22 Jun How to Measure A Pallet Rack
When you want to add more storage racks to your warehouse, how do you know what size to order? Since pallet racks come in many different sizes and many are customized, you’ll need to measure your existing racks.
That sounds easy enough until you approach your racks with a tape measure. Where do you start?
In this article, we’ll explain how to measure pallet racking.
Beams
Length. Begin at the inside of one upright frame and measure the beam’s length to the inside of the opposite upright frame. The most common standard beam sizes are 96”, 108”, 120” and 144”. Be careful not to include the full endplate in your measurement – you want to measure only the inside distance between the two uprights.
Face. Next, you will measure the face or height of the beam (the side that faces out). Measure from the top of the beam to the bottom. The larger the beam face is, the more weight it can support.
Uprights
Frame depth. Measure the depth of your uprights from one outside edge of the frame to the other outer edge. The most common frame depth is 42”, but standard sizes include: 24”, 36”, 42”, 44”, 48” and 60” deep.
Frame height. This measurement is the distance between the bottom of the upright frame to the top of the upright frame. Begin at the bottom of the column, just above the baseplate, measure to the top of the frame column. Common heights are 8ft, 10ft, 12ft, and 16ft, but there are many variations and they can be much taller.
Frame column. Now you need to measure the upright frame column. You’ll measure the front of the frame column and then the side of the frame. These two measurements may be identical, or one may be larger than the other. Like the crossbeam face measurement, the frame column is an indicator of your rack’s weight capacity. Most teardrop pallet rack has a 3” x 3” column.
Footplate. The footplate is what anchors the column to the ground. Measure the footplate’s length and width.
Wire Decking
The depth of your wire decking will match the depth of your upright. Measure the front of the crossbeam to the back beam. The width of the wire deck varies depending on the length of the beam. 96”L and 144”L beams will have 46”W wire decks. Beams that are 108”L or 120”L will have 52”W and 58”W decks, respectively.
Getting the right size is essential to an efficient and safe racking system. Although measuring your exiting racks may seem complicated at first, following these instructions will help you be confident you are purchasing the right size of pallet rack.
If you have any questions about how to measure your existing pallet racking or ordering new ones, please let us know. We’re here to help.
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