The Ultimate Warehouse Racking Buying Guide: Maximize Space & ROI

Buying the right warehouse racks is one of the best business investments you can make. Your racking system delivers an enormous return on investment by maximizing your space usage, minimizing your product turnover time and delivering a safe working environment for your employees. This guide to buying warehouse racks will help you make that right investment.

No guide to warehouse racking would be complete without drilling deep into what main components constitute a rack system. What the warehouse industry calls selective pallet racking is the most widely used shelving system in today’s storage facilities. A complete warehouse rack guide examines these components so you can clearly understand what options you have available.

At Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, we believe in giving you full and accurate information about what a selective pallet racking system entails. A properly designed and built system works on the "first-in/first-out" principle. That’s the inventory method where workers place palleted products in a position to be first out. That’s highly important for companies that turn products over fast.

In this buying guide to warehouse racks, we’ll first take an overall look at the two core components in a rack system. These are your uprights or frames, and your beams or horizontal supports. We’ll link each component to the right online page so you’ll get a visual idea of what these Cherry’s products look like and how they work.

Next, we’ll provide a pallet rack guide which will cover selective rack accessories such as pallet support bars, wire decks and rack protectors. For your convenience, we’ll also link each support accessory to the relevant product information page on our website so that you get all of the information you need about each product.

Types of Racks and Decking

It’s best to think of selective pallet racking systems as having three parts. First are the rack frames consisting of uprights and beams. Second are the decking components made up of pallet support bars and wire decking. Third are the protective pieces that guard the rack frames against damaging forklift strikes.

Uprights and beams can’t work without each other. When combined, these two critical components also have to have shelving parts to support loaded pallets. While the protective parts aren’t mandatory, they make excellent sense as insurance against damage. As you know, in a busy warehouse environment, forklift strikes aren’t a matter of if they happen. It’s a matter of when they happen.

Let’s start with examining the vertical components you need for your racking system - frames or uprights. These vertical members take the structural load from the entire system and transfer it to your warehouse concrete floor. It’s helpful at this point to consider two engineering terms warehouse workers use when managing loads through racking structures.

Loads have two calculations. One is called dead load, which is the weight of the racking system itself. The other is live load, which takes in the entire weight of all your pallets sitting on your decks and passing through the horizontal beams, then down to the floor. The live loads are the ones you must think of when choosing the right warehouse racking system.

Uprights, beams and decking systematically work to manage heavy loads of pallets and products. Properly designed, these interacting components safely hold the capacities they’re rated for. The key performance factor is ensuring each part is strong enough to do its intended job. Make sure to watch Cherry’s three-part video series on warehouse rack components. Here’s a more in-depth written view of a rack system’s parts and performance points.

• • Uprights: Your uprights are the outer rack components. Also called frames or verticals, they make up the sides of your racking system. Critical dimensions for uprights are height and depth. Height is the distance from the floor to the top of your rack. Upright heights range from eight feet to more than 20 feet, depending on how much airspace you have in your warehouse. Depth is the width of your rack frame from front to back. Cherry’s depths have six-inch increases. The shallowest upright depth is 36 inches. Then, there are 42- and 48-inch frames available. The 42-inch depth is our most popular upright depth. It allows a standard 48-inch pallet to overhang the deck width, making it easier for forklift picking.
  • Beams: Your horizontal rack members are called beams. These steel structures take the downward forces of a loaded pallet and horizontally transfer them across to the uprights where the live load moves vertically to the floor. Beams have two critical dimensions. One is length, or the clear span between the uprights. The other is beam depth, or the thickness of the beam from top to bottom. Both dimensions have an enormous impact on a beam’s ability to take and transfer weight. There’s an inverse ratio: The longer the beam, the thicker it has to be to perform. Cherry’s rack beams vary from eight to 12 feet in length, and the depths are four inches for short beams and six and a half inches for long beams. Beams also have two profiles. First is the box or square design. Second is the step beam, which has a notch or in-step which allows for the installation of step wire decks. More on that later.
  • Pallet support bars: Make sure there’s room in your budget to purchase pallet support accessories like pallet support bars. These are the cross members that run between your beams and uniformly support a loaded pallet. These steel bars support the pallet across the center and prevent it from flexing, sagging or breaking. You have two support bar options at Cherry’s. One is the flange design that’s compatible with step beams. These support bars are two inches wide and work in pairs with a combined load of 2,500 pounds together. Your other Cherry’s option is called the hat design, and it works with box or square beams. Pallet support bars come pre-drilled to accept Tek screws for securing them to the beams.

