Steel or Wooden Workbench? Get the Top, Height and Load Right

The top is stained with oil, the bench flexes when you lean on the vice, or it sits too low for your back. Choose the worktop for the work you do, then match the load rating, height and layout to your garage.

The workbenches and workstations range at PartsForMachines has more than 90 benches and workstations from Sealey, Draper and SIP, plus worktops and add-ons.

Steel, Wood or Stainless: Which Worktop Copes With Oil?

For oily work, choose stainless steel. Its smooth, non-absorbent surface wipes clean, so spilt oil does not soak in, and it resists corrosion. Laminate, such as the 40 mm top on the API series benches, stands up well to knocks and wear, while rubberwood gives a warm, hard-wearing surface for general jobs.

You often do not have to choose the frame and the top together. The APMS22 has a 32 mm solid wood worktop and the APMS23 a stainless one on the same steel frame, so pick the frame for the load and height, then the top for your work.

How Much Weight Does a Workbench Need to Hold?

More than your heaviest job, with a margin to spare. Ratings vary widely: many lighter benches are rated to 100 kg, the AP0618 takes 500 kg and the AP1015 steel workbench is rated to 1,000 kg.

Those 500 kg and 1,000 kg figures assume the load is spread evenly across the top. Weight concentrated in one spot, such as an engine block or a vice on one corner, deserves a bigger margin. For vice work and heavy parts, choose a steel bench rated well above the job.

What Height Should a Workbench Be?

Set it by your elbow height and the job. As a guide, light work suits a surface just below the elbow, heavy work that needs downward force a lower one, and fine precision work a little above the elbow. Measure your elbow height standing in your work boots.

Many fixed benches stand between 850 and 910 mm, such as the API1500 at 850 mm and the AP0618 at 910 mm. If several people share the bench, or you sit for some jobs, choose an adjustable frame: the APMS22 adjustable workbench sets anywhere from 680 to 1,030 mm.

Fixed Bench, Mobile Workstation or Fold-Down?

Choose by the work and the space. A fixed bench suits vice work and heavy jobs. A mobile workstation brings the worktop and tools to the car: the 08242 roller workstation has a 25 mm hardwood worktop, ten soft-close drawers and two cupboards, and runs on four castors, two of them braked.

In a garage with no spare floor, a fold-down wall bench such as the APWMW01 opens to a 914 x 470 mm surface, then folds up and locks. To fit out a whole wall, storage systems up to 3.24 m long combine a worktop and cabinets, and many add a back panel with power sockets.

What Should I Check Before I Buy?

• The load rating, and whether it assumes an evenly spread load.
• A worktop that suits the work: stainless for oily work, laminate or wood for general jobs.
• The height against your elbow, or an adjustable frame if the bench is shared.
• The length and depth against your wall space, or a fold-down bench if floor space is tight.
• The extras you need: drawers, a shelf, pegboard, power sockets, a vice mount or adjustable feet.

Not sure which suits your garage? Contact the PartsForMachines team by WhatsApp, telephone or email with your wall space, your heaviest job and the work you do, or browse the workbenches and workstations range.

Product options, delivery options and returns terms are shown on each product page. A 30-day return policy applies to eligible items.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is an MDF worktop good enough for a garage bench?

For dry work, yes: a thick MDF top, such as the 25 mm one on the AP0618, is rigid. Bare MDF suffers when wet, because water can soak in and make it swell. For oily or wet jobs, stainless is easier to keep clean.

Can one bench do both woodwork and welding?

Not on a wooden top: wood is combustible, so keep it clear of welding sparks. Weld on a steel table such as the SWT915 welding table, with 16 mm holes and four tool slots for clamping, and keep woodwork to a separate bench.

Can I remove the vice when I need the whole worktop?

Yes, on benches with a mounting plate. The API10 vice mounting plate fits the 1.5, 1.8 and 2.1 m API series benches and lets you store the vice out of the way, leaving the full worktop free. The vice is sold separately.

How do I level a bench on an uneven floor?

Use adjustable feet. Many steel benches have them, including the AP0618 and the APMS22 and APMS23, whose feet, Sealey says, keep the work surface level even if your floor is not. A wall-mounted fold-down bench avoids the floor altogether.

Will a fold-down wall bench take heavy work?

Keep it to lighter jobs. The APWMW01 and the larger APWMW02, with a 1,100 x 520 mm surface, are each rated to 100 kg, a tenth of the heaviest steel benches. For engines or heavy vice work, choose a freestanding steel bench.

Is a bench with drawers or a bottom shelf better?

It depends on what you store. Drawers keep hand tools tidy and close to hand, while a shelf takes bulky items. The AP2030BB has five drawers on ball-bearing slides plus open shelving; the 21269 has a lockable drawer and a lower shelf.

Can I put a worktop on top of my tool cabinets?

Yes. Modular worktops in rubberwood or stainless come in 680, 1,360 and 2,040 mm lengths to span one, two or three base cabinets. A 38 mm hardwood BUNKER worktop is also available, supplied with all its fittings.

Can I assemble a workbench myself?

Usually, yes. Many benches arrive flat-packed and need only simple assembly, and the 24912 steel bench goes together with no nuts or bolts. Large storage systems are heavy, so have extra help ready when one is delivered.

How long should a garage workbench be?

Measure the wall and leave room to walk round the car with its doors open. Freestanding steel benches come in lengths such as 1 m (the AP1010), 1.5 m and 2.1 m (the API2100), and complete storage walls reach 3.24 m.