Warehouses are buildings that store goods. They are used by traders, merchants, corporations, and for criminal activity. They may be located near ports or the docks, along trade routes, in industrial parks, or near manufacturing centers. Some may be secret government warehouses. They are home to workers and security guards.

Fictional warehouses are often depicted as industrial areas with large enclosed spaces designed to store goods or equipment. They may contain catwalks, pipes, conveyor systems, or maintenance tunnels. They may also have large ventilation systems with industrial fans.

The types of goods held by a warehouse should be considered when designing them and may be an opportunity to showcase a fictional material. Fictional warehouses often store their wares in high shelving units, which are often used to form a labyrinthian maze across the warehouse floor. The tops of these shelves is also frequently used to provide additional room for characters of a narrative to maneuver. Of course, these shelves may topple like dominoes.