What this guide adds
A deliberately narrow scope, because the engineering is covered next door.
The Pallet Racking & Storage Racks guide already covers the engineering thoroughly: why every capacity has a condition, how beam capacity falls as the beam gets longer, how upright capacity falls as beam spacing increases, deflection limits, anchoring, seismic, load plaques, damage inspection and what OSHA and ANSI MH16.1 require. If you have not settled the rack type, the bay size or the capacity, start there.
This guide starts once those decisions are made and you are looking at a component price list trying to work out what to actually put on the purchase order.
- The starter and add-on quantity math, including why a ten-bay row needs eleven uprights and not twenty
- Part number decoders for the upright, beam, decking and structural families
- The per-pair capacity against per-beam price trap, which differs between the two brands
- How many decks a level takes, and why it depends on beam length rather than bay depth
- A worked bill of materials for a complete run
- What is genuinely not in the box, including anchors
To browse, see pallet rack components. Everything in this guide is scoped to what is listed here rather than to either manufacturer's full catalog.
What a rack run is made of
Six things, and only three of them are obvious.
The site's own summary is accurate as far as it goes: a rack section is built from upright frames, step beams and decking. A working installation needs more than that.
| Component | What it does | Quantity driven by |
|---|---|---|
| Upright frames | The vertical structure. Two welded columns with bracing | Number of bays, plus one |
| Step beams | The horizontal load members. Sold in pairs per level | Two per level, per bay |
| Decking | Carries the pallet across the beams. Wire, solid or perforated | Beam length, not bay depth |
| Crossbars or support bars | Extra support between beams for undersized loads or reinforcement | Judgement, per level |
| Row spacers | Tie back-to-back rows together and set the flue space | Frame pairs in a back-to-back run |
| Wall ties | Anchor a single row laterally to a building wall | Frames in a wall-mounted run |
| Post protectors and end guards | Take the forklift impact instead of the upright | Aisle exposure |
| Floor anchors | Fix the base plates to the slab | Every column. See Section Eleven |
The flue is the gap between back-to-back rack rows. Fire codes require it to stay open so sprinkler water reaches lower levels, which is why row spacers are sized by the flue space you need rather than by convenience. Confirm the dimension with your fire protection engineer or authority having jurisdiction before you pick a spacer length.
Starter and add-on: the quantity math
The single most common ordering error in this category.
Racking is quoted as a run, not as a set of identical bays. Adjacent bays share an upright, so the first bay needs two frames and every bay after it needs one.
- Starter
- Two uprights and the beam levels. Begins a row, or stands alone
- Add-on
- One upright and the beam levels. Shares the previous bay's frame
- Beams
- Two per level, in every bay including add-ons
What the published units actually contain
The pre-configured units published here confirm the arithmetic. A three-level starter at 42 in. deep by 144 in. high on 48 in. beams contains two uprights, six beams and three decks. A two-level add-on at 42 by 120 in. on 96 in. beams contains one upright, four beams and four decks.
| Unit | Uprights | Beams | Decks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three-level starter, 48 in. beams | 2 | 6 | 3 |
| Two-level add-on, 96 in. beams | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Three-level starter, 96 in. beams, no decking | 2 | 6 | None |
Note the deck counts. The 48 in. beam level takes one deck; the 96 in. beam level takes two. That relationship is explained in Section Seven and it is the second most common quantity error after the upright count.
Published directly on the unit pages, and easy to forget when you are fitting a run into a measured space. A ten-bay run of 108 in. bays is not 1,080 in. long. Eleven uprights at 3 in. each add 33 in., so the run is closer to 1,113 in. before you allow any working clearance at the ends. Check that against the wall-to-wall dimension before ordering.
The same run can be bought as pre-configured starter and add-on units or as loose uprights, beams and decks. The units are convenient and the arithmetic is done for you. Loose components give you control over the mix, which matters when levels are at different heights or capacities. Whichever route you take, do not mix them on one purchase order without checking the beam capacities match, for the reason in Section Six.
