Cantilever Racking is a unique medium to heavy-duty storage solution for horizontally shaped loads. If you’re storing material that is long and/or bulky, this would be the system for you. With no front column, you’ll find it easier to load and unload this rack, which cuts down labor costs. It also adds space due to less structure.
General Characteristics
Especially if the material is long or bulky, you might have difficulty finding a good storage place. Cantilever features load bearing arms that are free of any structural elements that would stop you from conveniently picking the items. Common materials that you would store with Cantilever are pipes, lumber, carpet, furniture, and building material. Generally, the inventory lies across the arms to await picking.
System Components
Cantilever Racking is composed of uprights, arms, braces, and a base. In most cases, the base is secured to the ground for more stability. The uprights are attached to the base, and the arms are the horizontal beams that support the load. Bases with single or double arms are available, allowing you to place inventory on one side or both. The arms can be adjusted depending on the material that needs to be stored. They can also be straight or inclined, and can be made with a lip or pipe stop at the end to prevent loads from rolling or falling off. The braces connect the uprights, to help strengthen the structure.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages:
- Ideal for long loads
- Able to store many types of loads
- Easy to reconfigure and adjust the arms
- Greater flexibility of product placement
- Easily access the inventory
Disadvantages:
- Need an aisle of space between rack
- Need generally evenly distributed loads
Layout Options
Single sided cantilever is typically used against a wall in the warehouse. Double sided cantilever will require an aisle on each side. Any number of cantilever uprights can be braced together to create long rows that are capable of holding several groups or bundles of material. These longer rows can easily accommodate changing inventory. Whoever is loading the racks will just need to be mindful of the capacity allowed for each arm and for each column.
What you need to know to design a Cantilever Racking system
Before going with Cantilever Racking, take into consideration the size and shape of your items. You will need to provide information on the dimensions and weight of the items you are storing in order to design the system. Components come in a variety of different sizes and capacity ratings. A manufacturer would need to know the length of the loads, how high the bundles or stacks of items will be, and their weights. They must be stored properly on the arms to ensure the maximum load bearing capacity. Finally, an aisle of space is needed in between each rack that is big enough for your forklift to fit through (similar to selective pallet rack).
Now that you know all about Cantilever rack, you should be able to decide if this system would work in your facility. We have officially finished with the different racking systems and are moving on to shelving systems! Check back to see the next post on rivet shelving. Contact us for more information on the different storage systems!
