If you’re running a warehousing facility, distribution center or another business requiring long-term storage of goods and merchandise, you may already know that buying used pallet racks is a worthwhile investment.
For an efficient warehouse operation, it’s crucial to understand the basics of storage and pallet racking, when you should consider used racks instead of new ones, and the different types and models you can use to outfit your facility.
Before choosing specific used pallet racking types and models, it is essential to know how pallet racking works, what the purpose of a pallet rack is, and what elements comprise a typical racking system, so you can choose a used system that meets your load capacity requirements and warehouse layout.
The primary purpose of a pallet racking system is to store palletized goods and other uniform items that your personnel can move with a forklift. They are ideal if you’re looking to save space in your warehouse or storage area, as they make efficient use of your vertical space and allow you to organize your goods more effectively.
Although there are different pallet racking system types, all share the same overall purpose: to help you improve your warehousing organization and increase storage and stock picking speed. However, if you want to get the most out of your pallet racks, choosing the correct rack types for your needs is vital.
Although the styles and individual elements may vary, a typical pallet racking system comprises four essential parts: the uprights, the beams, the decking, and the support braces.
Although almost all elements of a pallet racking system employ steel in their construction, it is critical to distinguish between the three most common types: roll-formed steel, structural steel, and hybrid structures.
Roll-formed steel starts life as flat sheets of steel, rolled and shaped by a machine into the desired form. Roll-formed steel is less expensive, and used pallet racking made of roll-formed steel is one of the most cost-effective solutions for warehouse storage. However, it is the most vulnerable to forklift impacts, as they compromise the structural integrity. You should replace damaged roll-formed racking systems as soon as possible.
Structural steel is typically welded, riveted, or even forged steel, offering a much higher structural integrity than roll-formed posts. They are heavier and more robust, allowing a pallet rack unit to support higher loads and better resist impacts from materials handling equipment. However, structural steel pallet racks tend to be more expensive.
Hybrid units combine the advantages of structural steel with the cost-saving aspects of roll-formed steel by only using structural steel in the uprights (the part most vulnerable to forklift blade collision). All other parts use roll-formed steel to keep the overall costs down. Although still more expensive than 100% roll-formed units, they are a more cost-effective solution than all-structural steel units, offering a good compromise between the two.
You can augment your pallet racks with these commonly available accessories for better organization and increased safety.
Even if you’re buying used, you can still find many types and styles of warehouse racks for your facility. Each type is suited for different warehousing needs and requirements, so you should choose the models best adapted for your business.
The most common pallet racking systems in the United States today are selective, double-deep, drive-in, drive-thru, pallet flow, and push-back.
The selective pallet rack is the standard pallet racking system. It is both the simplest and the most versatile. As the most commonly used type, selective pallet racks are also the most likely to be found on the used market.
A selective pallet rack provides direct access to every pallet stored on it, making it easy to load and unload pallets. It is a convenient solution if you need to store different products or SKUs because you can access those you need without displacing other merchandise first.
The main disadvantage of a single selective pallet rack is that it has a depth of only one pallet. Although you can mitigate this disadvantage by using a tall unit and multiple shelving levels, it is not suitable for high-density storage.
A double-deep pallet rack is very similar to a selective pallet rack, but it can accept two pallets deep of items per level instead of just one.
A double-deep unit can double your storage density compared to a selective pallet rack. However, your facility must possess equipment supporting double-deep systems, such as telescoping forklifts, and accessing the pallets stored in the back requires unloading the pallets in front first, so it is better suited to a last-in-first-out (LIFO) inventory system.
A drive-in pallet rack allows forklift operators to drive into the unit instead of placing and removing pallets from it. This system allows larger facilities that depend heavily on forklifts to let their operators handle materials and merchandise with more ease.
Depending on the unit’s dimensions, a drive-in pallet rack may store six to eight pallets deep, although models of different sizes are available.
Drive-in pallet racks are ideal for high-density storage of a single SKU and products with a high turn-over rate. Due to their design, drive-in racks are a good choice for facilities using LIFO inventory management.
A drive-thru pallet rack is essentially a drive-in pallet rack with exits on both ends. This design allows forklift operators to store products from one end and retrieve them from the other end, making it ideal for high-density storage in warehouses that use FIFO (first-in, first-out) inventory management.
Like drive-in racks, drive-thru units can store multiple pallets deep, typically six to eight, depending on the unit’s length.
A pallet flow racking system, also known as a gravity-flow rack, uses sloped beams and decking, allowing pallets and boxed goods to slide towards the bottom. New products are inserted from the high end of a level in a pallet flow, where they will naturally slide towards the bottom end or the next pallet.
Pallet flow racks are another ideal solution for high-density FIFO inventory management, as they can typically accept 2 to 3 times the amount of items as a standard, static racking system. Food distribution centers, low-temperature warehouses, and other food industry applications often use this racking system.
