Warehouse Racking Buyer's Guide

Dec. 09, 2024

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Warehouse Racking Buyer's Guide

Buying the right warehouse racks is one of the best business investments you can make. Your racking system delivers an enormous return on investment by maximizing your space usage, minimizing your product turnover time and delivering a safe working environment for your employees. This guide to buying warehouse racks will help you make that right investment.

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No guide to warehouse racking would be complete without drilling deep into what main components constitute a rack system. What the warehouse industry calls selective pallet racking is the most widely used shelving system in today&#;s storage facilities. A complete warehouse rack guide examines these components so you can clearly understand what options you have available.

At Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment, we believe in giving you full and accurate information about what a selective pallet racking system entails. A properly designed and built system works on the &#;first-in/first-out&#; principle. That&#;s the inventory method where workers place palleted products in a position to be first out. That&#;s highly important for companies that turn products over fast.

In this buying guide to warehouse racks, we&#;ll first take an overall look at the two core components in a rack system. These are your uprights or frames, and your beams or horizontal supports. We&#;ll link each component to the right online page so you&#;ll get a visual idea of what these Cherry&#;s products look like and how they work.

Next, we&#;ll provide a pallet rack guide which will cover selective rack accessories such as pallet support bars, wire decks and rack protectors. For your convenience, we&#;ll also link each support accessory to the relevant product information page on our website so that you get all of the information you need about each product.

Types of Racks and Decking

It&#;s best to think of selective pallet racking systems as having three parts. First are the rack frames consisting of uprights and beams. Second are the decking components made up of pallet support bars and wire decking. Third are the protective pieces that guard the rack frames against damaging forklift strikes.

Uprights and beams can&#;t work without each other. When combined, these two critical components also have to have shelving parts to support loaded pallets. While the protective parts aren&#;t mandatory, they make excellent sense as insurance against damage. As you know, in a busy warehouse environment, forklift strikes aren&#;t a matter of if they happen. It&#;s a matter of when they happen.

Let&#;s start with examining the vertical components you need for your racking system &#; frames or uprights. These vertical members take the structural load from the entire system and transfer it to your warehouse concrete floor. It&#;s helpful at this point to consider two engineering terms warehouse workers use when managing loads through racking structures.

Loads have two calculations. One is called dead load, which is the weight of the racking system itself. The other is live load, which takes in the entire weight of all your pallets sitting on your decks and passing through the horizontal beams, then down to the floor. The live loads are the ones you must think of when choosing the right warehouse racking system.

Uprights, beams and decking systematically work to manage heavy loads of pallets and products. Properly designed, these interacting components safely hold the capacities they&#;re rated for. The key performance factor is ensuring each part is strong enough to do its intended job. Make sure to watch Cherry&#;s three-part video series on warehouse rack components. Here&#;s a more in-depth written view of a rack system&#;s parts and performance points.

Uprights: Your uprights are the outer rack components. Also called frames or verticals, they make up the sides of your racking system. Critical dimensions for uprights are height and depth. Height is the distance from the floor to the top of your rack. Upright heights range from eight feet to more than 20 feet, depending on how much airspace you have in your warehouse. Depth is the width of your rack frame from front to back. Cherry&#;s depths have six-inch increases. The shallowest upright depth is 36 inches. Then, there are 42- and 48-inch frames available. The 42-inch depth is our most popular upright depth. It allows a standard 48-inch pallet to overhang the deck width, making it easier for forklift picking.
Beams: Your horizontal rack members are called beams. These steel structures take the downward forces of a loaded pallet and horizontally transfer them across to the uprights where the live load moves vertically to the floor. Beams have two critical dimensions. One is length, or the clear span between the uprights. The other is beam depth, or the thickness of the beam from top to bottom. Both dimensions have an enormous impact on a beam&#;s ability to take and transfer weight. There&#;s an inverse ratio: The longer the beam, the thicker it has to be to perform. Cherry&#;s rack beams vary from eight to 12 feet in length, and the depths are four inches for short beams and six and a half inches for long beams. Beams also have two profiles. First is the box or square design. Second is the step beam, which has a notch or in-step which allows for the installation of step wire decks. More on that later.
Pallet support bars: Make sure there&#;s room in your budget to purchase pallet support accessories like pallet support bars. These are the cross members that run between your beams and uniformly support a loaded pallet. These steel bars support the pallet across the center and prevent it from flexing, sagging or breaking. You have two support bar options at Cherry&#;s. One is the flange design that&#;s compatible with step beams. These support bars are two inches wide and work in pairs with a combined load of 2,500 pounds together. Your other Cherry&#;s option is called the hat design, and it works with box or square beams. Pallet support bars come pre-drilled to accept Tek screws for securing them to the beams.

