I needed a heavy duty shelf unit to store and organize my ammunition. Bought two units as I wanted six shelves on one and only four on a second for bulkier, but not as heavy, items. The units are very sturdy and easy to assemble. Working alone, it took about 30-40 minutes to assemble, but I also moved two shelves due to my miscalculation. I "de-rated" the individual shelves to about 400 pounds due to adding a sixth shelf, and have a total of about 1,800 pounds on the six shelf unit. The "solid" shelves do sink a bit in the middle until they meet the middle brace, and yes, the load is well distributed. It would be much better if the top of the brace matched the elevation of the edge braces. Overall, I am very happy with the shelves and would recommend them if you need to store heavy loads and need/want a smooth surface v. wire shelving. The empty box is on top as a dust shield.

Very nice ,just what I need!! Thank you

I feel in some cases you misrepresented your product

A little odd to put together, but they seem like sturdy shelves and are attractive enough to go into a pantry.