In many industries, the storage of goods and supplies on standardized pallets has become the most popular and used way of maximizing warehouse capacity. Racking systems are a versatile storage solution that is used in a wide range of businesses that have warehousing needs. They are such a good solution because pallet racks can be adjusted for storing a variety of products and goods. They help optimize the warehouse space, thus, help maximize space utilization.

And because they can be used to help store a variety of different types of items, such as boxes, cartoons, crates, furniture, fragile items and much more, pallet racking systems come in a variety of sizes, capacities and rack frame styles. Although there are various different kinds of pallet racking systems, all of them are used with the sole purpose of storing materials in horizontal rows while using the available vertical space.

The basic model of pallet racking system has a strong framework structure that can hold pallets of various weights. Sometimes you will need to store some really heavy loads, and that is exactly why the pallet racks need to be made from quality steel; oftentimes they also need to be reinforced with cast iron on each row. Most of these systems have open sides and this feature makes them easily accessible from any side which makes the process of storing rather easy.

Beams, locking pins, frame connectors, wire mesh decking and other accessories are very important parts of the shelving system, but it is the rack frame without which a system could not serve its main purpose. It is the single most important piece of a shelving system. Rack frames are rather easy to install but that needs to be done carefully so that they are safe to use.

Nevertheless, the selection of the pallet rack frame that you need should be based on the requirements of the material handling applications in the warehouse. For that reason, to make the right choice of pallet rack frame, you have to consider the nature of the goods you plan to store as well as the operations that are going to be performed in your warehouse.

The main rack frame styles are:

• Teardrop
• Sammons
• Keystone
• Multi Rack
• Pacific Rack
• Ridge-U-Rack
• T-Bolt Rack Style

Rack frames consist of uprights, a base plate, bracing bolts, blocks and frame braces which can be either horizontal or diagonal. All of these parts can vary in length, height and material, depending on the configurations of the pallet racking system.