• • Wire decks: Instead of pallet support bars, many warehouse operators elect to use wire decking. Every buying guide to warehouse decks includes information on these highly popular rack system accessories. Wire decks provide great load support for pallets and also act as a net to help prevent items from falling in between the parallel beams of the pallet racks. Cherry’s wire decks come with a two-and-a-half-by-four-inch mesh of steel wire which is welded to either of 2 basic types of channel supports - flared or step. These channel supports are how you can distinguish between the 2 most popular wire decks - the step deck and the flared deck. The flared wire deck also known as the universal deck has a flared channel support design that makes it compatible with both step and box beams. The step wire decks are design specifically for step beams to give a snug and extra supported deck surface. They are not compatible with box beams so please be aware of that. Also, when ordering wire decks please remember that depth always comes first, and width follows second. For example, a 42" X 46" step wire deck is 42-inches wide and 46-inch deep.
  • Rack protectors: Your warehouse racking system isn’t complete without rack protectors. These small but significant safety devices are your front-line defense against forklift attacks. They’re inexpensive and indispensable components guarding against sudden forces that could damage or topple your racks. At Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, we make sure you have the right information to decide what rack protectors work best for you. We carry many different models made of steel and plastic. Most rack protectors work best at the floor level, where forklift tines often hit upright edges. We also carry plastic warehouse rack protectors that can be installed at the higher tiers providing additional protection.

All Cherry’s Industrial warehouse racking components have live load ratings. Our design engineers take dead loads as part of the overall calculation and build them into a system rate. Rack load capacities always include two pairs of uprights and two beams, as these component combinations make up every rack system. Specific load ratings apply to what combinations you choose, and this is something Cherry’s product specialists will help you calculate. For example, a pair of eight-foot-high uprights with a 42-inch depth has a 19,300-pound live load capacity. A pair of eight-foot horizontal beams can carry 8,000 pounds. Here’s a valuable tip about sizing rack systems — always purchase more capacity than you intend to carry. If you anticipate 19,000-pound live loads, make sure your racks have 22,000- to 24,000-pound load ratings.

Choosing the Right Warehouse Rack Components for Your Business

So far, we’ve generally covered the overall components making up an excellent selective pallet racking system for your warehouse. To help you order your warehouse racks online, this guide to pallet racking now details what Cherry’s products are specifically available to build your system. We intend to make your choice as easy and informative as possible.

Many components are available online at Cherry’s Industrial Equipment. Each has its intended purpose. However, some parts aren’t compatible with each other. Take your time and browse through our products. Take in our photos and descriptions, but make sure to call a Cherry’s product specialist at 877-350-2727 if you have any questions at all about how to order warehouse decks online. As well, don’t hesitate to contact Cherry’s online.

Before getting too product-specific, let’s take a moment and review what benefits you’ll get by choosing the right warehouse rack components for your business. We want to ensure you make the right choice when buying warehouse racking. Appreciating the benefits helps you confidently make the right choice.