Wire decks: Instead of pallet support bars, many warehouse operators elect to use wire decking. Every buying guide to warehouse decks includes information on these highly popular rack system accessories. Wire decks provide great load support for pallets and also act as a net to help prevent items from falling in between the parallel beams of the pallet racks. Cherry&#;s wire decks come with a two-and-a-half-by-four-inch mesh of steel wire which is welded to either of 2 basic types of channel supports &#; flared or step. These channel supports are how you can distinguish between the 2 most popular wire decks &#; the step deck and the flared deck. The flared wire deck also known as the universal deck has a flared channel support design that makes it compatible with both step and box beams. The step wire decks are design specifically for step beams to give a snug and extra supported deck surface. They are not compatible with box beams so please be aware of that. Also, when ordering wire decks please remember that depth always comes first, and width follows second. For example, a 42&#; X 46&#; step wire deck is 42-inches wide and 46-inch deep.
Rack protectors: Your warehouse racking system isn&#;t complete without rack protectors. These small but significant safety devices are your front-line defense against forklift attacks. They&#;re inexpensive and indispensable components guarding against sudden forces that could damage or topple your racks. At Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment, we make sure you have the right information to decide what rack protectors work best for you. We carry many different models made of steel and plastic. Most rack protectors work best at the floor level, where forklift tines often hit upright edges. We also carry plastic warehouse rack protectors that can be installed at the higher tiers providing additional protection.

All Cherry&#;s Industrial warehouse racking components have live load ratings. Our design engineers take dead loads as part of the overall calculation and build them into a system rate. Rack load capacities always include two pairs of uprights and two beams, as these component combinations make up every rack system. Specific load ratings apply to what combinations you choose, and this is something Cherry&#;s product specialists will help you calculate. For example, a pair of eight-foot-high uprights with a 42-inch depth has a 19,300-pound live load capacity. A pair of eight-foot horizontal beams can carry 8,000 pounds. Here&#;s a valuable tip about sizing rack systems &#; always purchase more capacity than you intend to carry. If you anticipate 19,000-pound live loads, make sure your racks have 22,000- to 24,000-pound load ratings.

Choosing the Right Warehouse Rack Components for Your Business

So far, we&#;ve generally covered the overall components making up an excellent selective pallet racking system for your warehouse. To help you order your warehouse racks online, this guide to pallet racking now details what Cherry&#;s products are specifically available to build your system. We intend to make your choice as easy and informative as possible.

Many components are available online at Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment. Each has its intended purpose. However, some parts aren&#;t compatible with each other. Take your time and browse through our products. Take in our photos and descriptions, but make sure to call a Cherry&#;s product specialist at 877-350- if you have any questions at all about how to order warehouse decks online. As well, don&#;t hesitate to contact Cherry&#;s online.

Before getting too product-specific, let&#;s take a moment and review what benefits you&#;ll get by choosing the right warehouse rack components for your business. We want to ensure you make the right choice when buying warehouse racking. Appreciating the benefits helps you confidently make the right choice.

Maximizing space: As a warehouse operator, you know the value of floor space. Most facilities lease or sell by the square foot, but the reality of warehouse value lies in maximizing your use of vertical space. You think in cubic foot terms rather than square foot floor space. The right warehouse rack system allows you as much vertical storage as possible, thereby giving you maximum return on your space.
Managing inventory: Spreading your palleted inventory across a wide floor space makes it inefficient to store, locate and retrieve. Your workers waste a lot of time traveling about looking for products. Vertical storage on dependable racks lets you manage your inventory efficiently. With the right rack components, your inventory is a breeze to manage.
Product protection: A selective pallet racking system gives your products maximum protection. You can isolate pallet loads and keep them safe from damage or loss. Many warehouse managers calculate an acceptable loss figure into their budgets, but this overhead minimizes when products get racked safely. Proper racks pay back in preventing product loss and damage.
Worker safety: Perhaps the biggest benefit &#; and the hardest to put a price on &#; is the increased worker safety you get when investing in Cherry&#;s warehouse racks. Our products are intelligently designed, have expert construction and use the best quality materials. When you choose the right warehouse rack components for your business from Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment, you&#;re investing in your workers&#; safety, and that&#;s priceless.

