Take a Load Off with Custom-Configured Furniture Rack

Don’t Get Comfortable with Inefficient Storage – Optimize with Furniture Racking

There are a plethora of storage racking options for palletized inventory, and you can narrow your choices by pallet size, inventory rotation (FIFO, LIFO), automation, etc. The choices are fewer for bulky, non-standard inventory such as furniture. However, you can still achieve effective results with a custom-configured furniture racking system.

The first step is to match your inventory specs to the right storage rack option. The following furniture racking solutions are all good choices that are easily customizable and will deliver orderly, high-capacity, safe storage.

Styles of Furniture Racking

• Cantilever
• Selective rack
• Stack rack

 

Moving On Up with Custom-Configured Furniture Racking

 

Cantilever Racking

Cantilever Rack with Wire Decking 

 

Cantilever is likely the most commonly thought of “furniture racking.” Its simple design of vertical supports in the rear of the system with horizontal arms extending forward. Cantilever is easily identifiable and functional for a wide array of furniture SKUs. It’s speedy to configure and reconfigure with side-to-side openings for extra-long items –Your couch, desk, or rug can all fit securely in cantilever rack. Note, without front vertical columns, forklifts have unrestricted access to these bulky items. This sturdy, unique design allows for storing products of any length.  

When designing your system, you have a wide range of height and capacity options. You can choose lighter-duty roll-formed systems up to very heavy-duty structural and anywhere in between.

Cantilever shelves can be left open with just the arms to support the inventory, or you can add a surface such as wire decking, b-decking, or solid composite or wood. A flat surface makes it easy to react to SKU changes without relocating the arms. A shelf surface also offers protection against inventory falls due to loose or shifting items and against point loading. Point loading happens when the inventory is heavier in one area, causing more stress on that “point” in the rack system. A solid surface uniformly distributes the load across the surface and eliminates the concern.

You can also equip the ends of the cantilever arms with pipe stops that will keep items from shifting off the front. Particularly important for rolled inventory such as carpets. 

Cantilever Furniture Racking Advantages:

• Light, medium and heavy-duty capacity
• Convenient arm placement (approx. 4” intervals) along the column
• Standard arm length up to 5’ and customizable up to 8’
• Single row or back-to-back design
• Easy forklift access – No front obstruction 
• Capitalizes on vertical warehousing space
• Decking options expand capability 

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Selective Rack Options

Option 1 – Customized selective rack

Selective rack, the most commonly used pallet storage rack, can be engineered for furniture storage. Longer and deeper bays will accommodate custom pallet sizes; however, they may require deep-reach forklifts for access. You will want a supportive decking option such as wire decking to protect against inventory falls.

Another option is to use custom furniture skids. Instead of wire deck, fork entry bars, raise skids above the beam level to make them easily accessible by forklift to allow maximum use of your vertical cube space.

 

Option 2 – Selective rack with M & V dividers 

Equip your selective rack with M & V dividers for tall, thin inventory. These tubular dividers shaped into…  you guessed it, an “M’ shape and a “V” shape help organize and secure mattresses, mirrors, TVs, windows, doors, etc., inside the rack bay. Organize by SKU for quick, accurate putaway and picking. M & V dividers are manufactured from durable 1” tubes and come in several standard sizes. 

M dividers attach to the rear beam to subdivide the bay into vertical SKU storage (no front beam is needed). V dividers attach to the front and rear beam and hang down in a v-shape. 

M & V Dividers for Furnishings Storage

• Maximize bay space for vertical SKU storage
• Keep SKUs orderly for accurate selection
• Protect inventory from damage
• Durable 1” tube construction
• Choose from several standard sizes

M Divider

V Divider

 

Option 3 – Selective Rack with Gravity Flow 

Gravity flow is wheeled- or roller-equipped rails that drop into pallet racking on a slight pitch down to the pick face. The purpose of the flow rack is to continually feed inventory to the pick aisle to replace items as they are selected. While you wouldn’t use flow rack for couches or assembled desks, you may find it useful for boxed mattresses, TVs, etc. 

Flow rack is typically loaded and unloaded from opposite aisles; however, you can use a single aisle in a push-back-type loading.

Gravity Flow Rack for Furnishings Storage

• Reserve storage kept in the bay
• Automatic pick face replenishment
• Orderly SKU lanes
• Durable & high capacity
• Maximize SKU volume in storage bay

 

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Stack Rack

If “simple” were a rack system, it’d be stack rack. It offers high-density storage in a nestable rack system that can be designed to handle wide and long inventory. Stack racks offer more than simply nesting; they can replace your pallet or skid for irregularly shaped items. Simply place the item on the rack base and move using your forklift. Add the support components when you’re ready to start stacking. Stack racks take no time to build, making them easy to reconfigure if your inventory specs change. 

Do you need a vertical storage solution that you can shift out of the way for seasonal fluctuations or slow-moving SKUs? Look no further than stack rack on castors! Simply relocate your rack where it makes the most sense to keep your operations humming. 

You can also create full-surface storage shelves by adding decking similar to the cantilever rack options. 

Furniture Stack Rack Advantages:

• Increase capacity using vertical space
• Racks stack and break down easily
• Accommodate variable loads
• Protect inventory from damage
• Available with or without casters

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Furniture distribution and storage are challenging enough –abundant SKU volumes, unwieldy inventory, and longer turn rates (compared to less costly consumer package goods). Implementing customized warehouse design and storage solutions will help improve operations by reducing worker travel time and pick speed while improving accuracy and productivity.

Custom-configured furniture racking also helps prevent inventory damage and opens up warehouse space for better use. Contact the Apex team for more information on furniture rack options, and let us show you ways to improve warehouse efficiency.