how to choose lockers for your school

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Whether outfitting a new school or renovating, you must answer two obvious questions when buying hall or gym lockers:

1) How many students do you need to serve?

2) How big do the lockers need to be to accommodate what students need to store?

Once you know how many lockers and what size you require, the next step is to focus on durability

School lockers have a hard life. Their doors get slammed. Students scratch graffiti on them. Heavy book-filled backpacks and athletic equipment are thrown into them. And sometimes they even get uprooted and moved to a new place.

Keeping in mind this wear-and-tear, it’s important to select well-constructed locker models made of durable materials.

You should also consider security when choosing lockers. Lockers aren’t just for storage; they’re for keeping students’ property safe. Not all locker designs and locking options provide the same protection.

How To Choose Lockers For Your

School

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Choosing lockers isn’t a decision to take lightly. The wrong choice (i.e., lockers that are too small or too easy to break into) can be taken as evidence of a lack of commitment to students’ needs. A bad purchase can also cost the school money.

The following is a guide to how to purchase the right amount, size, and quality of locker for your students.

H A L L L O C K E R SHall lockers are an integral part of student life. They are students’ home base at school. They are the one part of a school that a student can call his or her own sole territory. Making sure that hall lockers meet students’ needs shows a dedication to providing students with the best learning experience possible.

Hall lockers should comfortably store what the student needs and they should be easily securable. They also should look good. Color choices can help build school spirit or create a mood.

How ManyFiguring out how many hall lockers you need is pretty straightforward. You project the number of students who will need lockers and order enough for them each to have one. But as anyone involved with schools knows, enrollment projections are often low, especially for public schools. When building or retrofitting a school, it’s best to plan for more students than you expect.



And knowing how many lockers you need also depends on space. You need to know how many you can fit in the space designated for them. (This of course depends on the size and shape of the lockers.)

SizeThe necessary size of hall lockers will depend on how much stuff students need to put in them, and this generally increases as the grade level rises.

It’s also important to consider you school’s specific situation. Some schools may require students to carry more or less than a typical school. For example, a progressive school that relies heavily on computer tablets or laptops for each student may not need as much space for books. Or a school that has a special mission, such as an arts-focused school, might need more space for equipment and materials.

Typically, however, you should choose a hall locker that is able to hold:

• 35 pounds of books• a coat• a backpack• notebooks and binders.

In the majority of cases, the most practical size is a double-tier locker that is 15 inches deep and 15 inches wide, with each of the two compartments 36 inches tall, for a total of 8,100 cubic inches per student.

You could buy smaller lockers, but anything smaller really isn’t enough storage space for students.



You can also buy bigger if your space and budget allows it. For example, 12”x15”x72” is a great size, allowing for full-length clothes and providing a low shelf with more room for storage on it.

But 15”x15”x”36 is typically enough space and those dimensions work well. However, if your space requires it, other dimensions are certainly fine as long as the 8,100-cubic-inch minimum is met.

DurabilityHall lockers will see daily, heavy use. You need at least 14-gauge steel doors and 20-gauge steel bottoms to stand-up to those 35 pounds of books. You can buy lighter gauges (16-gauge doors and 24-gauge bottoms are fairly common), but you’ll be replacing your lockers sooner than you want.

Also pay attention to how the locker is constructed (e.g., does it have cross-bracing?).

Whatever locker you buy, pay attention to the warranty. You should get a lifetime one and you should understand what it covers. The longer (lifetime) the warranty the better quality the locker. The manufacturer believes in his product!

Another issue related to durability doesn’t concern material strength or construction—instead, it’s about how you install the lockers.

A common misconception is that lockers will last longer and be sturdier if they are welded into place. However, given the unpredictable growth rates of schools and how their needs may change, it’s unwise to permanently construct lockers. This doesn’t make them significantly more durable and it can lead to headaches and cost a lot of money if you do need to move them for renovations.



Once lockers are welded into place, you can’t change your mind, they can’t be moved if you need them in another place. If they’re in the way of renovation, the welded lockers have reached the end of their life. “Knock-down” lockers can be moved and re-used, lowering your renovation expense. Knock-down lockers also save money on the front end, typically costing only about half as much as welded lockers. Welded lockers are difficult if not impossible to repair.

