Pallet Racking Systems

It depends on beam length, beam profile and how the load sits across the pair.

A standard 2,590mm beam pair typically carries somewhere between 2,000kg and 4,000kg per level, which covers two to three standard pallets. Longer beams carry less. The frame also has its own rated capacity, which is the total of every beam level plus the pallets on them, so a rack can be within its beam ratings and still be overloaded overall.

Two things that catch people out. The rating assumes an evenly distributed load across both beams, so a single heavy item sitting in the middle of a beam is a different load case entirely. And the rating assumes the racking is undamaged, plumb and fixed to the floor as designed. A dented upright doesn’t carry what the sticker says.

We calculate the actual ratings for your stock and supply load signage with every install, since displaying the rated capacity on site is a requirement under AS4084.

AS4084 is the Australian standard for steel storage racking. It covers design, load rating, installation tolerances, floor fixing, signage, damage assessment and inspection frequency.

Technically it’s a standard, not a law. In practice WHS regulators treat it as the benchmark for what a reasonably practicable duty of care looks like, so if something goes wrong and your racking doesn’t meet it, that’s the document you’ll be measured against. Insurers take the same view.

The parts that matter day to day are load rating signage displayed on every rack run, racking fixed to the floor to the design spec, damaged components taken out of service rather than patched, and a documented inspection routine.

Everything we design and install is built to AS4084, and we can assess existing racking that you’re not sure about.

Run three levels.

A quick visual check as part of normal operations, where anyone who sees damage reports it. Damage almost always comes from forklift impact, and the person who caused it isn’t always the person who notices.

A documented internal inspection monthly or quarterly depending on how busy the site is. Someone walks the racks with a checklist looking at uprights, braces, beam connectors, safety pins and floor fixings.

A formal inspection at least annually by someone competent to assess it, plus an immediate assessment after any significant impact.

Damaged uprights are the leading cause of rack collapse, and the failure mode is progressive. One bent upright transfers load to its neighbours, and it can stand for months before it goes. That’s why anything that’s been hit gets assessed before it goes back into service rather than after.

Yes to both, but the specification changes.

Outdoors you want hot dipped galvanised components, not painted. Paint fails at the welds and the connector points, which is exactly where corrosion does structural damage rather than cosmetic damage. Galvanised racking handles rain, salt air and UV, and it’s what we use for yards, hardstands and covered outdoor storage.

Coolrooms and freezers bring different issues. Condensation and wash down regimes both attack finishes, so the componentry and fixings need to suit the temperature and cleaning routine. Layout matters more than usual too, since you’re paying to cool every cubic metre and you want the storage density up and the door open time down.

It runs in stages. Site measure and design, quote and sign off, manufacture or supply of components, then installation.

Stock components move faster than made to order. A straightforward run of selective racking is quicker than a drive-in system or anything with custom beam lengths. If the job involves engineering certification, a mezzanine or a council approval, that sits on top.

We give an indicative timeline with the quote and confirm it once the design is signed off. If you have a hard deadline, a fit out date or a lease handover, tell us early, because it changes what we recommend.

Yes, and it’s worth planning for at the design stage.

Racking is built in bays, so you can extend a run, add bays to the end, or add beam levels within the existing frames. Two things need checking when you do. The frame’s total rated capacity has to cover the extra load, and the floor fixings and slab have to handle the increase.

The catch is component compatibility. Beam and upright profiles vary between manufacturers, and connector types aren’t interchangeable. If you buy from one supplier now and someone else in three years, you may not be able to extend the original run. Worth knowing before you choose on price alone.

If you expect to grow, tell us at design stage. We’ll lay the system out so there’s a logical direction to expand in rather than boxing you into a corner.

Depends what you’re installing.

Standard pallet racking installed to the manufacturer’s specification generally doesn’t need separate engineering sign off, though it does need to be designed and rated to AS4084 with the documentation to prove it.

Engineering certification comes in for mezzanines and raised storage platforms, rack supported structures, anything unusually high, and installations where the slab is in question. Older slabs, post tensioned slabs and sites where you don’t have the original floor documentation all need checking, because floor fixings are only as good as what they’re fixed into.

We’ll tell you upfront which category your job falls into and organise certification where it’s needed.

Depends on your starting point, but the two questions worth asking are how high you’re currently going and how much of your floor is aisle.

Most warehouses are storing well below their available height, usually because the existing system was specified for the stock they had years ago. Going up is nearly always cheaper than going out.

Changing the racking type is the other lever. Moving bulk stock from selective to drive-in or double deep cuts aisle count and can lift pallet positions substantially in the same footprint, provided your stock profile suits it.

We do a free measure and quote, and part of that is telling you what the space could hold rather than just pricing what you asked for. If relocating is on the table, that comparison is worth having before you commit to a lease.