Maximizing your space, managing your inventory, protecting your products and ensuring your workers&#; safety significantly improves your bottom line. Choosing Cherry&#;s as a supply partner is part of achieving warehouse performance excellence. Let&#;s now go through what warehouse racking components Cherry&#;s has online and what these excellent products will do for your business.

Vertical selective rack components are your system&#;s backbone. Frames or uprights give a solid foundation to a rack&#;s stability, integrity and ability to hold heavy weight. To do that, engineers must design rack frames specifically to transfer loads and hold the entire rack system together. That takes an attention to engineering detail, and using proven materials that won&#;t fail.

Cherry&#;s rack system uprights use a patented teardrop design. We believe fixed rack shelves are a thing of the past, and rack designs must be flexible to accommodate varying deck positions. Our teardrop verticals do just that. They&#;re adjustable, so beams get slotted into the uprights at specific intervals, which allows you precise spacing depending on the heights of your loaded pallets.

Cherry&#;s vertical rack supports give you excellent strength while remaining economical. We do our research to make sure we bring the combination of safety and value to your warehouse. Here are features and benefits you&#;ll appreciate with Cherry&#;s rack frames and uprights:

High tensile strength from 13-gauge, cold-rolled steel
Welded joints for added security
Deck height adjustments every two inches
Diagonal bracing to prevent flex and swaying
Bolt-on footplates for added stability
Vista Green powder-coated finishes for durability
American-made products for guaranteed dependability

Most of Cherry&#;s uprights and frames have a standard 19,300-pound live load capacity at 48-inch spacing. Our frame sizes range from as small as 96 inches high and 36 inches deep to 216 inches high and 48 inches deep. This range covers most normal warehouse applications, but you can always call Cherry&#;s at 877-350- or contact us online to discuss custom rack designs.

Beams are another vital component in your warehouse rack system. As we discussed earlier, there are two beam designs. One is the plain box beam that&#;s either square or rectangular. The other is our step beam design that features an indent in the face of the beam. It is compatible with both pallet support bars and step wire decks.

Step beams are our most popular design or horizontal rack components. That&#;s because the step feature lets bars and decks sit inside the beam pocket for a smooth surface. Step beams are also stronger because the inset lets the beam and deck or support bar work together as one tied-in component.

Pallet rack beams from Cherry&#;s have another unique feature. Both box and step beams interlock with the patented teardrop slots in Cherry&#;s frame uprights. This exceptionally strong connection ensures a fitted beam can&#;t release from the upright, no matter what active forces take place in your warehouse. Consider these additional benefits and features you get with Cherry&#;s selective pallet racking beams:

Roll-formed steel construction
Continuously welded seams
Integrated safety locking pins
Choice of box or step beam configuration
Bright orange powder-coated paint for durability and high visibility
American design and construction for years of heavy use

Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment stocks various beam lengths and thicknesses. Our shortest-span beam measures eight feet long and carries 4,046 pounds, while our longest horizontal member, at 12 feet, holds 9,370 pounds. This wide size range lets you exceed most loads you&#;ll ever expect in managing your warehouse inventory. If you require more capacity, call Cherry&#;s today at 877-350- or contact us online.

Every selective pallet racking system is only as strong as the sum of its parts. Rack uprights and beams make your rack a sturdy combination, but don&#;t leave pallet support bars out of the equation. They&#;re an essential component that ensures your heavy pallets receive center support without having to bear their edges on your rack&#;s beams alone.

Pallet designs are much like rack systems in their own right. Pallets have stringers or cross members that take the vertical load and transfer it to the ground. Pallet slats on the surface accept a live load and uniformly move it across the stringers. The same thing has to happen with your racks, and without pallet supports running from one beam to its adjacent partner, there&#;s no uniform support for the center of your racked pallet.