• Maximizing space: As a warehouse operator, you know the value of floor space. Most facilities lease or sell by the square foot, but the reality of warehouse value lies in maximizing your use of vertical space. You think in cubic foot terms rather than square foot floor space. The right warehouse rack system allows you as much vertical storage as possible, thereby giving you maximum return on your space.
• Managing inventory: Spreading your palleted inventory across a wide floor space makes it inefficient to store, locate and retrieve. Your workers waste a lot of time traveling about looking for products. Vertical storage on dependable racks lets you manage your inventory efficiently. With the right rack components, your inventory is a breeze to manage.
• Product protection: A selective pallet racking system gives your products maximum protection. You can isolate pallet loads and keep them safe from damage or loss. Many warehouse managers calculate an acceptable loss figure into their budgets, but this overhead minimizes when products get racked safely. Proper racks pay back in preventing product loss and damage.
• Worker safety: Perhaps the biggest benefit — and the hardest to put a price on — is the increased worker safety you get when investing in Cherry’s warehouse racks. Our products are intelligently designed, have expert construction and use the best quality materials. When you choose the right warehouse rack components for your business from Cherry’s Industrial Equipment, you’re investing in your workers’ safety, and that’s priceless.

Maximizing your space, managing your inventory, protecting your products and ensuring your workers’ safety significantly improves your bottom line. Choosing Cherry’s as a supply partner is part of achieving warehouse performance excellence. Let’s now go through what warehouse racking components Cherry’s has online and what these excellent products will do for your business.

Frames and Uprights

Vertical selective rack components are your system’s backbone. Frames or uprights give a solid foundation to a rack’s stability, integrity and ability to hold heavy weight. To do that, engineers must design rack frames specifically to transfer loads and hold the entire rack system together. That takes an attention to engineering detail, and using proven materials that won’t fail.

Cherry’s rack system uprights use a patented teardrop design. We believe fixed rack shelves are a thing of the past, and rack designs must be flexible to accommodate varying deck positions. Our teardrop verticals do just that. They’re adjustable, so beams get slotted into the uprights at specific intervals, which allows you precise spacing depending on the heights of your loaded pallets.

Cherry’s vertical rack supports give you excellent strength while remaining economical. We do our research to make sure we bring the combination of safety and value to your warehouse. Here are features and benefits you’ll appreciate with Cherry’s rack frames and uprights:

• High tensile strength from 13-gauge, cold-rolled steel
• Welded joints for added security
• Deck height adjustments every two inches
• Diagonal bracing to prevent flex and swaying
• Bolt-on footplates for added stability
• Vista Green powder-coated finishes for durability
• American-made products for guaranteed dependability

Most of Cherry’s uprights and frames have a standard 19,300-pound live load capacity at 48-inch spacing. Our frame sizes range from as small as 96 inches high and 36 inches deep to 216 inches high and 48 inches deep. This range covers most normal warehouse applications, but you can always call Cherry’s at 877-350-2729 or contact us online to discuss custom rack designs.

Box and Step Beams

Beams are another vital component in your warehouse rack system. As we discussed earlier, there are two beam designs. One is the plain box beam that’s either square or rectangular. The other is our step beam design that features an indent in the face of the beam. It is compatible with both pallet support bars and step wire decks.

Step beams are our most popular design or horizontal rack components. That’s because the step feature lets bars and decks sit inside the beam pocket for a smooth surface. Step beams are also stronger because the inset lets the beam and deck or support bar work together as one tied-in component.

Pallet rack beams from Cherry’s have another unique feature. Both box and step beams interlock with the patented teardrop slots in Cherry’s frame uprights. This exceptionally strong connection ensures a fitted beam can’t release from the upright, no matter what active forces take place in your warehouse. Consider these additional benefits and features you get with Cherry’s selective pallet racking beams:

• Roll-formed steel construction
• Continuously welded seams
• Integrated safety locking pins
• Choice of box or step beam configuration
• Bright orange powder-coated paint for durability and high visibility
• American design and construction for years of heavy use

Cherry’s Industrial Equipment stocks various beam lengths and thicknesses. Our shortest-span beam measures eight feet long and carries 4,046 pounds, while our longest horizontal member, at 12 feet, holds 9,370 pounds. This wide size range lets you exceed most loads you’ll ever expect in managing your warehouse inventory. If you require more capacity, call Cherry’s today at 877-350-2729 or contact us online.

