This would be the most common question asked and unfortunately it is answered by more questions. There is no such thing as standard racking although there are some commonly used sizes which accommodate standard Chep pallets.

Mostly, it is the lift height of the Fork truck or the building height that will establish how tall you can go with your racking frames. Then the product that you intend to store on the racking is the next factor that will establish your beam requirements. If you are using standard Chep pallets and the product you are storing on these pallets does not overhang the pallet, 2600mm wide beams would suffice. If the product does overhang, then the next recommended beam width would be 2750mm.

The next crucial factor is the weight of the pallets as this will affect the type of beam to be used. The most common beam supports 2000kg UDL which means that you can have 2 pallets weighing no more than 1000kg each side by side. Pallet racking frames and beams are available in a vast weight carrying capacity and sizes to accommodate most requirements.

UDL means Uniformly Distributed Load and is used when rating pallet racking beams. It applies to a pair of beams that constitute a beam level and means that the load must be uniformly distributed over the width of the beams. If your beams are rated at 2000 kg per pair this does not mean that you can put 1 pallet weighing 2000kg on this level as this becomes a point loading and will damage your racking system.

Yes. You can place pallet racking outside if the pallet racking has been galvanised and this means the frames, beams and fixings must all be galvanised. Generally speaking, most brands of pallet racking have been powder-coated and can only be utilised inside as they will rust if used outside. Rain water can collect in pallet racking beams when used outside and begin corrosion on the inside where it cannot be seen and severely alter the load capacity of the beams.

The frames can be particularly vulnerable as they can be standing in water and begin rusting from the bottom up. The base of the racking frames are supporting all the weight of the product being stored and when they corrode, they will weaken and the risk of collapse is very high.

No, definitely not. Pallet racking can support many 1000’s of kilograms and needs to be installed on a concrete floor capable of supporting these loads. You can install concrete pads to support the pallet racking frame if you have to utilise a bitumen area and the size of the pads will be dependent on the subsoil composition.

According to Australian Standards AS4084 – 2012, a racking installation shall have a load sign in one of more conspicuous locations. Load signs provide information on permissible loads, distance from the ground to the first beam level and other relevant information.