Whenever you are setting up your warehouse, a lot of attention goes to setting up the right shelving structures. Regardless of the purpose your warehouse will serve, the strength of your warehouse shelving structures will determine how efficiently your warehouse run.
For the warehouse shelving system to function properly, you will need to evaluate the shelving functionalities, shelving sizing, safety standards, and also the warehouse layout.
The information in this article will help you avoid expensive mistakes when installing your next warehouse shelving system.
The Anatomy of Warehouse Shelving
Warehouse racking comes with all manner of shapes and sizes, but the general principles and anatomy is the same. Due to its large size, warehouse shelving is built with a combination of different pieces as highlighted below:
Shelving and Rack Frames
The frame is generally the structure of your warehouse shelving. Although a variety of materials are used to make pallet rack frames, steel stands out as the best one of them all.
Frames provides the structural support for the racking, and should be strong enough to hold huge weight loads.
Shelving Support Beams and Crossbars
Although it is the frames which will hold your warehouse shelving upright, it is the beams which will hold them together.
Pallet rack beams determine how long your shelving will be. If the crossbar is long, then the warehouse shelving will be long as well.
Decking
The shelf is actually made of rack decking. If you foresee putting large items on the rack, then you might have to use a wire mesh decking since they can load up to 2500 pounds. For small and thin items (which would fall through the wire mesh holes), you will need something like a perforated steel or any solid steel deck.
What matters most when selecting your decks is the load weight. While the frames and beams might comfortably accommodate the weight of your materials, if the deck cannot handle the weight, expect some crashing.
If your materials have the ability to spark or cause fire, then avoid any wood decking.
Types of Pallet and Warehouse Racks
The strength of your warehouse shelving systems needs to match your needs. The major types of shelving and pallet racking are:
Selective Pallet Rack
Selective pallet racking systems are installed in a horizontally, and are majorly designed to be large and strong enough to constitute multiple levels of shelving. The regular pallet racking is always referred to as “Selective” because it allows you to select any product/pallet of your choice.
The shelving is designed to match the depth of one pallet, so it is quite easy to access any item behind the front space.
Cantilever Rack
This rack is made to handle long and heavy loads. Cantilever rack is best for pipes, steel, shelving timber, and other long (and heavy) objects.
If you do plan to hold traditional pallets/skids or any square-based materials, then a cantilever rack might be the best option for your warehouse.
These racks are also quite common in local hardware stores.
Drive-through Racking
Also known as drive-in racking, these systems are designed to allow a forklift or any other machinery to comfortably travel between the beams all through to the back of a storage space. Pallets and materials are placed along the rails, and the design allows the accommodation of high-density materials.
There is always a need for additional security safety measures due to the spacings between the shelving materials.
Push-Back Racking
This racking system is a high-racking density storage solution, and it has same functionalities like a drive-through racking. However, you will have to use multiple pallet carts on both sides of the level then “push back” on the rails.
The rails do slide forward to ensure that the front is easily accessible from the aisle.
Conclusion
The weight of the materials you intend to store will largely determine the kind of the racking system you will incorporate. Ensure that you have the right weight details before installing the racking system.