Pallet Support Bars

Every selective pallet racking system is only as strong as the sum of its parts. Rack uprights and beams make your rack a sturdy combination, but don’t leave pallet support bars out of the equation. They’re an essential component that ensures your heavy pallets receive center support without having to bear their edges on your rack’s beams alone.

Pallet designs are much like rack systems in their own right. Pallets have stringers or cross members that take the vertical load and transfer it to the ground. Pallet slats on the surface accept a live load and uniformly move it across the stringers. The same thing has to happen with your racks, and without pallet supports running from one beam to its adjacent partner, there’s no uniform support for the center of your racked pallet.

Enter the pallet support bars. They ensure the stress from your pallet loads distributes evenly to your beams, across to your uprights and down gravity’s path to your floor. All our support bars have double-flared ends to grip the rack’s beam and spread the load evenly. Here are some returns you’ll get with Cherry’s pallet support bars:

• 14-gauge steel construction
• Double-flared ends that connect to beam steps or tops
• Pre-drilled holes that accept Tek screw attachment to beams
• Fast and easy installation and removal
• Galvanized finishes for excellent durability

Cherry’s recommends you space pallet support bars two inches apart for maximum performance. Our bars come in four different lengths that match your upright depth. Choose from 36-, 42-, 44- or 48-inch spans and take note that the longer the span, the less gross weight they’ll hold. Our support bar capacities range from 1,550 pounds for the short bar to 1,250 pounds set on the long bar. Call Cherry’s Industrial Equipment today for more information on pallet support bars or any selective pallet racking component. We’re at 877-350-2729, or you can use our convenient online contact form.

A Warehouse Deck Guide for Your Business

Selective pallet rack decking is another major decision you’ll make when choosing the right rack components for your business. Decks are the flat surfaces or shelves sitting between your rack beams that have the first contact with your loaded pallets. They take the brunt of the pallet’s load and pass it on to the beams.

Choosing the right warehouse decking for your business is easy when you shop online at Cherry’s. We’ve laid our virtual catalog out so it’s convenient and easy to follow as a guide to warehouse decking. Scroll through our racking section that gives you choices from quality constructed products guaranteed to perform to their respective specifications and capacities. That’s the assurance you get from shopping online with Cherry’s, and we back it up with excellent customer service through a phone call at 877-350-2729 or an online note.

You have several deck options when you buy warehouse racking from Cherry’s Industrial Equipment. Those choices include step decking, flared or universal decking, inverted-channel decking and, of course, custom wire decking. Each type of deck comes with its particular unique design. Let’s review these options more in detail.

Step Decking

Our step channel wire decking is extremely popular with warehouse operators. It’s designed to fit snugly within the rack’s horizontal beam pocket for optimal performance. The end of the step channel supports rest directly on the in-step of the step beam making the step deck very resistant to flexing under heavy loads.

You can hand-stack or forklift-stack any type of load on Cherry’s step decking. The easy-to-install-and-remove design lets you easily upgrade your decking as conditions change.

As stated earlier the step channel design adds enormous strength to the deck framework spanning between the beams. Here are some other features regarding Cherry’s step channel wire decks you should be aware of.

• Full use of every square inch of deck surface area
• Mesh design that lets air, debris, light, and water to pass through
• Steel mesh materials with a one-and-a-half-inch wire waterfall pattern
• Adjustable design allows easy repositioning for deck placement
• Solid welding at every joint for optimum strength and reliability
• Powder-coated steel surfaces with tremendous durability

Standard step decks come in widths ranging from 46 to 58-inches and depths range from 36 to 48-inches. Holding capacities vary from 2,500 to 2,800 pounds per step channel deck. Find out more about step decks by calling Cherry’s Industrial Equipment at 877-350-2729 or using our online contact form.

