Storage racks are the structural backbone of a warehouse, allowing goods to be stored in an organised manner above floor level and thus making efficient use of storage space. They differ according to load capacity, access frequency and the type of goods stored.
The main types are pallet racking (standard for Euro pallets, static or drive-in), shelving for small parts and medium loads, cantilever racking for long goods such as profiles and boards, heavy-duty racking for particularly heavy loads, drive-in racking for high storage density, flow racking based on the FIFO principle, and mobile racking for maximum use of space.
Leading manufacturers include Bito, SSI Schäfer, Mecalux, Stow, Dexion, Nedcon, Polypal, OHRA, Stahler Forms and Hänel.
Storage racking is used in distribution and logistics centres, in the wholesale sector, in industrial facilities for the storage of raw materials and finished goods, in the building materials trade (cantilever racking for timber and profiles), in e-commerce, and in archiving.