Whether you’re fitting out a new warehouse, adding pallet spaces or replacing existing racking, we handle the survey, layout, supply and installation.
We’ll help you choose a system that balances storage capacity, access to stock and the way goods move through your warehouse.
What is Pallet Racking?
Pallet racking is a steel storage system for palletised goods, loaded and unloaded with forklift trucks. It lets you store pallets at height rather than on the floor. How high it can go depends on your building, the loads, the racking design, your trucks’ capabilities and the clearances needed.
Which Pallet Racking System Suits Your Warehouse?
Adjustable Pallet Racking (APR)
Also known as selective racking, and the most common type. Every pallet can be reached directly without moving others, so it suits mixed or fast-moving stock.
Narrow-Aisle Layouts
APR set out with narrower aisles and served by specialist trucks, such as reach, articulated or VNA trucks. You fit more pallet positions into the same floor area; the trucks you use decide the aisle width.
Drive-In Racking
Forklifts drive into deep lanes within the racking. It stores large quantities of the same product in a small space, but pallets normally come out last-in, first-out (LIFO), so it suits bulk stock rather than mixed lines.
Push-Back Racking
Pallets sit on carts or rails several deep and are loaded and unloaded from one aisle. It also normally works last-in, first-out (LIFO).
Pallet Flow Racking
Pallets are loaded at one end and roll on gravity rollers to the picking face at the other, so stock is used first-in, first-out (FIFO). It suits date-sensitive goods.
For long materials such as timber, steel and pipe, see cantilever racking.
Why Pallet Racking Matters
Your warehouse footprint is fixed, but racking lets you make use of its height, so you can hold more stock in the same building and reach it more easily. Well-designed racking also helps protect stock and gives your team a safer, more organised warehouse. The benefits for your site depend on your starting layout and how your warehouse runs, so we look at both before recommending a system.
Our Pallet Racking Process
Site Survey & Load Analysis
We measure your warehouse and record your pallet dimensions, maximum loaded pallet weights, stock rotation, truck specifications and floor information. We use this information to prepare the layout and specification.
Layout & Racking Design
We produce a CAD layout and loading specification, checked against the manufacturer’s design information and the applicable standards, so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Supply & Installation
We coordinate delivery and install the racking with experienced installation teams, planning the work around you to keep disruption to a minimum.
Handover & Ongoing Support
We fit load notices in prominent positions and supply as-built layout drawings. After handover, we can arrange expert inspections, repairs and changes to your racking as your needs change.
Frequently Asked Questions
APR (selective racking) gives direct access to every pallet. Drive-in racking stores pallets deep within lanes for higher density, but outer pallets have to be removed to reach inner stock. Use APR for mixed or fast-moving stock, and drive-in for uniform, bulk storage such as drinks or frozen goods.
It depends on your building’s clear height, the loads, the racking design, your trucks’ lift height and capacity, and the clearances needed. Racking suits smaller stores as well as high warehouses, and we work out the right height at the survey.
Employers have legal duties under health and safety law to make sure racking is safe to use. The structural design of adjustable pallet racking is covered by standards such as BS EN 15512 or the applicable SEMA design code, while BS EN 15635 covers its use and maintenance. Load notices should be displayed in prominent positions where operators can see them. HSE guidance (HSG76) recommends an expert inspection at intervals not exceeding 12 months, alongside documented visual checks weekly or at other risk-based intervals, and immediate reporting of damage.
Often, yes. Many racking systems can be dismantled and reinstalled. Before racking is moved or reconfigured, its condition, the new configuration, the loading and the installation all need checking, and the supplier or manufacturer should be consulted. We handle relocation projects from start to finish.
The main factors are the number of pallet positions, the height and loads, the type of system, whether new or used components are suitable, extras such as mesh decking and upright protection, and access and working conditions on site, including any existing racking to remove. We give you a clear, itemised quote after the survey.