Reading the part numbers
Five schemes. Two are published on the listings, three are not.
Every component family here encodes its specification into the part number. Two of the keys are published on the listings, the beam profile series and the decking channel count. The rest are not, so those readings are ours, checked against the published dimensions.
- IU
- Upright frame family
- 18
- Column: 18 is 3 by 1-5/8 in., 24 is 3 by 3 in.
- 420
- Depth: 42 in.
- 144
- Height: 144 in.
| Family | Pattern | Worked example |
|---|---|---|
| Roll-formed uprights | IU + column code + depth + height | IU18360096 is 3 by 1-5/8 in., 36 in. deep, 96 in. high. The 13 gauge frame uses an SU prefix and does not follow this pattern |
| Step beams | IB + series letter + profile height + length | IBX43144 is X series, 4.32 in. profile, 144 in. long |
| Wire decking | Depth + width + A3 or A4 | 4846A3 is 48 by 46 in. with three support channels |
| Structural uprights | SF3 or SF4 + depth + height in feet | SF4-4824 is a 4 in. channel, 48 in. deep, 24 ft high |
| Structural beams | 2SB + channel depth + length | 2SB5-48 is a 5 in. channel beam, 48 in. long |
The beam series letters
This is the part worth memorising, because it is what determines capacity at a given length. Three profile tiers are published: IBX covers 3.0 to 4.85 in. profiles, IBN is 5.5 in., and IBH is 6.0 in. At the same beam length, a taller profile provides significantly higher capacity because the deeper cross-section resists bending more effectively.
So a 144 in. IBX43144 is published at 3,020 lb per pair while a 144 in. IBH60144 is published at 8,300 lb per pair. Same length, nearly three times the capacity, because the profile is 6 in. rather than 4.32 in.
The pre-configured unit codes
The starter and add-on units use a different scheme again, in the form 42x144x48x7383-3SW. Reading it: 42 in. deep, 144 in. high, 48 in. beams, 7,383 lb beam capacity per pair, 3 levels, Starter, Wire decking included. An A in place of the S is an add-on, and no W means no decking.
The beam capacity baked into a unit part number does not agree with the capacity published for that same beam on the component listing. Every beam model that appears on both pages differs, by up to about eight percent, and on at least one beam the profile height differs too. If you are matching loose beams to an existing run of pre-configured units, get the capacity for the exact part number confirmed on the quote rather than working from either page.
Uprights
Four decisions, and one specification that is not published.
An upright frame is set by four things: depth, height, column size and gauge. Depth and height come from your pallet and your building. Column and gauge come from the load.
| Specification | Published options |
|---|---|
| Depths | 36, 42, 48 in. |
| Heights | 96, 120, 144, 192, 240 in. |
| Columns | 3 by 1-5/8 in., or 3 by 3 in. |
| Gauges | 14 across the IU range. One 13 gauge frame is listed, at 42 by 144 in. on a 3 by 3 in. column, under an SU part number rather than IU |
The published guidance on choosing between them is qualitative: select the column based on the required load capacity, with the heavier 3 by 3 in. post supporting greater beam loads, and select the gauge based on the structural strength required, with thicker material generally supporting higher capacities.
No pound rating appears on the roll-formed upright listings, either on the category page or the individual products. That is a real gap, because upright capacity is the number that governs the whole bay, and because it varies with beam spacing, as the category guide explains at length.
If you are specifying to a capacity, ask for the rated capacity at your actual beam spacing in writing before ordering. Do not infer it from the gauge or the column size.
Structural frames publish a figure
The MECO structural frames do publish capacities, and they publish the condition attached to them. The 3 in. channel frames are published at a maximum of 34,800 lb per bay when vertical beam spacing does not exceed 60 in. The 4 in. extreme duty frames are published at up to 52,200 lb per bay under the same 60 in. spacing condition. Both are published as designed in accordance with AISC and RMI standards.