Enter the pallet support bars. They ensure the stress from your pallet loads distributes evenly to your beams, across to your uprights and down gravity&#;s path to your floor. All our support bars have double-flared ends to grip the rack&#;s beam and spread the load evenly. Here are some returns you&#;ll get with Cherry&#;s pallet support bars:

14-gauge steel construction
Double-flared ends that connect to beam steps or tops
Pre-drilled holes that accept Tek screw attachment to beams
Fast and easy installation and removal
Galvanized finishes for excellent durability

Cherry&#;s recommends you space pallet support bars two inches apart for maximum performance. Our bars come in four different lengths that match your upright depth. Choose from 36-, 42-, 44- or 48-inch spans and take note that the longer the span, the less gross weight they&#;ll hold. Our support bar capacities range from 1,550 pounds for the short bar to 1,250 pounds set on the long bar. Call Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment today for more information on pallet support bars or any selective pallet racking component. We&#;re at 877-350-, or you can use our convenient online contact form.

A Warehouse Deck Guide for Your Business

Selective pallet rack decking is another major decision you&#;ll make when choosing the right rack components for your business. Decks are the flat surfaces or shelves sitting between your rack beams that have the first contact with your loaded pallets. They take the brunt of the pallet&#;s load and pass it on to the beams.

Choosing the right warehouse decking for your business is easy when you shop online at Cherry&#;s. We&#;ve laid our virtual catalog out so it&#;s convenient and easy to follow as a guide to warehouse decking. Scroll through our racking section that gives you choices from quality constructed products guaranteed to perform to their respective specifications and capacities. That&#;s the assurance you get from shopping online with Cherry&#;s, and we back it up with excellent customer service through a call at 877-350- or an online note.

You have several deck options when you buy warehouse racking from Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment. Those choices include step decking, flared or universal decking, inverted-channel decking and, of course, custom wire decking. Each type of deck comes with its particular unique design. Let&#;s review these options more in detail.

Our step channel wire decking is extremely popular with warehouse operators. It&#;s designed to fit snugly within the rack&#;s horizontal beam pocket for optimal performance. The end of the step channel supports rest directly on the in-step of the step beam making the step deck very resistant to flexing under heavy loads.

You can hand-stack or forklift-stack any type of load on Cherry&#;s step decking. The easy-to-install-and-remove design lets you easily upgrade your decking as conditions change.

As stated earlier the step channel design adds enormous strength to the deck framework spanning between the beams. Here are some other features regarding Cherry&#;s step channel wire decks you should be aware of.

Full use of every square inch of deck surface area
Mesh design that lets air, debris, light, and water to pass through
Steel mesh materials with a one-and-a-half-inch wire waterfall pattern
Adjustable design allows easy repositioning for deck placement
Solid welding at every joint for optimum strength and reliability
Powder-coated steel surfaces with tremendous durability

Standard step decks come in widths ranging from 46 to 58-inches and depths range from 36 to 48-inches. Holding capacities vary from 2,500 to 2,800 pounds per step channel deck. Find out more about step decks by calling Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment at 877-350- or using our online contact form.

When looking for warehouse decks for sale online, don&#;t forget you can merge your shelving systems with Cherry&#;s flared or universal wire decking. Doing so makes the most of your warehouse racking systems by using any combination of upright frame and beam. Universal decking works with either box or step beams, while step channel decking is only compatible with step beams. The flared design in the support bars allows these universal decks to easily sit on either style of beam while providing great support for heavy laden pallets.

Since storage applications differ from one warehouse to the other flared or universal wire decks like step decks can be used to support pallets, plastic containers, or boxes of product. Here are other considerations for choosing universal or flared wire decks.

Three-channel and six-gauge design and materials
Mesh spacing allows for air, debris, light, and water to pass through
Compatible with existing rack structures
Easily assembled in mew rack applications
Variety of size and load capabilities

By investing in Cherry&#;s universal wire decking, you get a quality constructed powder-coated product that will provide years of flawless service. Standard popular deck widths range from 36 to 48 inches and support load weights range between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds per deck. For more information on why these flared decks might be your universal choice, call Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment today at 877-350-. Or, you can quickly contact us online.

Maybe you have a warehouse business model that handles sensitive products that need protection from water, dirt, dust and debris. You might be in the food and beverage handling segment, the medical supply specialty or deal with chemicals. If so, you&#;ll want to take a thorough look at Cherry&#;s custom inverted-channel wire decking.

