With as versatile and helpful as they can be to warehouses & storage facilities, there always seems to be a lot of confusion about pallet racks. There’s a lot of different types and configurations out there that can get overwhelming if you’re looking into them for the first time, but the benefits they can bring your business are absolutely worth it. If you’ve been considering expanding the storage capacity of your warehouse, check out our handy Pallet Rack Crash Course to see if a pallet rack would be right for you, and what benefits it can bring to your business.

When should I consider getting a pallet rack?

There’s a lot of factors that can go into buying a pallet rack for the first time, and it’s important to weigh the benefits and impact they can have on your business before choosing to make the plunge. Before getting a pallet rack, you need to ask yourself a few questions like “what is my current warehouse floor capacity?”, “what kind of inventory am I storing?”, “do I have heavy enough items to need pallet racks?”, and so on.

Pallet racks, true to their name, specialize in stocking pallets, bulk goods, and overall heavier items that might be too bulky to store elsewhere. If your business doesn’t get large shipments or tends to store smaller individual items it might not be a good fit, but given as most warehouses deal in large or bulk quantities of goods, or heavier individual items, pallet racks could be a convenient and economic solution to your ongoing storage concerns.

What kinds of pallet racks are out there?

While there’s a lot of different brands and designs of pallet racks, there are two commonly seen designs: teardrop pallet racks and double slotted pallet racks.

Teardrop pallet racks get their name from the teardrop-shaped holes in the support beams that hold the racks and shelves installed on them. These teardrops are nearly universally-used by a wide number of pallet rack manufacturers, giving you both the strength to hold heavier inventory and the ability to easily customize each rack to fit the specific needs of your business without a lot of hassle, as the shelves are easily removed and easily customized.

Double slotted pallet racks, also referred to as ‘angled slot racks’, are a slightly newer development in pallet racking. The name refers to how every rack is held up by two angled slots, allowing the shelves to sit on an angle and provide better access to the products contained within.

Each type of pallet rack is also compatible with a wide range of pallet rack accessories like safety guard panels and additional racks to increase the stability and usability of the racks no matter what they’re containing.

How can pallet racks help my business?

Any business that deals in large amounts of inventory can see almost immediate benefit from pallet racks. Their sturdy construction allows you to store large numbers of items, heavier items, or anything that needs to be safely stored long-term thanks to the amount of stability and security they provide. Whether you’re a bulk goods retailer (take a look at how Sam’s Club displays their goods on pallet racks all throughout the store) or a product distribution center, pallet racks can almost always come in handy when you deal in larger, heavier goods and products.

There’s a lot more to pallet racks then just this, but if you’ve read this far and are still thinking about some pallet racks for your warehouse, check out our Pallet Rack Identification Guide to get more information about the types out there and figure out what works best for you!