The 4 in. structural frame capacity is shown as 52,200 lb on the category and product pages, but as 54,200 lb on the racking systems page, both in a link label and in running text. Treat 52,200 as the figure to work from, and confirm it on the quote.
Structural frames are published with base plates: 3 by 3 in. on the 3 in. channel frames, and a 4 by 3 in. base plate with a 9/16 in. anchor hole on the 4 in. frames, with anchors explicitly noted as supplied by others. The 4 in. frames also publish a 2 in. punch pattern for beam placement.
Beams, and the per-pair trap
Capacity is per pair. Price is not always.
A beam level is two beams, front and back. Every capacity you see published for a step beam is the capacity of the pair together, not of one beam. That is the correct convention and it is what the rack is rated to.
Roll-formed step beams here are priced each while being rated per pair. MECO structural load beams are priced per pair. Two lines on the same quote can therefore mean different things, and a run costed from the roll-formed list without doubling the beam count comes in at half the real price.
When you check a quote, count the beams: a three-level bay needs six.
Length costs capacity
Capacity falls as the beam gets longer, and it falls fast. Within the same profile, the published figures show it plainly:
| Model | Length | Capacity per pair |
|---|---|---|
| IBX43096 | 96 in. | 6,270 lb |
| IBX43108 | 108 in. | 5,060 lb |
| IBX43120 | 120 in. | 4,190 lb |
| IBX43144 | 144 in. | 3,020 lb |
Same beam, 48 in. longer, less than half the capacity. If a bay needs both length and capacity, the answer is a taller profile rather than a longer beam of the same profile. The 5.5 in. and 6 in. profiles exist for exactly that.
Beam length against pallet width
The structural beam listings publish a sizing rule that applies equally to the roll-formed beams: for two pallets wide, add at least 10 in. to the combined pallet width. For three pallets wide, add at least 14 in. That allowance is the clearance between and beside the pallets. Two 48 in. pallets are 96 in. of pallet, so the beam has to be at least 106 in., which in practice means a 108 in. beam and not a 96 in. one. This is the single most common sizing error in the category.
The roll-formed beams are listed at 48, 96, 108, 120 and 144 in. only, and only one 48 in. option exists. The structural beams cover a fuller set including 54, 60, 66, 72, 84 and 132 in. If your bay needs an intermediate length, that points toward the structural line or a conversation about what is available to order.
Decking, and how many per level
The quantity question the component pages answer only in passing.
Deck panels are sized by rack depth and panel width, and you fit as many across a level as the beam length takes. That is why the deck count follows the beam, not the bay depth.
- 48 in. beam
- One 46 in. panel
- 96 in. beam
- Two 46 in. panels
- 144 in. beam
- Three 46 in. panels
Two 46 in. panels on a 96 in. beam cover 92 in., and three cover 138 in. on a 144 in. beam. The panels do not add up to the full beam length, and the listings do not say where the remainder falls, so in practice the installer distributes it. Choosing a panel width that suits the beam narrows the gap: two 52 in. panels on a 108 in. beam cover 104 in. If you are storing anything small enough to fall through, raise it at quote stage rather than discovering it on install.
Capacity falls with depth and rises with channels
Two things drive wire deck capacity: how deep the panel is, and how many front-to-back support channels it carries. The published figures show both effects clearly.
| Panel depth | Capacity, three channels | Capacity, four channels |
|---|---|---|
| 36 in. | 3,250 lb | 3,900 lb |
| 42 in. | 2,610 lb | 3,150 lb |
| 48 in. | 2,100 lb | 2,630 lb |
The A4 panel has four front-to-back support channels against three on the A3, which is what delivers the higher capacity at the same panel size. Deeper panels span further and carry less. Note that these capacities are published against ANSI MH26.2 for uniformly distributed static loads. That is the only standard cited on the Husky component pages; the MECO structural pages separately cite AISC and RMI.
A rating for uniformly distributed load assumes the weight is spread evenly across the panel. A drum on a small footprint, a machine base on feet, or a partial pallet concentrates the load and the panel will not carry the rated figure. The category guide covers point loading and what happens when the assumption breaks. Nobody should stand on wire decking.
