I bought this for storage for tools in my spare bedroom closet. That closet has the water heater in it, so I felt that a shelf next to it needed to be metal for safety and hold alot of weight for my tools and such. Its also a very small awkward space and i needed something with a skinny width, however i wish that I could have got it taller with the same small profile. I have bought 2 bigger versions of this shelf , so I knew it was good and what I wanted.