We&#;ve included inverted-channel deck options in this warehouse racking buyer&#;s guide because they serve a unique purpose. Their support channel design is inverted compared to universal wire decks. The U-shaped channel faces down instead of up. This design prevents foreign matter from accumulating in the channel which provides a safer and cleaner environment.

For businesses that are conscientious about safety and cleanliness, inverted-channel decking is the way to go. Its solid construction guarantees strength and performance, and the powder-coated finish makes the deck safer to the touch. Cherry&#;s inverted-channel decking offers you these benefits and features:

Inverted support channels under each deck
Six-gauge steel mesh with a one-and-a-half-inch grid
Waterfall mesh pattern that shows well in clean rooms and retail spaces
Compliant with safe food handling and chemical storage regulations
Compatible with step beam applications, making wire edges snag-free

Our most robust and popular inverted-channel wire deck is 42 inches by 46 inches. It holds up to 3,500 pounds per deck, which is our strongest model. You&#;ll even appreciate its industrial gray appearance that fits with its intended environment. To learn more about inverted-wire decking or other rack products, call Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment today at 877-350-. Our online contact form is open 24/7.

And remember, Cherry&#;s can custom-design and manufacture any system to fit your specs. We&#;re completely capable of building the exact system you need if you can&#;t find the right components online. All you have to do is ask a Cherry&#;s product specialist.

Protect Warehouse Racking With Rack Protectors

Earlier in our guide to buying pallet racks, we mentioned how important rack protectors are. That is a serious consideration for warehouse operators who invested in new rack systems, only to have aggressive forklift action damage them. Nothing is amusing about purchasing a rack assembly and having an accident that bends or twists the frames.

For more repair or replace rackinginformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

Fortunately, you can easily take preventive measures against this, including checking out the range of rack protectors Cherry&#;s offers. You can make an online order for heavy-duty models or inside and outside rack protectors, along with laser-cut steel or polyethylene plastic protectors.

Cherry&#;s makes your choice so easy by browsing our information and looking at option photos. We also make inquiries straightforward by letting you talk directly to a Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment specialist at 877-350- or contacting us online. Let&#;s take a quick run through Cherry&#;s superb line of rack protectors.

These industrial rack protectors stop the hardest forklift hits. They&#;re made of three-eighths-inch steel and bolt to your concrete floor. A powder-coated, bright yellow finish alerts your drivers these guys mean business. Cherry&#;s offers these six models of heavy duty rack protectors:

RP-48EX-HD is 48 inches high, weighing 38 pounds, for universal applications
RP-42EX-HD is 42 inches high, weighing 46 pounds, for universal applications
RP-42LH-HD is 46 inches high, weighing 64 pounds, for left-hand applications
RP-42RH-HD is 46 inches high, weighing 64 pounds, for right-side applications
RP-62EX-HD is 62 inches high, weighing 65 pounds, for universal applications
RP-48EX-HD is 50 inches high, weighing 70 pounds, for universal applications

For rack protection at the ends of your rack aisles low-profile rack protectors are a great way to go. These safety devices protect against the piercing of forklift forks, the bumping of pallets, the collision of forks from electric pallet trucks, and the brushes of stacker straddle legs.

Cherry&#;s offers you this line of low-profile inside rack protectors:

IRP-42LH-HD is 46 inches long and weighs 61 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the left side
IRP-42RH-HD is 46 inches long and weighs 61 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the right side
IRP-48LH-HD is 52 inches long and weighs 66 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the left side
IRP-48RH-HD is 52 inches long and weighs 66 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the right side
IRP-42-HD is 50 inches long and weighs 87 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on both sides
IRP-48-HD is 56 inches long and weighs 92 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on both sides

For a smoother look and finer finish, check out Cherry&#;s laser-cut steel rack protectors. They are great for guarding the base of each individual rack column. These lighter-weight rack guards range in size from 12 to 36 inches and weigh between six and 20 pounds.

Tubular rack protectors are another fine Cherry&#;s option. These have pipe-like designs with all-steel construction and powder-coated finishes. You can select tubular rack protectors in lengths from 36 to 48 inches and in weights from 22 to 73 pounds.

