Cantilever racking is an excellent choice for storing large or irregular shaped items as it abandons frontal supporting columns in favor of a strong vertical spine at the rear of the racking.
The sturdy cantilever arms direct weight onto the vertical spine, allowing for easy access and visibility for the front of the racking. As a result, loading and unloading operations become simpler for personnel, as well as automated retrieval systems.
The racking is particularly prevalent in furniture and material storage, as items such as sofas, lumber, and metal rods are difficult to tesselate with conventional selection racking. For optimum density gains and convenient use, it’s important to measure your goods and racking properly in order to ensure proper placement and the purchase of useful hardware for your operation.
Space Support Arms Correctly
In an ideal scenario, there should be no deflection of the load on cantilever racking. Excessive side pressure can result in bending that might damage your racking and risks injury to your goods and personnel.
Proper overhang should equal half of the center line distance, creating even spacing from each support arm.
Arm Length Should Equal or Exceed Load Depth
Although it’s acceptable for arms to protrude when not fully used, since the cantilever is a versatile racking solution, goods should never overhang the end of arms. To do so might exert excessive pressure on the cantilever arm and risks falling or breaking of stored goods.
Calculate the Upright Height
It is important that the upright height is suitable for storing all of the arms, levels, and goods. Although it is possible to store goods on the base, this may not be suitable for all specifications. In most cases, you will need to factor in load height, clearance of 4” to 6” and arm thickness, multiplied by the number of levels you include. The total after adding in the base will equal your complete upright height.
Bracing Length Determination
Correct bracing length will depend on your load weight and the duty of the racking. The bracing length refers to the distance between vertical columns placed at the rear or center of the racking. This will also vary depending on the spacing of your support arms.
Correctly Anchoring Cantilever Racking
Most capacity specifications listed with cantilever racking for sale are according to usage scenarios with proper anchorage. This is why it is important to properly anchor your racking, in order to achieve the full load-bearing potential. Poorly anchored racking may be more vulnerable to buckling or shifting during heavy load-bearing on loading and unloading procedures.
Ideally, you should embed most cantilever racking 3/4” into a level concrete slab floor. To verify this figure for your own racking and ensure that you follow all recommended practices, consult with your manufacturer and follow their guidelines closely.
Marilyn Self is a writer, blogger and podcaster of health and technology. She has been a science journalist, a senior editor at Scientific American, and she’s written for many other publications she is a writer, blogger and podcaster.
A writer of health and technology, Marilyn is an author and editor of more than 60 books that have sold more than 4 million copies worldwide.