Everything You Need to Know About Pallet Racking

Everything You Need to Know About Pallet Racking

Pallet racking, as the name suggests, is a storage system that uses pallets to unitize goods, supported by aisle-type stacker cranes and other material handling equipment. It is a widely used and highly efficient form of warehouse storage.

What Is a Pallet Rack Made Of?

A standard pallet rack is composed of uprights (vertical frames) and beams (horizontal supports). But what exactly is the pallet in a pallet rack?

A pallet is a simple tool used to carry goods. It’s not a container, so it doesn’t enclose or protect the items it holds—it simply serves as a platform to support the load.

What Is a Pallet?

Pallets are usually made of wood, metal, or plastic, and consist of a flat deck board with open slots underneath that allow forklifts to lift and move them from below.

Any platform with this basic structure—and any form of unit load packaging based on this design—can be considered a pallet.

The simplest version of a pallet is a wooden deck, built to standard dimensions. Products are placed on it to create a unit load, allowing entire loads to be moved, stored, or handled as a group.

This greatly improves handling efficiency in loading, unloading, transporting, and warehousing.

Safety and Stability

Because pallets are open on all sides and don’t enclose the goods, the stacking stability can be poor. To ensure safety during handling and storage, additional securing measures are often required.

Traditional stabilization methods include:

· Ropes

· Corner posts

· Steel strapping

In recent years, shrink wrapping and stretch wrapping using advanced materials have become more common.

When loading, individual items are stacked on the pallet and wrapped tightly—often with shrink film—to create a secure unit load. This is known as pallet packaging, commonly used for loads of:

· 1 ton

· 1.5 tons

· 2 tons

Why Use Pallet Racking?

Pallet racking systems maximize vertical space and are ideal for bulk storage. With the aid of forklifts or automated stackers, goods can be stored and retrieved efficiently, making them a go-to solution for warehouses, distribution centers, and industrial facilities.