Polyethylene plastic is another great rack protector choice. It has a much lighter material weight than steel and requires no special tools to install. Just place the protector in front of the column and strap the protector to the column with the velcro strap. It&#;s that simple. Cherry&#;s carries two distinct polyethylene protectors. One is a semi-circular design made to install at your rack&#;s base. The other has special cutouts (CO) allowing the protector to mount at the intersections between the frames and beams. This design is great for protecting anywhere from the base to the higher tiers of your racking system.

If you really want strong metal reinforcement, have a look at Cherry&#;s line of structural cast rack protectors. They give three-sided protection at vital points around your upright floor connection. Cast iron is shock- and shatterproof. It can withstand the hardest forklift blow and remain in service.

Buy Your Warehouse Racks, Decks and Protectors from Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment

All Cherry&#;s warehouse racks are for sale online. If you have any difficulties understanding our racking system or products, feel free to call our product specialists at 877-350- or drop us a note online. You&#;ll find our staff is extremely conversant and knowledgeable about every warehouse rack component so that you can find out what&#;s the best mix for your personal needs. If you are looking to customize your rack system so you get the highest possible return on your investment they will be glad to assist you as well.

Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment is your full-service stop for all your warehouse material handling needs. For three decades, we&#;ve supplied the nation&#;s warehouse industry with top-quality, selective racking products such as uprights, beams, wire decks and rack protectors.

If you&#;re looking for pallet racks for sale, you can depend on Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment for complete storage solutions. We understand the negative financial impact of poor storage, and we know that the simple solution with the best return on investment is to increase your vertical storage space. With Cherry&#;s Industrial racking systems, you&#;ll profit from quality warehouse racks that are economical, efficient and safe. Feel free to visit www.material-handling.com and explore our online sales.

If you have any questions call Cherry&#;s Industrial Equipment for all your selective pallet racking needs. Our friendly and helpful service personnel are at 888-350-. Or, reach out to Cherry&#;s through our online contact form.

When to Repair vs. Replace Damaged Warehouse Storage ...

Too often, warehouse managers take their storage racks for granted. Most storage racks are designed and installed to serve a long life cycle with minimal maintenance or attention. That is, until they&#;re damaged. This damage can easily go unnoticed or unreported until it results in catastrophic failure and complete load collapse.

Far too many accidents occur across America annually due to damaged warehouse racking. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cites warehouse workplaces as one of the highest-risk environments. Each year, many American workers are injured by failing storage racks. Some of these incidents are fatal.

Injury and loss of life aren&#;t the only consequences of warehouse rack failure. Loss of expensive product inventory, business interruption, cleanup and replacement costs and possible litigation are other fallouts. Because of this, rack failure is unacceptable in any warehouse environment.

The easiest way to prevent accidents caused by rack failure is to make a regular warehouse racking inspection. Storage rack inspections not only help protect workers but they also help prevent damage to expensive equipment and inventory.

Taking time to check storage racks should be part of the business safety plan. It shows due diligence in complying with safety regulations as well as significantly helping to prevent mishaps.

Of course, spotting potential trouble with compromised storage rack systems is one thing. Knowing when to repair vs. when to replace damaged warehouse storage racks is another.

Warehouse Storage Racks: Repair Vs. Replace

Deciding whether to repair or replace warehouse racks can be a tough choice for managers because there are many factors to consider. You shouldn&#;t view any of these factors lightly. Safety and cost are the biggest concerns, so the pros and cons of repairing a damaged rack vs. replacing it need careful weighing.

The biggest consideration is whether the damage is significant enough to the point where repair isn&#;t practical or cost-effective. This depends on where it&#;s damaged and how extensive it will be to repair. The rack&#;s age, its current condition, the expected remaining life cycle and the return on investment are highly influential factors in this decision. These factors help decide whether it&#;s better to make possibly temporary repairs or incur the expense of an entirely new warehouse rack or rack system.

