Medical Store Furniture: Which Plywood for the Counter, Racks and Drawers

Short answer: build a medical store's counter and wall racks in 18mm BWR plywood (most shops are on the ground floor and get mopped daily), with 12mm shelves (medicine boxes are light but many), 12mm drawer sides with 6mm bottoms for strip drawers, and sliding glass shutters on the racks to keep dust out. Use light laminate (white or light grey) for a clean look, and plan lighting in the racks. A 10 ft wall rack plus a 6 ft counter takes about 4–5 sheets of 18mm, 4 of 12mm and 4 of 6mm (estimate).

Medical store videos get millions of views in India, mostly from new chemists planning their first shop. The furniture is simple; the details decide whether it stays neat for years.

The usual parts

Part	Board	Thickness	Note
Wall rack frame (sides, partitions, top, bottom)	BWR plywood	18mm	Floor to near ceiling
Rack shelves	BWR plywood	12mm	Spans about 2 ft; shallow (10–12 inch)
Rack back	Plywood	6mm
Sliding shutters	Glass in an aluminium track, or laminated 12mm plywood	–	Keeps dust off boxes
Counter body	BWR plywood	18mm	Front laminated in the shop's colour
Counter top	18mm plywood with laminate, or a glass top over a display	18mm	Hard-wearing laminate
Strip drawers (many small ones)	Plywood	12mm sides, 6mm bottoms	Light-duty channels or runners
Plinth	BWR or WPC	18mm	Mopping water

Details that matter

• Shallow shelves: 10–12 inches is enough for medicine boxes, and nothing gets lost at the back.
• Adjustable shelves (shelf supports) handle changing box sizes.
• Labels: a laminate or aluminium strip on the shelf front for name labels.
• Fridge space for cold-chain medicines, with ventilation behind.
• Lighting: LED strips under each shelf front or a light at the top of each section.
• Ground floor: BWR plywood and a WPC or BWR plinth, raised off the floor: shop counters and racks.

Material list (estimate)

Wall rack, 10 ft wide × 8 ft high × 1 ft deep, 5 sections:

Material	Quantity
18mm BWR plywood	2 sheets
12mm BWR plywood (about 40 shelves)	3 sheets
6mm plywood (back)	3 sheets
Sliding glass shutters and tracks	from a glass shop

Counter, 6 ft long × 3 ft high × 2 ft deep, with drawers:

Material	Quantity
18mm BWR plywood	2–3 sheets
12mm plywood (drawers)	1 sheet
6mm plywood (drawer bottoms, back)	1 sheet

For both: about 4–5 sheets of 1mm laminate, 4–5 of liner, 60–80 m of edge band, drawer channels or runners, handles and locks.

FAQ

Which plywood is best for a medical shop rack? 18mm BWR plywood for the frame, 12mm for shelves, 6mm for the back. BWR because most shops are on a ground floor and mopped daily.

How deep should medicine racks be? About 10–12 inches.

Glass or wooden shutters on the racks? Sliding glass keeps dust out and lets customers and staff see the stock.

Nitin Plywood House, Alipur

Plywood, laminate, edge band and hardware for shop fit-outs, with a GST bill in the firm's name and delivery anywhere in Delhi. Send the shop drawing on WhatsApp to +91-9212017608 for a material list and today's rate. See BWR plywood and hardware.