Solid and perforated decking
Where wire mesh is wrong, solid and perforated steel decking is listed. The solid decking publishes a 14 gauge surface on 12 gauge channels fitting 1-5/8 in. step beams, with 1-1/2 in. waterfalls front and back, at 3,000 lb per section. Note that it carries a minimum order of ten pieces, which matters on a small job.
Wire gauge, mesh opening and waterfall style are not published on the wire decking listings. The solid decking publishes its gauges and waterfall dimension; the wire decking does not. If mesh opening matters to what you are storing, or if you need a specific waterfall style to suit your beams, confirm it in writing before ordering.
One published point in favour of wire over solid: the open mesh allows sprinkler water to penetrate through to lower levels, which supports fire code compliance in many jurisdictions. Solid decking blocks that path and is a fire protection design question, not a free choice.
Crossbars, row spacers and wall ties
Three small parts that are easy to leave off the order.
Crossbars and support bars
A crossbar sits across the bay between the two beams of a level, resting on the step. Published purposes: stopping pallets slipping through, supporting undersized loads, and reinforcing wire or wood decking. They are listed at 36, 42 and 48 in. to match the rack depth.
Nothing on the site says how many crossbars a level needs, because it depends on what you are storing and how the load sits. As a starting point, a level carrying pallets that overhang or sit narrow needs at least one crossbar per pallet position. Raise it at quote stage with the load described, rather than guessing.
The structural equivalent is a drop-in cross support bar, published at 5,000 lb across nine sizes matched to the beam channel depth and the rack depth, installing without bolting or drilling.
Row spacers
Row spacers bolt into the punched sides of adjacent frames to tie back-to-back rows together and hold the flue space open. Listed at 6, 8, 12 and 18 in., selected by the flue space you need.
Wall ties
Wall ties do the same job for a single row against a building wall, providing lateral support by anchoring the uprights to the structure. Listed at 6, 8 and 12 in., selected by the gap between the upright and the wall. Note there is no 18 in. wall tie listed, so a single row further than 12 in. off a wall needs a different approach.
Row spacers connect two frames, so they are counted at frame positions rather than at bays: an eleven-frame run has eleven positions, not ten. The same logic applies to wall ties on a single row.
That gives you positions, not quantity. The listings publish no rule for how many spacers to fit vertically at each position, and it depends on frame height. Take the position count as your starting point and confirm the vertical quantity on the quote.
Protection
Cheap parts that prevent the expensive failure.
The most common cause of rack damage is forklift contact with an upright at the aisle, and the cheapest fix is putting something else in the way. Several families are listed.
| Type | What it protects | Published detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wrap-around post protectors | The individual upright column | Listed at 12 and 18 in. high, wrapping the post |
| Structural upright protectors | The upright, on structural frames | 12, 18 and 24 in. high for 3 in. or 4 in. uprights. Published as anchoring around the frame leg, installed offset so forklift contact hits the protector first |
| Rack end protectors | The whole end frame at an aisle | 42 and 48 in. long, medium and heavy duty. Steel floor angles attach via four or five wedge anchors, sold separately. Published as working with standard and seismic base plates |
| Rack guards with bumpers | The upright, with a rubber impact face | Listed from roughly 12 to 36 in. high |
| Fluted mesh safety backing | The aisle or area behind the rack | 8 gauge welded wire with longitudinal flutes, panels from 8 by 3 ft to 12 by 5 ft, mounted flush or offset up to 6 in. |
The structural protectors are published as installed offset from the upright specifically so that forklift contact hits the protector rather than the frame. A protector fitted tight against the column transmits the impact straight into it. If you are fitting protection, fit it the way it is designed to sit.
Published as attaching via four or five wedge anchors, sold separately. That is a second set of anchors beyond the ones holding the rack down. Add them to the order.