Like with any important decision, you must consider the pros and cons. Pros for repairing a damaged rack include:

Less Expensive. Less expense if the damage is minor and the rack can be safely fixed
Faster Solution. Quicker turnaround time as you don&#;t have to wait for new racks or parts
Less Disruptive. Less business workflow disruption due to the speed of repairing vs. replacing

But sometimes replacing a rack may be the only safe and practical option. These are a few cases where it might be better to skip the repair work and just buy a new rack or rack system:

Extensive Damage. The damage is extensive and not worth the time or risk to repair
Repairs Due to Regulation Requirements. The repairs would require expensive oversight to be regulatory compliant
Equipment is Outdated. The rack system is near its end, or is outdated and the parts aren&#;t available
Facility is Relocating. The facilities are changing and relocating the damaged rack isn&#;t worthwhile
Repairs are Complex. The resources aren&#;t available to handle the scope of the repair works

Ultimately, it comes down to what&#;s best for the business, and the potential for component failure. Whichever way you choose to go in the end, competent inspection is the first step in deciding whether to attempt an on-site warehouse rack repair or invest in a new rack system. To know what to look for in damage and how to recognize if it&#;s better to replace than repair, you must view racks as a system of components.

Viewing Warehouse Storage Racks As An Entire System

It&#;s important to view warehouse storage racks as an entire system. According to the industry authority, Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI), rack systems are high-performance structures that are highly engineered to support product loads more than 10 times the actual weight of the rack structure itself. The RMI demands each system component be designed, manufactured and tested to ensure endurance and strength through its intended lifespan.

The RMI also recommends warehouse storage racks be inspected by someone knowledgeable and trained in how to engineer and install warehouse racks properly. That means the responsible inspector must consider the entire rack structure&#;s integrity. What might appear to be a small defect in a structural upright could seriously compromise the process of transferring a horizontally placed load through to the floor.

Warehouse rack structures are a simple concept, but they have serious consequences when a structural element fails. In theory, racks take heavy loads and transfer live weight, placing them in a dead or static position. They do this because they&#;re designed as a system of vertical, horizontal and diagonal structure members that support a maximum design load cooperatively. Here are the main warehouse rack components, all of which are prone to failure when damaged:

Vertical Uprights: These support the majority of the weight and are subject to failure by buckling.
Horizontal Beams: This is where you place heavy, loaded pallets. Their failing point is deflection or horizontal bending.
Diagonal Bracing: These keep the vertical uprights and horizontal beams aligned. They may fail from stresses causing them to spring or snap.
Frame Connectors: These pin components together. Connectors can be the weakest link in the rack system because they&#;re proportionally small, but undergo large force.
Baseplates: These are evenly spread load points to the floor. Baseplates experience compression forces. They often fail due to not being mechanically anchored. This causes the rack&#;s floor base to slip or topple.

Recognizing Warehouse Rack Damage

Warehouse rack damage is usually obvious. When one or more of the structural components is bent, twisted or outright broken, it&#;s very difficult to miss. However, some damage can occasionally be more difficult to spot, and what might seem like a minor or insignificant issue is actually a serious problem. Damage such as this is an accident waiting to happen.

Sometimes, workers don&#;t notice or report damage. This is where regular and thorough inspections pay off. Here are the main points to look for in identifying rack damage:

General Appearance: Does the rack appear plumb and level, or is it twisted and skewed? Crooked rows or bad alignments are clear indicators the racks are problematic. This might be an issue with the floor support that often results from vertical, horizontal or diagonal bracing issues.
Impact Evidence: Impact from a forklift or other material handling equipment is usually obvious. Paint scrapes and frame dents stand out. The degree of damage is a key indicator of how severe the rack has been compromised. But it doesn&#;t take much impact to affect other components and causes issues like loosening beams, braces or connectors.
Bent or Buckled Vertical Uprights: These can be hard to spot without a close inspection. It only takes a slight bend or buckle to seriously reduce an upright&#;s ability to stand up under heavy loads. Use a straightedge like a three-foot level and place it against the vertical surface. If a gap shows, it&#;s a definite weak point.
Deflected Horizontal Beams: Beam deflection is also had to detect. If sagging or bowing is obvious to the eye, this is a serious problem. You should immediately relieve loads and take measures to repair or replace the structural member.
Misaligned Diagonal Braces: These should be easy to observe. Racks that have been struck by force or physically twisted often absorb the blow through their diagonal bracing. Sprung or snapped diagonals are dangerous and need immediate attention.
Rust Spots: Paint blisters or rusty staining are sure signs of trouble. Once metal has corroded so much that the corrosion becomes visible, it&#;s often too weak for continued service. Surface rust evidence is often evidence that the material strength is weak and unreliable. Repairs will likely be useless and the rack should be replaced.
Loose Baseplates: A rack&#;s feet are crucial to its load capacity and stability. All racks should be anchor-bolted to the floor. Any baseplates that have loose, bent or missing plates and bolts should be pulled from service until you can repair or replace them.
Connectors: Examine all connection points for fit and finish. Anything that&#;s loose or out of place needs to be dealt with. As you&#;re dealing with these problems, however, don&#;t forget to investigate why the problem occurred. Bad connections are almost always caused by a pre-existing problem in the entire rack system.

