Industrial Pallet Racking: A Guide for Your Warehouse

Have you ever felt like your warehouse is too small because the goods are taking up all the floor space? Lack of verticality is the primary enemy of efficiency. In the video above, Mario Rack explains how proper management of vertical space allows forklifts to move freely, transforming the way you store goods from ground level to utilizing every available meter towards the ceiling.

What is Pallet Racking and When is it Worthwhile?

Industrial pallet racking is a steel structure composed of vertical frames and pairs of horizontal beams. Each pair of beams forms a load level on which the forklift places the pallet. In the K-PAL range, a complete module consists of two frames plus the beam sets for its levels; the alignment is extended with loose frames and beams, also sold as components.

Compared to heavy-duty shelving with shelves, the deciding factor is how the goods are moved. If they are loaded and unloaded in full pallets using a forklift, pallet racking is the ideal solution: the level is dimensioned for the weight of an entire pallet. If the operator picks up boxes one by one, you need shelving with continuous shelves.

How is it Sized: Height, Width, Depth, and Levels

By Warehouse Height

• Frames available in 255, 300, and 353 cm heights.
• Frame depth: 100 cm, suitable for the 800 x 1,200 mm europallet resting on the two level beams.

Height is not solely determined by the warehouse ceiling; industry best practices require the outer frames to extend above the uppermost load level. And a common-sense check: the highest beam must be within the lifting height of your forklift.

By Pallets Per Level

• 184 cm beam: two europallets per level.
• 269 cm beam: three europallets per level.

The 800 x 1,200 mm europallet is manufactured according to EN 13698-1 and is the standardized reference element throughout Europe. If your pallets have a different footprint, please specify this before requesting a quote.

By Number of Levels

Each module accommodates between 2 and 6 load levels. The spacing between levels is determined by the height of the loaded pallet plus clearance for maneuvering, and this is stated on the specification plate: changing it later requires recalculation and written approval from the designer.

What Weight Can Each Load Level Support?

This depends on the beam. The figure is always per level (pair of beams) with the load uniformly distributed across both beams:

• STD, 100 mm profile beam: 1,000 kg per level. Available in both widths, 184 and 269 cm.
• REF, 120 mm profile beam: 1,500 kg per level. Only available in the 269 cm width.

Translated into pallets, assuming equal weight distribution: two europallets on a 184 cm STD level, up to 500 kg each; three on a 269 cm STD level, approximately 333 kg each; three on a 269 cm REF level, 500 kg each. The pallet itself counts: approximately 25 kg for a wooden europallet, according to EPAL. If your pallets weigh more, the solution is the reinforced 300 x 269 cm pallet racking with four levels or distributing the load across more modules.

"Uniformly distributed" is crucial: a load concentrated in the center of the beam puts approximately twice the stress on the profile compared to the same load distributed along its entire length. This is why the specification plate, preferably located at the bay ends, must indicate the maximum loads per level and per frame, their distribution, and the spacing between levels. The load per frame depends on the configuration and is determined by the installation's structural calculations.

How to Choose the Forklift and Aisle Width

The aisle width is determined by the forklift, not the racking. This measurement is called the working aisle width (Ast) and is found on each model's technical data sheet. The following rules apply:

• Workplace safety regulations in your country establish a minimum aisle width and usually require shared pathways for vehicles and pedestrians to allow simultaneous passage with sufficient separation. Check the specific requirements applicable to you before designing the installation.
• The calculation is as follows: for single-lane traffic, the width of the forklift or the largest load plus a maneuvering margin; for two-way traffic, a larger margin, provided no people are present. If people are present, an exclusive and marked pedestrian lane must be added. This is calculated using the largest forklift.

As a guideline from industry manuals, and purely for magnitude estimation: a counterbalance forklift typically requires over 3 meters; a reach truck, between 2.7 and 3 meters; a very narrow aisle (VNA) truck, less than 2 meters. The valid figure for your risk assessment is from your forklift's specifications. Operating a forklift is reserved for those with specific training.

Safety in Use: What EN 15635 Requires

The European standard for the use and maintenance of metal racking is EN 15635, which is adopted by each country with its own national prefix. It is voluntary, but national prevention agencies base their guidelines on it: in your country, industry guides provide detailed information and calculation tools.

The Person Responsible for Safety (PRSES)

EN 15635 dedicates a section to the Person Responsible for the Safety of Storage Equipment (PRSES), appointed by warehouse management, who, like the inspector, assesses and classifies damage.