Note that the protection category page mixes rack protectors with building column protectors. Column guards for structural building columns are a different product with different sizes. Check which one a part number refers to before ordering.
Roll-formed or structural
A component-level view of a choice the category guide covers in principle.
Both families are stocked here and they order differently, which is the part that matters once you are building a bill of materials.
| Roll-formed teardrop | Structural channel | |
|---|---|---|
| Beam connection | Teardrop with an automatic locking tab that engages on insertion, plus a safety clip | Two high-strength bolts per beam, with brackets allowing 2 in. vertical adjustment |
| Beam price basis | Priced each | Priced per pair |
| Upright capacity published | No | Yes, with a beam spacing condition |
| Base plate published | No | Yes, 3 by 3 in. or 4 by 3 in. with a 9/16 in. anchor hole |
| Standards cited | ANSI MH26.2 on the decking only | Designed in accordance with AISC and RMI standards |
| Beam lengths listed | 48, 96, 108, 120, 144 in. | 48 to 144 in. in more steps |
| Beam adjustment increment | 2 in., on teardrop punches at 2 in. centres | 2 in., on the bracket |
Structural is published as offering greater impact resistance than roll-formed, which is the usual argument for it in a busy aisle. The practical trade at ordering time is that structural gives you published capacities, published base plates and finer beam length choices, while roll-formed is faster to assemble and reconfigure because the beams drop in rather than bolt.
Teardrop beams and bolted structural beams are not interchangeable, and the frames are not either. A run is one system or the other. If you are extending an existing installation, identify what is already there before ordering anything.
What is not in the box
Two items that every installation needs and neither is stocked here.
Anchors are not sold here. The 4 in. structural frame listing notes explicitly that anchors are by others; the 3 in. listing says nothing about anchors at all. The category guide sets out that ANSI MH16.1 requires anchors and base plates on all columns. That means every column of every frame in the run, not just the ends.
Work out the anchor count before the rack arrives: two columns per frame, one anchor per column at minimum, times the number of frames. Then add the separate anchors for any rack end protectors. Nothing about the rack order will remind you.
Also not stocked. The category guide covers what ANSI MH16.1 requires on a load plaque, including the minimum size and the required contents, and the point that reconfiguring a rack invalidates the existing plaque. If you are installing new racking or moving beams on existing racking, the plaque is part of the job.
Two more things worth checking on the order
- Minimum order quantities. The solid steel decking carries a published minimum of ten pieces. On a small job that can mean buying more decking than the run needs.
- Freight. Rack components are heavy and bulky, so consolidate a project into one order rather than adding parts later and paying freight twice.
A worked bill of materials
Ten bays, three levels, put together from first principles.
Take a common case: a ten-bay single row, 42 in. deep, 144 in. high, carrying two 48 in. pallets per level, three beam levels per bay, wire decked throughout, against a wall.
Start with the beam length, because everything follows from it. Two 48 in. pallets are 96 in. of pallet, plus the published 10 in. minimum allowance, gives 106 in. The next beam up is 108 in. Decking that level with two 52 in. panels covers 104 in. of the 108 in. beam, which is a closer fit than two 46 in. panels would give.
| Item | Working | Quantity |
|---|---|---|
| Upright frames | 10 bays plus 1 | 11 |
| Step beams, 108 in. | 2 per level, 3 levels, 10 bays | 60 |
| Wire decks, 52 in. | 2 per 108 in. level, 3 levels, 10 bays | 60 |
| Wall ties | Eleven frame positions. Vertical quantity per position to be confirmed | 11 positions |
| Post protectors | Aisle-facing columns, 11 frames | 11 |
| Rack end protectors | Both ends of the run | 2 |
| Floor anchors | 2 columns per frame, 11 frames, plus protector anchors | 22 plus |
| Load plaque | Per the requirement in the category guide | 1 per run at minimum |
Ten bays of 108 in. beams is 1,080 in. of beam, but eleven uprights at 3 in. each add 33 in., giving roughly 1,113 in. of run, a little over 92 ft. Add working clearance at each end. If the available wall is 90 ft, that run does not fit and the answer is nine bays, not a shorter beam.
