Pallet racking is a system of storing materials on the pallets in horizontal rows over multiple levels. Forklift trucks are used to lift and place the materials on the storage racks. This system is widely used in the distribution centres, warehouses, manufacturing facilities and retail centres. Pallet racking systems are available in many different types of designs. Each types functions differently and has its own advantages. But all of them work on improving the density of the storage space in the facility.

Things to be considered before buying any racking system include, the storage density required for the facility, the space of the floor and the height of the building where the racking system will be placed. The way doors and columns of the facility building are placed. Accessibility and the rotation of the inventory in the facility, the weight of the loads and the size of the loads, the type of the storage design required and the costs involved to get the racking materials and to install them.

Some of the most commonly used racking system are the Selective racking system, Drive in and drive through system, Push back pallet system, Pallet flow racking system and the Compact mobilized pallet racking system. Out of all these the selective racking system is most popular one.

The selective racking system creates the least storage density, thus it is the least expensive. It costs around $50-$70 per pallet. It comes in two different kinds of configuration. One is the roll formed or also known as the clip-in configuration and the other one is the structural or the bolt together configuration. The roll formed racking system is manufactured in a teardrop style. The load beams are placed horizontally and are held tight by the mounting clips and then the load is placed on these beams. This works perfectly for the warehouses where the materials stored are huge in size.

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The structural racking system comes with similar style like that of the roll formed but the only difference is the horizontal beams are mounted upright with bolts. This gives an option to move the beams to accommodate larger sizes materials. The shelves in the racks can be adjusted, reconfigures, constructed or dismantled as per the requirement.

With any of the pallet racking storage systems, some safety measures have to be followed. Any damage in the pallets should be taken care of immediately else it will lead to accidents. The owner of the facility should make sure all the workers are aware of the damaged pallets and he should put a danger sign to make all the workers in the facility know about the broken pallet. The pallets should be regularly inspected by an inspector who is aware of the RMI standards and designs.