SecurityYou can chose between built-in locks or padlocks. Having students use padlocks is cheaper, but padlocks are relatively easy to break. Sometimes students also forget to lock their padlocks. Built-in locks will lock when the door shuts and they’re harder to break.

A recessed handle lift type works best with built-in locks. If you chose the padlock option, try to get single-point locks rather than locks that have a moving lifter. The constant pull on the padlock and lifter will eventually break the lifter, whereas a single-point 12-gauge lock clip will stand up to everyday, rough student use.



G Y M L O C K E R SGym lockers shouldn’t create hassles in storing personal items or athletic equipment. Lockers should make life easier for the athletes who use them. And they should foster a positive competitive attitude. An outstanding locker room can make a team feel like a winner, while an inadequate locker room can be demoralizing.

As with hall lockers, color schemes and logos can be used to boost school pride, which helps inspire players getting ready to take the field or court in the name of their school. Lockers of one color and slope hoods and end panels in another color are a no-cost way of creating a school-colors theme.

How ManyDetermining how many gym lockers you need takes a little more thought than for hall lockers. You need to accommodate your physical education classes plus every team your school has. Generally, you need a PE locker for each student in your school.

Keep in mind to allow for student-population growth. It’s usually cheaper to plan for growth when first installing lockers than to have to install more lockers when the growth occurs.

For team lockers, you’ll have to look at overlapping sports and figure out the largest use you’ll have—for both boys and girls. For example, if you have three boys’ teams who are all at some point in their season, you’ll need enough lockers for all those athletes—or a schedule that allows for locker sharing. Not all schools have the budget or the space to allow for separate team locker rooms.



Of course, different teams have different numbers of players and you’ll need to know those team sizes. Football is often the largest team, with 40 players for varsity and 35 for junior varsity, a typical size.

You’ll also need to plan for special lockers for team equipment. The number you’ll need will of course vary upon how much equipment needs to be stored in the locker room, the size of the equipment lockers (there is much variation available), and how many different sports can share these lockers.

Size

Students are likely to bring their backpacks to PE class, plus they need room to store their regular clothes when they change into their gym clothes, so gym lockers for PE need to have ample space. But they don’t have to be quite as big as hall lockers.

A good solution for PE lockers is a triple-tier 15”x15”x24” (5,400 cubic inches). You could go to a 15”x15”x18” four-tier set-up, but this will make things very tight for students, but will work. In any size smaller they might be forced to store items on the floor, leaving them in the way and open for theft.

Determining the right size locker for teams is the trickiest part of selecting lockers for schools because each sport has different needs. Nonetheless, the fundamental question remains the same: what has to fit in the locker?

Football players, for example, have a lot of equipment to store, including bulky shoulder pads. For this reason, it’s hard to get by with less than a 15”x15”x72” locker for each player. You could try to get by with a smaller locker—18”x15”x36” for example—but for varsity players especially this is a squeeze.

You also must accommodate special needs of a sport. In football, for example, you need shelves low enough (at least 18” from the top) for players to store their helmets. You might also want to buy flat-top lockers that allow players to temporarily set their helmets or pads on top of the locker.

If you have enough money and space, and a secure team locker room, you might even decide to treat your players to lockers like the pros have: 18”x 18”x72” open design with an upper lock box for securing valuables.



But football isn’t the only sport that will drive you toward larger lockers. Many schools play lacrosse, golf, and baseball in the spring. With its long sticks and padding, lacrosse has similar equipment storage needs to football. And because baseball players often like to carry their own bats, baseball needs large lockers as well. So you may actually need more large lockers in spring than in fall.

Basketball, wrestling, volleyball, soccer, tennis, track and field, etc. don’t usually need the full-length lockers. For these sports, the 15”x15”x”36” double-tier size should be adequate.

Don’t forget as you design your locker rooms that players need to have enough space to move around in as they use the locker room. You can’t jam lockers into every square foot. An option to increase “leg room” space is to vary locker type—triple-tier, double-tier, and single-tier side-by-side in a repeating pattern. This helps separate everyone as they’re using the lockers.

