TromboneChat

What is the best way to stack CD jewel cases? I'm thinking flat, stacked vertically, as it seems like the mechanical support is best that way if I have to make a big stack.

This is for putting them in storage, not on a shelf for quick access.

Thoughts?

A friend in the CD production biz once told me to store them on their side. This way the disc itself is vertical. The idea is that stored flat for a long time, the disc could more easily warp. I store mine this way. No problems. You can;' do a big stack this way, though.

Milk crates work well for me.

PhilTrombone wrote: ↑Sat Feb 13, 2021 2:15 pm A friend in the CD production biz once told me to store them on their side. This way the disc itself is vertical. The idea is that stored flat for a long time, the disc could more easily warp. I store mine this way. No problems. You can;' do a big stack this way, though.

I know this is true of LPs, but I don't see how this is true of CDs unless they're storing them outside of their jewel cases.

Kdanielsen wrote: ↑Sat Feb 13, 2021 2:45 pm Milk crates work well for me.

Good idea. Distribute the weight to the crate.

AndrewMeronek wrote: ↑Sat Feb 13, 2021 3:19 pm I know this is true of LPs, but I don't see how this is true of CDs unless they're storing them outside of their jewel cases.

A CD in a case is really only supported at the center spindle which (intentionally) holds the CD data surface from touching the case interior. The rest of the CD mass is hanging off that center point.

I suspect CDs are stiff enough for this to not ever be a problem at normal storage temperatures and in normal human time spans. But if you need to play that CD a million years from now...

PhilTrombone wrote: ↑Sat Feb 13, 2021 4:15 pm
A friend in the CD production biz once told me to store them on their side. This way the disc itself is vertical. The idea is that stored flat for a long time, the disc could more easily warp. I store mine this way. No problems. You can;' do a big stack this way, though.

I know this is true of LPs, but I don't see how this is true of CDs unless they're storing them outside of their jewel cases.

I agree. I posted my original comment because it came from someone in the business of manufacturing them. I do believe that many CD's are shipped packed vertically. I did an 800-cd buy once for a project, and the CD's came in long boxes, vertically packed. At any rate, I have plenty that have been casually stored flat (in their cases) with no adverse affect. But this is in a very cool basement. Adding some heat to the long-term storage, like leaving them in an attic could warp the discs.

Store on their side, box them up, get rid of any "slop" in the pack with sheet foam, paper, cardboard, etc. You do not want them rubbing against one another, scratching the clear plastic, and if you horizontally stack them the ones on the bottom will eventually break and crack from the weight of the stack.

New, they are shipped to me in a box with 200, 4 vertical rows of 50, 2 rows side by side, stacked on top of the other 2 rows. A glossy brown paper is on the bottom of the box, between the two stacks and on top of the top stack.

Doug

Just remember no matter how you store them, you have to lift the box/crate

I use Laserline plastic storage towers that I bought at Goodwill for USD$5 each. The footprint is very small, so I I can fit them into various nooks in my listening room and storage unit. When they go into storage, I simply wrap them with a layer of plastic film. When they come out of storage, it only takes a few seconds with a pair of scissors to remove the plastic film to make them accessible again.