Types of glass-wash equipment
Glass-wash racks and dolleys are the storage and transport infrastructure for commercial glassware between wash, polish, storage, and bar-side service. Hospitality Connect stocks FED, Cambro, and Vollrath ranges across open glass racks, compartment glass racks, dolly bases for stacking, and extender rims for taller glassware. Polypropylene construction is the industry standard — dishwasher-safe, food-grade, and dimensionally stable across thousands of wash cycles.
- Open glass racks: flat-base 500 × 500 mm trays for tumblers and short stemware where compartments aren't needed.
- Compartment racks: 16, 25, 36, and 49-compartment trays for stemware, beer glasses, and tall tumblers — protect rims from impact.
- Extender rims: snap-on top rims that increase usable height for taller stemware and pilsner flutes.
- Glass dolleys: wheeled bases that take stacked rack columns — typical capacity 4–6 racks high, max 24 stems per rack.
- Cup racks: smaller compartments for espresso cups, teacups, and small drinkware where stem height isn't an issue.
Sizing and workflow
Standard glass-wash rack footprint is 500 × 500 mm to match the wash zones of most undercounter glasswashers. Dollies match this footprint with caster wheels for low-friction transport across the bar. Compartment count drops as glass size grows: 49-compartment for shot glasses and espresso cups; 36-compartment for tumblers; 25-compartment for highballs and stemware; 16-compartment for large stemware and pilsner flutes. Plan one full dolly per 50 covers at peak — a typical pub running 200 covers per service needs at least 4 fully-stocked dollies plus another 2 in rotation.
Material and care
- Polypropylene: the industry-standard material — dishwasher-safe, BPA-free, dimensionally stable across thousands of cycles.
- Colour-coding: most ranges available in beige, grey, blue, and red for venue colour-coding by glass type or service zone.
- Stack-locking: tabs on rack rims align between layers to prevent racks slipping off dollies during transport.
- Replaceable extenders: if a stem profile changes, swap extenders rather than buying new racks.
- Service life: typical polypropylene racks last 3–5 years in continuous commercial service; longer with careful storage between shifts.
Working with our team
Hospitality Connect's catalogue depth in this category reflects 21+ years of supplying Australian commercial venues — single-supplier convenience across appliances, smallware, and consumables means fewer purchase orders, consolidated freight, and consistent specification advice from a team that's seen most operational scenarios before.
Specification matters more than buyers expect — undersized or oversized purchases waste both capital and operating cost. Our trade team spec'd thousands of fitouts across cafés, restaurants, hotels, function venues, and contract kitchens, and we'll match recommendations to your venue brief rather than push the catalogue.
Pair with
Use glass racks alongside drinkware, dishwasher racks, tapware (pre-rinse), ice machines, and milk and water jugs for the full bar and beverage station.