A push-back pallet racking system is similar in appearance to a pallet flow rack in that it employs sloped beams and decking. However, pallets enter and exit the unit from the same point (on the lower end).
When storing a new pallet, the forklift operator simply pushes the last pallet behind to make space for the new one until reaching the level’s maximum capacity. The decking typically uses arrays of rollers to let the pallets slide toward the bottom.
Push-back pallet racking systems have about the same density as pallet flow racks and are also an ideal choice for FIFO inventory management.
The specific shape and patterns of the holes found in your pallet rack uprights determine their style. A style may either be generic or correspond to a particular brand. The parts intended to mount on your uprights (decking, beams) must be compatible with your uprights’ style; otherwise, they will not fit, reduce the unit’s structural integrity, and may not be OSHA compliant.
Some of the most popular rack styles in the United States are teardrop, new-style, structural, Ridg-U-Rak, Keystone, and Penco.
The teardrop pattern is the most common upright style in the United States. Teardrop uprights use arrays of inverted teardrop-shaped ports spaced 2” from each other.
Due to its commonality, the teardrop pattern is the most desirable, meaning it may not always be available at great prices on the used market. However, beams and accessories compatible with the teardrop pattern are readily available because this pattern is not brand-specific.
The new-style pattern is, at first glance, visually similar to the standard teardrop pattern, using the same 2” spacing but employing more square holes.
The main advantage of new-style holes is their semi-interchangeability with teardrop pattern accessories. You cannot install accessories meant for standard teardrop holes into a new-style port, but you can use new-style accessories such as beams) in a traditional teardrop upright.
The disadvantage of new-style ports is that they can only accept new-style beams and accessories.
Structural pattern racks do not use specially-shaped ports, using regular circular holes instead. Structural holes require the use of bolts and nuts to secure beams and other accessories to the uprights.
The main drawback of this upright style is the need for tools to set up and dismantle. However, it provides additional strength and security, bringing two main advantages: additional maximum load and extra safety in seismic areas.
If you are concerned about quakes or need the highest possible load capacity, structural uprights are one of the best choices.
The Ridg-U-Rak pattern is a proprietary pattern of the Ridg-U-Rak company. The hole pattern on Ridg-U-Rak uprights is a pair of vertical rectangles spaced 4” apart, designed to accept hook-and-slot accessories of the same brand.
Although it is a proprietary brand that is typically not compatible with any other style, Ridg-U-Rak beams are known for their high strength and load capacity. If you intend to outfit your entire facility with the same types of uprights, Ridg-U-Rak is a good choice.
The Keystone pattern (also known as Republic pattern) features a single column of keystone-shaped holes with 3” of space between each. It is one of the only hole patterns that do not feature hole pairs.
Keystone uprights are not as widespread as they once were, but many accessories compatible with the keystone pattern are still available today.
Penco-pattern uprights are similar in principle to Ridg-U-Rak (both employ hook-and-slot accessories), with the main difference being the angle of the ports. Ridg-U-Rak uses parallel, vertical holes, whereas Penco uses downward-angled ports, resembling the shape of a V.
In addition, and to help differentiate Penco further from other styles, Penco uprights typically feature tapered beams, giving them a distinctive shape. The main disadvantage of the Penco pattern is its relative rarity, which can make finding replacement parts challenging.
There are many benefits to buying used pallet racks over brand new models. The first benefit is cost-effectiveness: it is typically much cheaper to outfit an entire facility with used pallet racks than with brand-new equivalents, giving you the best value for the money.
Another benefit is delivery speed. Used pallet racking is generally immediately available, only requiring you to wait for shipping, which rarely takes more than a few days. Conversely, new racks can take up to several weeks to arrive.
Structurally, most used pallet racks are almost as good as new, with the only difference being aesthetic. If you don’t mind a more weathered appearance with chipped or scratched paint, you can score excellent deals on used pallet racking.
Shelving + Rack Systems, Inc. is an industry leader in materials handling. We make your workspace work for you since 1979. Whether you need to buy used pallet racking or advice with your warehousing facility, we have you covered.
How much does used pallet racking cost?
It depends on multiple factors: type, upright style, rarity, desirability, and overall condition and appearance.
What is the load capacity of a pallet rack?
A pallet rack’s load capacity depends on the overall structural strength of the unit itself determined by the materials used (roll-formed or structural steel, beams and decking types, upright style, etc.) On average, a pair of medium-duty 96” pallet rack beams can hold up to 5,000 lbs.
How long does it take to install pallet racking?
A professional team can usually install a complete array of pallet racking in a single facility in 2 to 4 weeks. The exact time may vary depending on the facility size and each racking system’s type and complexity.