Industrial Pallet Racking
A floor plan and a product catalog are where most storage vendors start. PHI starts with what you’re storing and how quickly it moves. That’s what separates functional industrial pallet racking from a system that looks right on paper. Whether you’re outfitting a new facility or making better use of the one you have, we design storage systems around your product and how your operation runs.
If shelving, mezzanines, or another storage configuration is a better fit for your operation, visit PHI’s Structures & Workspaces page.
How We Determine the Right System
Before we ever visit a facility, we start with the product: what you’re storing and how quickly it moves in and out. Those answers shape almost everything that follows.
Once we’re on-site, we take dimensions of the available floor space and check clearance height. That tells us what we’re designing around. Budget shapes the next decision: whether a static system like selective pallet racking or a high-density one fits better. High-density configurations typically cost more upfront. We also check the environment right away. A cold-storage or freezer facility needs a different system than an ambient warehouse, and that shapes material choice from the start.
Standard Racking vs. High-Density Storage
Most facilities know selective pallet racking, the standard layout where a lift truck can reach every pallet directly. It’s the racking you’ll see in most big box stores, and it suits many operations. Others need more pallet positions in the same space, and the right high-density option depends on budget and how your SKUs move.
High-density systems fit more pallets into the same footprint, or a smaller one, usually with narrower aisles. Many are built to store large quantities of a single SKU in a compact area. Retrieval often takes less time, so in many cases the system becomes more efficient over time as well as in space.
Double Deep Reach Racking
Double deep reach racking is the closest relative of selective racking, and it stays simple. A reach truck places one pallet in the back position of a rack row and a second pallet in front of it. That adds roughly 60% more storage than selective racking, but selectivity drops by half.
Drive-In Racking
Drive-in racking offers high density, but honeycombing holds utilization to roughly 60%. Empty positions can’t be refilled until a lane clears. It works best when you load and unload one full lane at a time, all of the same SKU.
Push Back Racking
Push back racking reaches roughly 90% utilization and gives you more SKU flexibility, with access one lane at a time. It’s one of the most space-efficient high-density options available.
Pallet Flow Racking
Pallet flow racking is the first in, first out (FIFO) option, with lane-by-lane access that keeps each SKU together. Selectivity is roughly 10%, so it suits operations with many pallets of the same SKU that need FIFO rotation.
Very Narrow Aisle (VNA) Racking
Very narrow aisle (VNA) systems offer 100% selectivity, but they require specialized lift trucks, and those are expensive. We recommend at least two, since a standard lift truck can’t retrieve pallets in these aisles. VNA suits operations with a wide variety of SKUs and a high pallet count. Traditionally, operators ride up and down the mast with the forks, which typically means less rack damage.
Mobile Racking
In mobile racking, the entire system moves to create an aisle, except for the end racks and any racking next to building columns. Selectivity is 100%, but many systems depend on how quickly product moves through them to justify the return on investment.
Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems (ASRS)
Automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS) come in several styles, including 100% selective, double deep reach, and mole systems. A mole, often called a pallet shuttle, is a motorized unit that carries pallets deep into a lane, so the crane stays at the aisle face. Full ASRS installations are usually part of a new build and take a couple of years or more to plan. Once running they can operate fully automated with minimal staff. An operator enters a product, and the system brings the pallet or tote to the operator. These systems are usually very tall and cost less to heat or cool. They typically need conveyance to move pallets in and out.
Which option fits comes back to the same starting point as everywhere else: what you’re storing and how quickly it moves.
Start the ConversationBuilt for the Long Term
The difference between pallet racking that lasts and racking that needs replacing in five years usually comes down to what it was designed to carry. We size every system to the load it will carry over time, engineered to hold up for decades rather than months. Underrated racking becomes a liability the moment conditions change. For operations with heavy, high-turnover loads, that often means heavy duty pallet racking built for that kind of use from the start.
For facilities that expect to reconfigure over time, such as third-party logistics operations with rotating tenants, we build in the capacity to be rearranged later. Pallet racking installation matters just as much as design. Rack that isn’t installed square and level creates problems that can surface months down the line.
Ready to Talk Through Your Storage?
Every industrial pallet racking project starts with a conversation about how your operation works. Tell us what you’re storing and what’s not working, and we’ll help you figure out what does.
Call us at (616) 895-6822 or complete the form linked below for additional storage solutions.