Tyres are one of the most awkward things to store in an Aussie garage. They are heavy, they are round, they roll, and left on a damp concrete slab over summer they flat-spot and perish faster than they should. A dedicated rack fixes all of that at once, but the shelving has to be rated for the weight and the shelves have to be spaced for the size of tyre you actually own. This guide walks through how much a tyre weighs, how many you can safely put on a shelf, how high to set the shelves, and why getting them off the floor matters — anchored to the heavy-duty 300kg-per-shelf garage racks we stock at Steel Power Shelving.
How much do tyres actually weigh?
Start with the weight, because that decides everything else. As a rough guide, a bare passenger car tyre is around 8–11kg, and once it is mounted on an alloy or steel rim the wheel is closer to 18–22kg. A 4WD or SUV tyre is heavier — roughly 15–20kg on its own, and 25–30kg as a mounted wheel. So a spare set of four mounted passenger wheels sits near 80–90kg, and a set of four mounted 4WD wheels can push past 110kg. Those are ballpark figures; check the sidewall and your own scales if you want exact numbers. The takeaway is simple: a full set of mounted wheels is a genuinely heavy load, so a rack rated at 200kg per shelf leaves little margin, while a 300kg-per-shelf shelf carries a mounted 4WD set with room to spare.
Which Steel Power rack suits tyres
For tyres we point people to the heavy-duty range: the shelves rated at 300kg each, evenly distributed. On our shelving list that is the 0.6m-deep line built on 0.7mm steel uprights with four adjustable shelves per bay. Real models to look at include the 2.0m(H) x 2.0m(L) x 0.6m(D) unit (our best-selling bay), the narrower 2.0m(H) x 1.5m(L) x 0.6m(D), the lower 1.8m(H) x 1.5m(L) x 0.6m(D) for garages with a low ceiling or a garage door track in the way, and the taller 2.4m(H) x 2.0m(L) x 0.6m(D) and 2.4m(H) x 1.5m(L) x 0.6m(D) heavy-duty bays if you have the head height. All of them are a bolted steel frame that assembles by hand, come with a durable black powder-coated finish, and carry a 1-year warranty. The lighter 0.5m-deep line on the same list is built on 0.6mm uprights and rated at 200kg per shelf — fine for boxes and Christmas decorations, but the deeper 300kg tier is the honest choice for tyres.
Why 0.6m deep matters: a passenger tyre is roughly 60–65cm across and a 4WD tyre can be 70–78cm. Stood upright on a 0.6m shelf a large tyre will overhang the front edge slightly, which is normal and fine — it still sits stable against the back frame. The extra depth over the 0.5m line means the tyre's contact patch is properly supported rather than perched.
How many tyres fit on a shelf
Store unmounted tyres standing upright, side by side like books on a shelf — not stacked flat. A 2.0m-long shelf holds roughly six to eight passenger tyres stood up, or four to six chunky 4WD tyres, depending on width. On weight alone, a 300kg shelf comfortably takes a mounted set of four 4WD wheels (around 110kg) plus a couple of spares. Mounted wheels on rims are the exception to the "stand them up" rule: because the rim carries the load, they can be laid flat and stacked — but keep any stack to three or four high so the bottom tyre isn't crushed and the load stays easy to lift down.
Set the shelf height for the tyres you own
The four shelves on each bay are height-adjustable, which is the whole point for tyre storage. Set one or two bays with a tall gap — around 70–80cm of clearance — so a 4WD tyre stands up without jamming, then keep the remaining shelves at normal spacing for boxes, oil, and tools. Because the system is adjustable you are not locked in: swap from road tyres in winter to a set of muddies in summer and re-space the shelves in a few minutes. If you run seasonal wheel sets, this beats a fixed rack every time.
Keep tyres off the floor and don't stack too high
Concrete slabs draw moisture, and a tyre sitting in a damp corner picks up that moisture, attracts grime, and degrades faster. Getting the rubber up onto a steel shelf keeps it dry, off the oil patches, and out of the way of the mower and the car door. Two safety rules apply to any loaded rack: put the heaviest wheels on the lower shelves, not up high, so the bay stays bottom-heavy and stable; and never overfill the top shelf just because it is empty. Keep the load even across the bay, load from the bottom up, and if you are storing a lot of tyres, connect two bays side by side rather than building one tower to the roof — our heavy-duty units are expandable and share uprights for exactly this reason.
Honest comparison, and where to buy
If you have priced flat-pack racks at Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks or Stratco, you will know most entry-level units are rated well below this per shelf and use thinner steel — check the per-shelf figure advertised on their site before you buy. Our heavy-duty 300kg-per-shelf line sits a clear step above that — thicker 0.7mm uprights and a bolted steel frame — while staying in honest mid-range territory. We are not pallet racking and we do not pretend to be; for a home garage full of tyres you do not need engineered pallet-racking certification, and we will always say so. Steel Power Shelving runs its own warehouse at Willawong in Brisbane (ABN 25 655 838 734), so Brisbane locals can order online and collect the same day. If you are in Melbourne, Sydney or elsewhere, the racks ship to you as a delivery — the same-day pickup is a Brisbane-only perk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What weight rating do I need for a tyre rack?
Aim for at least 300kg per shelf. A mounted set of four 4WD wheels is around 110kg, and you will want margin for spares, so the heavy-duty 300kg-per-shelf line is the safe pick over a 200kg light-duty shelf. Always spread the load evenly across the shelf rather than piling it at one end.
How many tyres can I put on one shelf?
Roughly six to eight passenger tyres stood upright on a 2.0m shelf, or four to six 4WD tyres. That is well within the 300kg rating for loose tyres; the limit you hit first is space, not weight. Store them standing side by side rather than stacked flat.
Should tyres be stored standing up or lying flat?
Store unmounted tyres upright, standing side by side. Mounted wheels on rims can be laid flat and stacked instead, because the rim carries the weight — but keep any flat stack to three or four high to avoid crushing the bottom tyre.
Will a 4WD tyre fit on a 0.6m-deep shelf?
Yes. A 4WD tyre is roughly 70–78cm across, so it will overhang the front of a 0.6m shelf slightly while sitting stable against the back frame. That small overhang is normal; the deeper 0.6m shelf supports the tyre far better than a shallow 0.5m one.
Why get tyres off the concrete floor?
Concrete draws moisture, and tyres left on a damp slab pick up that moisture and grime and perish faster. Lifting them onto a steel shelf keeps them dry, clean, and clear of the car and mower — which is the main reason to rack them in the first place.
Do I need certified shelving for home tyre storage?
No. Certified pallet racking is for warehouse loads on forklifts; a home garage full of tyres does not need it. A bolted heavy-duty steel rack rated at 300kg per shelf, loaded evenly and kept bottom-heavy, is the right tool for the job.
Get the weight rating right, set the shelves for the tyres you own, and keep the rubber off the floor — do that and a set of tyres will store safely for years. If you are in Brisbane, you can collect a heavy-duty bay from our Willawong warehouse the same day.
By Craig Dunstan, Brisbane