Pallet Racking come in different heights, depths, beam length and load ratings. Choosing wisely not only could save money but also result in better utilization of warehouse space.

Pallet Racking Height

Pallet Racking frames come in various heights. Choosing the correct height for your warehouse could turn out to be more economical as well as save a lot of space. Here is how.

Choose a frame height at least 1.5 meters or the height of your tallest pallet + 500mm clearance from the ceiling. By doing this, you could save money as you need shorter frames. Putting the beams at the top position would give you a clear length through the entire line for storing odd length loads.

Pallet Racking Frame Depth

Standard Australian pallet size is 1165 x 1165 x 150. Pallet Racking frames of 838mm deep are sufficient for storing Australian Pallets. Deeper frames (1219mm) are needed to store pallets from USA and few other countries. Refer to the pallet sizes for more details. These frames can also hold standard Australian pallets with the help of support bars and wire mesh decking.

Pallet Racking Beam Length

The deciding factor for beam length depends on how tightly the pallets are packed, the pallet width and warehouse length available. If only standard Australian pallets are used and the packing is tight without overhang on either side of the pallet, a 2591mm beam could be suitable. If the pallets do have a slight overhang, a 2743 mm beam needs to be used. One beam length can take two pallets. If the pallets are not too heavy, longer beams can be used as they will minimize the use of frames thus saving on cost. Please refer to pallet racking beam sizes for the standard lengths available. If the loads stored on the racking are standard pallets and odd length loads, it is better to go for a combination of different lengths. Smaller length beams to maximize the pallet positions are available which can take one single pallet. Due to a shorter length, the load rating on the beams are also very high.

Pallet Racking Beam Load Rating

Pallet racking beams are rated with a load rating of uniformly distributed load. As an example, a 2591X100 beam with a load rating of 2115KG UDL can take two pallets with a uniform load on each pallet whose total weight should not exceed 2115 KG. If a single pallet with near to the load rating were to be placed, it has to be placed at the centre of the racking.  In addition to the beam load rating, the load rating of the frames at different heights should not be exceeded per bay. You can obtain a chart of this load rating from your pallet racking supplier.