Durability

All gym lockers should be at least as strong as hall lockers (14-gauge steel doors and 20-gauge steel bottoms). In many cases, their use will be essentially the same as with hall lockers (storing backpacks and clothing), but even when sports equipment is being stored, this strength level will be enough to make the lockers last.

Also, as with hall lockers, pay attention to how the locker is constructed. And opt for knock-down lockers rather than welded lockers.

Security

One aspect of team locker security that you should be aware of is that you shouldn’t use built-in locks. Padlocks are preferred instead, because built-in locks have only a set number of combinations in them (usually five), and the turnover in team lockers (season



to season as opposed to year to year) is too frequent. Three or more students could use the same locker in a year, meaning that the next year, while those students are still on campus, the combinations they used would be in use again—not a secure situation for the new user.

As with any padlocked locker, the best design for team gym locks is single-point locking with no moving parts.

For general PE lockers, if each student is assigned their own locker for the year to store their gym clothes, a built-in lock remains the best option, just as with hall lockers.

Another issue related to security (in hall lockers as well) is ventilation. It’s important that lockers be ventilated, but perforated ventilation—cutting holes in the locker—does not provide good security because people can see inside the locker. It’s better to use full mini-louvers that allow air to move in and out but hide what’s in the locker, without compromising locker strength.



A C C E S S O R I E SChoosing the right locker doesn’t end your buying decisions. You also need to select the appropriate locker room accessories.

There are many accessory choices, including the following useful items:

• Slope Hood—These hoods modify the basic flat-top locker design and can be purchased for individual lockers or as continuous hoods across multiple lockers. Chose, at least, a 16-gauge hood that is bolted together rather than spliced. Make sure it can screw to the locker because clips can come loose with use and fall off.

• Recess Top and Side Trim—Buy at least 18 gauge, and use screw attachment rather than clips.

• Front Fillers—These fillers between lockers should be 16 gauge and attach with screws. They should not be wider than 11 7/8”.

• Z Base—Get at least 12 gauge for these bases, which raise lockers off the floor when they are not mounted on concrete or wood. Anything less could eventually collapse, especially with 14-gauge doors.

• End Panels—16-gauge panels will be as strong as you need, but realize that end panels—while they look great—are costly and tend to come loose, no matter what the gauge

• End Cover Panels—14-gauge steel and perimeter-punched are not visually appealing, but they are the most durable option.

• Continuous Hinges—These are needed, particularly on multiple-tier lockers.• Extra shelves—Most lockers al-ready have holes in the side panels to allow for these.• Louvers—Besides keeping people from seeing inside a locker, louvers break the

monotony of solid metal. They can be an element of adornment as well as a means of ventilation.

When choosing locker accessories, it’s important to know what need you are filling by buying each accessory. Accessories can enhance your lockers in valuable ways, but they also can add significantly to your price tag. Be sure you know what you’re getting and why and buy the best quality to lower your long-term cost.



S U M M A R YOf course, every person charged with buying school lockers would like to outfit their students with lockers suited for kings and queens. Especially when it comes to teams, it’s only natural to want spacious, decked-out lockers to support and inspire performance.

But the reality is that budgets and space provide limitations that can’t be ignored when selecting lockers. For new schools these limitations are a problem, but they are easier to work with. For existing schools undergoing renovation, these limitations can force you into creative solutions.

However, whatever your constraints and whatever your needs, the fundamentals of buying lockers remain the same:

• Know how many lockers you need, taking into account student population growth

• Determine the locker size you need based on what will need to be stored in them

• Be sure to get lockers that are tough enough to withstand heavy, rough use

• Make sure the lockers are truly able to keep possessions safe.

Buying lockers isn’t too complex, but you must pay attention to the details. Selecting lockers without a full understanding of your needs and what you’re buying puts you at risk of costly renovations and replacements earlier than you anticipate. Buying smart will reward your students for years to come and save money in the long run.



A b O U t Y O U n G E q U i p M E n t S A L E SYoung Equipment Sales is a one-stop solution for all of your school equipment and commercial furnishing necessities. We handle everything including tables and chairs, gymnasium wall padding, movable partitions and stages, bleachers, sporting equipment, bathroom partitions, lockers, and much more!

If you have any questions or if you would like information on locker pricing, please click here.


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how to choose lockers for your school

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