The three numbers people get wrong
- Uprights. Eleven, not twenty. Adjacent bays share a frame.
- Beams. Sixty, not thirty. Two per level, and the roll-formed ones are priced each.
- Anchors. Twenty-two at minimum, and they are not on the rack order at all.
A bill of materials tells you what to order once the design is settled. It does not tell you whether the frames are rated for your load at your beam spacing, whether the slab will take the point loads, or whether the run needs seismic detailing. Those come from the category guide and, on anything substantial, from an engineer. Send us the loads and we will check the capacities before quoting.
Common and costly mistakes
Twelve things that go wrong on rack component orders.
- Ordering two uprights per bay. A ten-bay run needs eleven frames, not twenty. Adjacent bays share a frame.
- Halving the beam count. Two beams per level. A three-level bay needs six. Roll-formed beams are priced each, so a run costed without doubling comes in at half the real price.
- Assuming beam price and capacity use the same basis. Capacity is per pair on both brands. Price is per beam on roll-formed and per pair on structural.
- Counting decks by bay instead of by beam length. One deck on a 48 in. level, two on a 96 in. level, three on a 144 in. level.
- Forgetting the 3 in. per upright. Eleven frames add 33 in. to a ten-bay run. Check it against the measured space.
- Reading a deck capacity as a point load rating. Wire deck figures are for uniformly distributed static loads. A drum or a machine base concentrates the load.
- Buying a longer beam instead of a taller profile. Capacity falls sharply with length. The same profile at 144 in. carries less than half what it does at 96 in.
- Inferring upright capacity from gauge or column size. The roll-formed frames publish no capacity at all. Ask for the rating at your actual beam spacing in writing.
- Leaving anchors off the order. Not stocked here, and explicitly by others on the structural frames. Every column of every frame.
- Forgetting the second set of anchors. Rack end protectors attach with their own wedge anchors, sold separately.
- Mixing roll-formed and structural in one run. The connections are not interchangeable and neither are the frames.
- Trusting one page for a beam capacity. The figures baked into the pre-configured unit part numbers do not always match the component listings. Confirm on the quote.
Frequently asked questions
The questions that come up most often on rack component orders.
How many uprights do I need for a ten-bay run?
Eleven. Adjacent bays share an upright frame, so the first bay takes two and every bay after it takes one. That is why racking is sold as starter units containing two uprights and add-on units containing one. Ordering ten starters for a ten-bay run buys nine frames you do not need.
How many beams per bay?
Two per level. A three-level bay needs six beams, a four-level bay needs eight. Beams are always installed and rated as a front-and-back pair. Note that the roll-formed step beams here are priced each while their capacity is published per pair, so check whether a quote has doubled the count.
Is the published beam capacity per beam or per pair?
Per pair, on both the roll-formed and structural lines. That is the correct convention and it is what the rack is rated to. The difference between the brands is in pricing: roll-formed step beams are priced each, structural load beams are priced per pair. Two lines on the same quote can therefore mean different things.
How many wire decks does a level take?
Divide the beam length by the panel width. A 46 inch panel gives one deck on a 48 inch level, two on a 96 inch level and three on a 144 inch level. The panels do not add up to the full beam length, so two 46 inch panels cover 92 inches of a 96 inch beam. Panel width is a choice: on a 108 inch beam, two 52 inch panels cover 104 inches and leave a much smaller gap than two 46 inch panels would.
Why is a longer beam so much weaker?
A longer beam has a longer unsupported span and bends more under the same load. Within the same 4.32 inch profile the published capacities fall from 6,270 pounds per pair at 96 inches to 3,020 pounds at 144 inches, less than half. If you need both length and capacity, move to a taller profile rather than a longer beam of the same profile. The 5.5 inch and 6 inch profiles exist for that.
What capacity are the roll-formed upright frames?