Causes Of Warehouse Rack Failure

Warehouse rack failures are almost always caused by human errors. It&#;s nearly unheard of for a properly designed rack system to fail on its own, provided you go with a reputable manufacturer using quality materials and assembly techniques. Most failures result from incidents occurring in the warehouse environment. Some examples of the incidents that might occur include:

Forklift Impact: This is by far the leading cause of warehouse rack damage. Forklifts are heavy, powerful machines and they&#;re operated by people who get distracted, make mistakes and sometimes are just plain careless. For many reasons, operators don&#;t report forklift strikes and even cover them up. Proper training is the first step of forklift damage prevention. Regular inspections are second.
Overloading: All rack systems have a manufacturer&#;s maximum design load. You should post these figures clearly on the rack or in the vicinity. Failure to comply with load ratings is the second most common cause of rack damage.
Changing Manufacturer Design: This commonly happens in older environments where the warehouse grew, and the manager modified racks to accommodate expansion. Heights and spans exceed the original safe design limits making stresses unbearable.
Money-Saving Tactics: Making rack purchase choices based on cost alone can backfire. Purchasing inferior systems that aren&#;t capable of lasting under posted loads is a poor return on investment. Remember, you get what you pay for.
Modifying Original Manufacturer Components: Mixing and matching components leads to rack failure. Using uprights from one design and adding beams, braces or connectors from a different manufacturer can be dangerous. It&#;s far safer and less expensive in the long run to purchase a new rack system than to risk blending wrong components together.

In order to maximize the lifespan of your warehouse racking, it is vital to implement policies that actively prevent these types of accidents and damaging behavior from occurring.

Warehouse Rack Safety

Safety should be the primary factor when deciding whether to repair or replace damaged warehouse racks. One major mishap in a rack collapse could mean thousands of lost dollars, not counting the expense of treating injured workers or suffering through a lengthy legal litigation.

OSHA has specific guidelines regulating warehouse racks. These guidelines are in place to guide the industry in a safe direction, not to punish a business when a mishap occurs. Here&#;s what you need to know about OSHA&#;s regulations regarding warehouse racks.

OSHA&#;s General Duty Clause discusses main rack safety issues. It generically deals with rack safety parameters and a common-sense approach to working with warehouse racks. OSHA gets more specific in its publication titled ANS/RMI16.1&#;Specification for Design, Testing & Utilization of Industrial Steel Storage Racks. This paper identified five top reasons for rack damage and failure:

Forklift impact
Misaligned racks
Loose Floor fittings
Unsuitable material handling equipment
Overloading above design capacity

OSHA makes numerous references to information in the Rack Manufacturers Institute Guidelines. Their publication includes considerations for proper planning and uses of industrial steel racks. It includes rack repair details and what to know about purchasing and installing new rack systems. It also offers suggestions for dealing with engineering issues and instructions on how to properly inspect racks for damage and dangerous situations.

Working With A Leading Manufacturer Of Custom Rack Solutions

Working with a high quality, customer-driven company that provides manufacturing solutions rather than temporary repairs is the safest way to secure warehouse products and workers.

Summit Storage Solutions is that company. We deliver diversified storage solutions that solve your space and safety problems. We&#;re focused on supplying custom rack solutions that are versatile, durable and built to last &#; all at a competitive cost.

Browse our website and see how we provide more than just vertical storage solutions. We offer storage racks, carts and containers all made in the United States. Summit Storage Solutions&#; customers work in retail, wholesale, automotive, building supply, raw materials, industrial manufacturing and even the aerospace industry.

We serve the east coast and beyond by understanding and delivering value to our customers. We save space and provide a safer, more efficient working environment. To help organize and control operations, we integrate reusable and recyclable materials as well as reduce company training and maintenance costs. Best of all, our products are designed and manufactured in the USA. We&#;re proud to offer these custom rack solutions:

If you want to learn more, please visit our website forklift radio.

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