Pallet Racking Capacity

Industrial storage racks are the most common storage systems found in modern warehouses today. When considering the loading capacity of a pallet racking system, it comes down to various factors at play.

Warehouse Safety

Pallet rack capacity is crucial to safety within your warehouse environment. Therefore, it is always essential to ensure that both frames and beams are designed to hold the required weight and avoid a catastrophic system collapse.

When calculating pallet racking capacity, there are several elements to take into consideration. The first element is around the load – or the pallet size, dimensions, contents and pallet type. Height, weight and depth are the keys to making the beams safe in loading, as each must be able to support the weight of your product.

If you were to have two pallet loads weighing 1500 lbs each, your racking system would need to be around 3000 lbs per pair of beams to support that load. Most beam capacities differ with each manufacturer, so it is important to refer to the manufacturer’s load capacity chart when selecting your system.

Beam Levels

You will also need to determine the number of beam levels per bay, along with the beam spacing. If your warehouse has multiple bay configurations, you need to ensure that each will be evaluated. Capacity ratings for racking frames are based on a maximum unsupported span, so the further apart the beam spacing is, the less capacity the frame is rated to hold.

Several items impact the capacity ratings for frames and beams, such as the strength of the steel used to fabricate the racking components. Steel thickness will also play into the impact on capacity, and each manufacturer has different section properties that will affect rated capacities.

When having a storage system designed, you need to understand that certain aspects have been considered also – such as slab and soil conditions, seismic requirements and the potential for rack damage. Your racking will need to be compliant with safety codes and practices, and allow for staff training around them regularly.

Additional Explorations

There are also conditions where your racking may benefit from a vertical system able to stock towards the ceiling of your building, eliminating aisle overhang and combining aisle space for different size products. This helps to maximise your storage without adding considerable risk to your racking system integrity.

For more information about pallet racking, storage systems, and warehouse storage equipment, contact the team at Monarch Shelving today.