage setup is doing the job, or if you’re looking for a supplier that will actually package and label parts the right way (no throwing parts in a random box and shipping them), hit us up. We’re always happy to walk through your needs, answer questions, or even help you set up a storage plan that works for your operation. No pushy sales stuff, just real advice from someone who’s been in the trenches with these parts for over a decade.
Die Castings REFERENCES
ASM International. (2004). Corrosion: Understanding the Basics. ASM International.
Dietrich, D. (2011). Metal Forming: Practice and Principles. McGraw-Hill.
Fabricators & Manufacturers Association International. (2020). Storage Best Practices for Metal Components. FMA.
ASTM International. (2018). Standard Practice for Packaging, Handling, and Shipping of Metal Formed Parts. ASTM International.
Yuyao Aozhou Metal Products Co., Ltd.
We are one of the most experienced deep drawn parts manufacturers and suppliers in China. With a professional production team, we are able to meet the needs of the majority of our customers. Please rest assured to buy customized deep drawn parts made in China here from our factory.
Address: No.6, Nanbailonggang, Wuma Industrial Zone, Lubu Town, Yuyao City
E-mail: xqr-2316@163.com
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