Flared/Universal Decking

When looking for warehouse decks for sale online, don't forget you can merge your shelving systems with Cherry’s flared or universal wire decking. Doing so makes the most of your warehouse racking systems by using any combination of upright frame and beam. Universal decking works with either box or step beams, while step channel decking is only compatible with step beams. The flared design in the support bars allows these universal decks to easily sit on either style of beam while providing great support for heavy laden pallets.

Since storage applications differ from one warehouse to the other flared or universal wire decks like step decks can be used to support pallets, plastic containers, or boxes of product. Here are other considerations for choosing universal or flared wire decks.

• Three-channel and six-gauge design and materials
• Mesh spacing allows for air, debris, light, and water to pass through
• Compatible with existing rack structures
• Easily assembled in mew rack applications
• Variety of size and load capabilities

By investing in Cherry’s universal wire decking, you get a quality constructed powder-coated product that will provide years of flawless service. Standard popular deck widths range from 36 to 48 inches and support load weights range between 2,500 and 3,000 pounds per deck. For more information on why these flared decks might be your universal choice, call Cherry’s Industrial Equipment today at 877-350-2729. Or, you can quickly contact us online.

Inverted-Channel Decking

Maybe you have a warehouse business model that handles sensitive products that need protection from water, dirt, dust and debris. You might be in the food and beverage handling segment, the medical supply specialty or deal with chemicals. If so, you’ll want to take a thorough look at Cherry’s custom inverted-channel wire decking.

We’ve included inverted-channel deck options in this warehouse racking buyer's guide because they serve a unique purpose. Their support channel design is inverted compared to universal wire decks. The U-shaped channel faces down instead of up. This design prevents foreign matter from accumulating in the channel which provides a safer and cleaner environment.

For businesses that are conscientious about safety and cleanliness, inverted-channel decking is the way to go. Its solid construction guarantees strength and performance, and the powder-coated finish makes the deck safer to the touch. Cherry’s inverted-channel decking offers you these benefits and features:

• Inverted support channels under each deck
• Six-gauge steel mesh with a one-and-a-half-inch grid
• Waterfall mesh pattern that shows well in clean rooms and retail spaces
• Compliant with safe food handling and chemical storage regulations
• Compatible with step beam applications, making wire edges snag-free

Our most robust and popular inverted-channel wire deck is 42 inches by 46 inches. It holds up to 3,500 pounds per deck, which is our strongest model. You’ll even appreciate its industrial gray appearance that fits with its intended environment. To learn more about inverted-wire decking or other rack products, call Cherry’s Industrial Equipment today at 877-350-2729. Our online contact form is open 24/7.

And remember, Cherry’s can custom-design and manufacture any system to fit your specs. We’re completely capable of building the exact system you need if you can’t find the right components online. All you have to do is ask a Cherry’s product specialist.

Protect Warehouse Racking With Rack Protectors

Earlier in our guide to buying pallet racks, we mentioned how important rack protectors are. That is a serious consideration for warehouse operators who invested in new rack systems, only to have aggressive forklift action damage them. Nothing is amusing about purchasing a rack assembly and having an accident that bends or twists the frames.

Fortunately, you can easily take preventive measures against this, including checking out the range of rack protectors Cherry’s offers. You can make an online order for heavy-duty models or inside and outside rack protectors, along with laser-cut steel or polyethylene plastic protectors.

Cherry’s makes your choice so easy by browsing our information and looking at option photos. We also make inquiries straightforward by letting you talk directly to a Cherry’s Industrial Equipment specialist at 877-350-2729 or contacting us online. Let’s take a quick run through Cherry’s superb line of rack protectors.