Not published on these listings. The guidance given is qualitative: the heavier 3 by 3 inch post supports greater beam loads, and thicker gauge generally supports higher capacities. Because upright capacity also varies with beam spacing, ask for the rated capacity at your actual spacing in writing before ordering rather than inferring it. The MECO structural frames do publish figures: 34,800 pounds per bay on the 3 inch channel and up to 52,200 pounds on the 4 inch, both conditional on vertical beam spacing not exceeding 60 inches.
How do I read the part numbers?
Uprights run IU, then a column code where 18 is a 3 by 1-5/8 inch post and 24 is a 3 by 3 inch, then depth and height. So IU18420144 is 3 by 1-5/8 inch, 42 inches deep, 144 inches high. Beams run IB, a series letter for the profile tier, the profile height and the length, so IBX43144 is a 4.32 inch profile 144 inches long. Wire decks are depth, width, then A3 or A4 for three or four support channels. Structural uprights are SF3 or SF4 with depth and height in feet, and structural beams are 2SB with the channel depth and length.
Do I need row spacers or wall ties?
Row spacers tie back-to-back rows together and hold the flue space open between them, and they are sized by the flue space your fire code requires. Wall ties do the equivalent job for a single row against a building wall and are sized by the gap between the upright and the wall. Both are counted by frame position rather than by bay, so an eleven-frame run has eleven positions. How many to fit vertically at each position is not published and depends on frame height, so confirm that on the quote.
Are floor anchors included?
No. Anchors are not stocked here and the 4 inch structural frame listing states explicitly that anchors are by others, and the 3 inch listing does not mention them. Every column of every frame needs anchoring, so an eleven-frame run is twenty-two columns at minimum. Rack end protectors need their own separate wedge anchors on top of that. Work the anchor count out before the rack arrives, because nothing on the rack order will prompt you.
Can I use wire decking under a sprinkler system?
Open mesh decking is published as allowing sprinkler water to penetrate through to lower levels, which supports fire code compliance in many jurisdictions. Solid decking blocks that path. Whether your installation needs in-rack sprinklers, and what decking is acceptable, is a fire protection design question for your engineer and your authority having jurisdiction, not a free choice at ordering time.
Can I mix roll-formed and structural components?
No. Teardrop beams engage a punched teardrop pattern with a locking tab; structural beams bolt to the upright with two high-strength bolts. The connections and the frames are not interchangeable. A run is one system or the other, so identify what is already installed before ordering anything to extend it.
What beam length do I need for two pallets?
The published rule is to add at least 10 inches to the combined pallet width for two pallets wide, and at least 14 inches for three. That allowance is the clearance between and beside the pallets. Two 48 inch pallets therefore need at least 106 inches of beam, which in practice means a 108 inch beam rather than a 96 inch one.
Quick-reference tables
Everything above, condensed.
Quantity rules
| Component | Rule |
|---|---|
| Upright frames | Bays + 1 |
| Step beams | 2 × levels × bays |
| Wire decks | Beam length ÷ panel width, per level, per bay |
| Row spacers or wall ties | Counted by frame position, not by bay. Vertical quantity per position is not published, so confirm it |
| Floor anchors | 2 columns per frame, minimum one anchor each |
| Run length | Beam length × bays, plus 3 in. per upright |
Part number decoder
| Family | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Roll-formed upright | IU + column + depth + height | IU18420144 |
| Step beam | IB + series + profile + length | IBX43144 |
| Wire deck | Depth + width + channels | 4846A3 |
| Structural upright | SF3 / SF4 + depth + height in ft | SF4-4824 |
| Structural beam | 2SB + channel + length | 2SB5-48 |
| Pre-configured unit | Depth x height x beam x capacity - levels + S or A + optional W | 42x144x48x7383-3SW |
Beam capacity by length, 4.32 in. profile
| Length | Capacity |
|---|---|
| 96 in. | 6,270 lb |
| 108 in. | 5,060 lb |
| 120 in. | 4,190 lb |
| 144 in. | 3,020 lb |