Getting Started

Pallet racking is a structural storage system designed to hold palletized goods above the warehouse floor. Upright frames provide the vertical structure, while horizontal beam pairs create storage levels. A properly designed system coordinates rack capacity, pallet dimensions, load weights, lift equipment, building conditions and applicable permit requirements.

Pallet rack is primarily designed for palletized loads placed and retrieved with lift equipment. Shelving is generally used for cartons, totes, parts and products handled by employees. Some rack systems include decking for case picking, but the intended load and handling method still need to be defined during design.

Pallet rack may help when floor-stacked inventory consumes too much space, pallets must be accessed individually or products cannot be stacked safely on one another. The decision should compare pallet count, SKU mix, inventory turns, lift equipment, clear height and the cost of additional handling.

Yes. Many warehouses combine selective rack for mixed inventory, deep-lane rack for reserve stock, cantilever rack for long products and shelving for hand-picked cartons. Zoning each system around a particular inventory profile usually performs better than forcing every product into one storage method.

The starting information includes pallet dimensions, maximum pallet weight, load height, SKU count, pallets per SKU, inventory-rotation requirements, daily pallet moves and lift-equipment specifications. Building dimensions, clear height, columns, doors, docks, slab conditions, obstructions and sprinkler information are also important.

Buying rack too early creates redesign risk. The approved layout may require different frame depths, beam lengths, capacities, aisle widths, elevations or fire-protection features. Develop the layout, confirm equipment compatibility and identify building and fire requirements before committing to the final equipment package.

Used rack can reduce equipment cost when its history, condition, capacity and component compatibility can be verified. Bent columns, damaged connectors, unauthorized repairs, corrosion and mixed components can introduce risk. Engineering, freight, sorting and missing parts can also reduce the apparent savings.

The answer depends on more than square footage. Building shape, columns, doors, docks, required exits, fire equipment, staging, lift-truck aisles and product characteristics all reduce or shape the usable storage area. A preliminary layout can estimate pallet positions and compare different systems before detailed engineering.