Heavy-Duty Rack Protectors

These industrial rack protectors stop the hardest forklift hits. They’re made of three-eighths-inch steel and bolt to your concrete floor. A powder-coated, bright yellow finish alerts your drivers these guys mean business. Cherry’s offers these six models of heavy duty rack protectors:

• RP-48EX-HD is 48 inches high, weighing 38 pounds, for universal applications
• RP-42EX-HD is 42 inches high, weighing 46 pounds, for universal applications
• RP-42LH-HD is 46 inches high, weighing 64 pounds, for left-hand applications
• RP-42RH-HD is 46 inches high, weighing 64 pounds, for right-side applications
• RP-62EX-HD is 62 inches high, weighing 65 pounds, for universal applications
• RP-48EX-HD is 50 inches high, weighing 70 pounds, for universal applications

Low-Profile Inside Rack Protectors

For rack protection at the ends of your rack aisles low-profile rack protectors are a great way to go. These safety devices protect against the piercing of forklift forks, the bumping of pallets, the collision of forks from electric pallet trucks, and the brushes of stacker straddle legs.

Cherry’s offers you this line of low-profile inside rack protectors:

• IRP-42LH-HD is 46 inches long and weighs 61 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the left side
• IRP-42RH-HD is 46 inches long and weighs 61 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the right side
• IRP-48LH-HD is 52 inches long and weighs 66 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the left side
• IRP-48RH-HD is 52 inches long and weighs 66 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on the right side
• IRP-42-HD is 50 inches long and weighs 87 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on both sides
• IRP-48-HD is 56 inches long and weighs 92 pounds and has the taller wall protector located on both sides

Low-Profile Inside Laser-Cut Rack Protectors

For a smoother look and finer finish, check out Cherry’s laser-cut steel rack protectors. They are great for guarding the base of each individual rack column. These lighter-weight rack guards range in size from 12 to 36 inches and weigh between six and 20 pounds.

Low-Profile Tubular Rack Protectors

Tubular rack protectors are another fine Cherry’s option. These have pipe-like designs with all-steel construction and powder-coated finishes. You can select tubular rack protectors in lengths from 36 to 48 inches and in weights from 22 to 73 pounds.

Polyethylene Rack Protectors

Polyethylene plastic is another great rack protector choice. It has a much lighter material weight than steel and requires no special tools to install. Just place the protector in front of the column and strap the protector to the column with the velcro strap. It's that simple. Cherry’s carries two distinct polyethylene protectors. One is a semi-circular design made to install at your rack’s base. The other has special cutouts (CO) allowing the protector to mount at the intersections between the frames and beams. This design is great for protecting anywhere from the base to the higher tiers of your racking system.

Structural Cast Rack Protectors

If you really want strong metal reinforcement, have a look at Cherry’s line of structural cast rack protectors. They give three-sided protection at vital points around your upright floor connection. Cast iron is shock- and shatterproof. It can withstand the hardest forklift blow and remain in service.

Buy Your Warehouse Racks, Decks and Protectors from Cherry’s Industrial Equipment

All Cherry’s warehouse racks are for sale online. If you have any difficulties understanding our racking system or products, feel free to call our product specialists at 877-350-2729 or drop us a note online. You’ll find our staff is extremely conversant and knowledgeable about every warehouse rack component so that you can find out what’s the best mix for your personal needs. If you are looking to customize your rack system so you get the highest possible return on your investment they will be glad to assist you as well.

Cherry’s Industrial Equipment is your full-service stop for all your warehouse material handling needs. For three decades, we’ve supplied the nation’s warehouse industry with top-quality, selective racking products such as uprights, beams, wire decks and rack protectors.

If you're looking for pallet racks for sale, you can depend on Cherry’s Industrial Equipment for complete storage solutions. We understand the negative financial impact of poor storage, and we know that the simple solution with the best return on investment is to increase your vertical storage space. With Cherry’s Industrial racking systems, you’ll profit from quality warehouse racks that are economical, efficient and safe. Feel free to visit www.material-handling.com and explore our online sales.

If you have any questions call Cherry’s Industrial Equipment for all your selective pallet racking needs. Our friendly and helpful service personnel are at 888-350-2729. Or, reach out to Cherry’s through our online contact form.