Generally, warehouses can be categorically divided into 5 types:
1) General Warehouses
A general warehouse is designed to store pallets, bins and bulk for specific periods of time until they are merchandised. It operates as an independent facility with a room temperature of about 25~28 degrees, and includes receiving, shipping and loading spaces, as well as storage areas and the necessary aisles and spaces for offices and workers’ services.
2) Cold Storage Warehouses
Cold storage warehouses are designed to maintain the quality, health and safety of perishable materials and products and general supply materials that require cold spaces for storage, with temperatures that vary between zero and 4 degrees for chilling, and zero and minus 16 degrees for freezing. In addition to general warehouses requirements, they include specific spaces for freezing and cooling, as well as equipment facilities and specific areas for mechanical equipment.
3) Controlled Humidity
Controlled humidity warehouses resemble general ones in all aspects, except that they are constructed with steam insulating barriers. They contain control equipment in order to maintain a specific humidity level inside the building. The warehouse building can be separate or adjacent to a general warehouse.
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Controlled humidity warehouses are used to store merchandises and materials for many reasons, namely:
a)Protecting technological materials and humidity sensitive materials against
deterioration when storing them in general warehouses and preparing them for
immediate use, upon releasing from the warehousing facilities.
b) Reducing the initial conservation costs and the re-conservation costs that some
products might need when storing them in general warehouses.
c) Preserving materials placed in temporary storage until they are fixed, liquidated,
conserved, re-conserved or assembled.
d) Providing full protection for materials that are being treated for conservation
4) Flammable / Hazardous Storehouse.
Flammable / hazardous storehouses are different from general warehouses because of the dangerous aspect of the stored materials and the necessary measures taken to prevent, eliminate and extract gases and vapours that are generated by the storage of these materials, through appropriate ventilation, and according to the conditions for building warehouses and storing flammable / hazardous substances and the criteria and standards of the Fire Department and Department of Occupational Safety and Health. The substances that are stored as part of this category of warehouses include poisons and some petroleum substances, oil and lubricants, chemical substances, acids, corrosive liquids and oxidizing substances, as well as other similar flammable and hazardous substances.
5) Shed Storage
It is a covered or semi-covered structure with no lateral or completely finished walls that may or may not, contain sprinklers and fire extinguishing alarm systems. This type of warehouses is usually used to store gas, petrol and oil cylinders, lubricants-filled cylinders, trucks, unpolished wood, as well as their construction material. It is noteworthy that shed storages that are used to store hazardous substances are subject to specific design requirements and conditions.