Inspections and Damage Colors

Best practice calls for a plan of periodic inspections with anomaly logging and, in cases of very high turnover and working hours, at least a daily visual inspection by personnel (deformations, verticality, anchors, pins, plates), a weekly inspection, a monthly inspection by the warehouse manager, and an annual inspection by an independent expert.

Damage is classified into three levels, measuring permanent deformation at the center of a 1-meter span:

• Green: below the following limits; only requires maintenance.
• Amber: upright bent 3 mm or more in the frame plane, 5 mm or more in the beam plane, or 10 mm or more in the bracing, without reaching double the value. The affected area must be unloaded and repaired as soon as possible; if not repaired within the timeframe set by the EN 15635 diagram, or if the damage has increased, it moves to red.
• Red: double or more of those values. Immediate unloading of all modules and repair before reuse.

The damaged element must be repaired or replaced with an identical one; never by heat (welding), which alters the steel's mechanical properties.

Post Protectors and Barriers

The first defense against forklift impacts is avoidance (training, aisles, visibility, signage), and the second is absorption. Best practice dictates the use of post protectors of sufficient height, with a minimum absorption energy specified by EN 15635, on the end posts of each row and at aisle intersections. In the K-PAL catalog, you will find the L-shaped post protector, the U-shaped protector, and the protection barrier, all bolted to the floor. Consult us to determine which protector best fits your risk assessment.

Anchoring and Installation

The racking must be fixed solely to the floor slab, never to walls or other building structures, unless the design documentation specifies otherwise. Before installation, the supplier and user jointly inspect the floor slab, and the completed installation must comply with the tolerances set by EN 15620. In K-PAL, each beam engages with the frame using a connector and a safety pin. EN 15635 requires a safety device on each connector to prevent the beam from dislodging with an accidental upward pull; if you require the calculation value for your risk assessment, please consult us.

Applicable Regulations: What is Mandatory and Where

It is important to distinguish between what is mandatory and what is guidance, and in which country it is mandatory: the European layer is common to all markets, while national occupational health and safety legislation applies. European standards are common to all markets; your country has its own equivalents to directives and regulations.

• The Occupational Health and Safety Act of each country obliges employers to ensure the safety of their workers and to conduct an initial risk assessment, which includes racking.
• The regulations on work equipment and occupational health and safety in each country, which transpose Directive 2009/104/EC, consider racking to be work equipment, thus subject to initial inspection after installation, periodic inspections if the equipment may deteriorate, and prohibition of overloading and use in conditions contraindicated by the manufacturer.
• Workplace regulations in each country: establish a minimum aisle width, "sufficient" separation between vehicles and pedestrians, and a minimum illumination level in regularly used traffic routes. Each country sets its own values in its equivalent regulations.
• Industry guides: these are references for good practices, not mandatory in themselves; they provide the specific figures for aisles, protectors, and inspections used in warehouses.
• EN Standards, voluntary and common to the entire European market: EN 15512 (structural calculation), EN 15620 (tolerances and clearances), EN 15629 (data provided by the buyer to the designer), EN 15635 (use and maintenance), and EN 15878 (terms and definitions).

Throughout the European Union, Directive 2009/104/EC, transposed in each country by its own national legislation, follows the same framework: initial inspection, post-assembly inspection, and periodic inspections by competent persons. The specific number of the national standard may change, but the substance remains the same.

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should pallet racking be inspected?

Work equipment regulations, which transpose Directive 2009/104/EC in each country, require periodic checks without setting a fixed calendar and refer to the manufacturer's manual. The technical reference, common to all markets, is EN 15635, and industry practice combines four levels: daily, weekly, monthly, and annual by an independent expert in high-turnover warehouses. Damage classified as green is logged and reassessed at the next inspection, which the EN 15635 diagram places within the following 12 months.

What should I do if a forklift hits a frame?

Measure the permanent deformation with a 1-meter ruler placed on the upright and classify the damage using the thresholds above: green, maintenance required; amber, unload the area and repair or replace the component with an identical one within the timeframe specified by EN 15635; red, unload the entire racking immediately. Never use welding.

In-house Manufacturing and How to Request a Quote

We manufacture our own pallet racking; product specifications are from the K-PAL catalog. To provide a quote, we need the data that EN 15629 requires from the buyer:

• Free internal warehouse height and floor slab condition.
• Load unit: pallet type, maximum loaded weight, and total height.
• Forklift: model, working aisle width (Ast), and lifting height.
• Pallets per level, levels per module, and planned extensions.

With this information, we will advise whether your configuration requires STD or REF and how many 184 cm or 269 cm modules will fit in the row. All combinations are available in the palletization systems category.