Pallet Racking Design for the Carolinas – Spotlight on Columns
From Stately to Safety – See Our Tips for Expert Pallet Racking Column Design
As southerners, we know our columns. The stately buildings and homes of the Carolina region are a testament to good design. But good design doesn’t stop there. Inside our bustling warehouse and distribution centers, the pallet rack column plays a key role in the safety and function of your storage system.
As your local Carolinas pallet rack resource, we’re offering our expertise to help you understand the intricacies of pallet rack design, particularly when it comes to the major support mechanism of your system – the column. There are many design choices that go into a column selection, such as the material (structural or roll-formed), the height, capacity, and equipment interface are all key factors in selecting the most effective column type for your pallet rack system.
Pallet Racking Design – Columns 101
Pallet rack columns are the foundational vertical elements in a storage racking system.
Two columns that are joined by horizontal and diagonal struts form an upright that serves as the vertical frame of your pallet racking. Horizontally positioned beams attach to the uprights in the front and rear to create an “H” design. Once secured the beams and uprights together have formed your storage bay.
Did you know that columns can also offer autonomous vertical support (a.k.a. mono-post) in dense pallet racking storage systems such as drive-in, pallet flow push-back, and ASRS? That’s just another function for these components; however, with so much riding on your pallet rack column, isn’t it critical to get the design right? We’re here to share our expert advice to ensure you do.
Manufacturing Pallet Rack Columns – Structural vs. Roll-Formed
Pallet racking columns are constructed of either roll-formed or structural steel.
Structural steel is made from hot-rolled steel, which forms a solid C-channel shape. The process results in heavy-duty, extremely durable columns (plus, struts, beams, connectors, etc.) Roll-formed components are made from cold-rolled steel sheets that are shaped with rollers to create an assortment of shapes.
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Roll-Formed Column & Beam |
Structural Rack Column & Beam |
Both roll-formed and structural pallet rack components create high-density and sturdy pallet racking systems. Working with an experienced pallet rack design team will lead you to the right solution taking into consideration the following:
- Warehouse climate
- Warehouse activity
- Seismic requirements
- Equipment interface
- Manufacturing, shipping & installation costs
Column Design for Roll-Formed & Structural Pallet Racking
The column styles available with either roll-formed or structural designs provide different application pros and cons. See the chart below for the variety of shapes and designs to customize your pallet rack system to your unique needs.
Roll-Formed Pallet Rack Column Styles
- Open column
- Closed column
- Reinforced column
Open column – open on one side, but closed on three. Punches on the front of the column make clip-in beam connection easy and fast. Holes down each side to enable accessory connections. Common manufacturers include Paltier, Prest, Redirack, Ridg-U-Rak, and Omega.
Closed column – this style of column is closed on all sides. Holes are punched on the face and side of each column for beam and accessory connections. A T-post is a unique style that has a T-shaped column cross-section. See our pallet rack punch guide for a deeper look at the punch styles of different manufacturers.
Reinforced column – two columns that are fused together front to back in order to create a much sturdier column. This is usually only done on the lower section of an upright. Reinforced columns offer additional volume and improve durability against forklift strikes.
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Open Column |
Closed Column |
Reinforced Column |
Types of Structural Pallet Rack Columns
- Open C-channel
- Closed boxed column
- Reinforced column
Open C-channel – they are shaped like the letter C. The face of each column is punched with round holes to attach beams. The open column back makes cleaning a breeze, which is helpful for industries where washdown is necessary.
Closed box column – formed by joining two C-channel columns back to back. They provide extra support to help defend against forklift damage and improve storage capacity of pallet racking. A box column doesn’t need to extend to the full height of a front column; it traditionally extends up to 60”.
Reinforced column – two C-channel columns are stacked front to back to fortify a structural column.
More on Cost Considerations: Structural rack is well-known for its robustness and resistance to forklift strikes. However, the time and materials required to bolt the beams to the columns vs. the faster clip style of a roll-formed system is a cost consideration with these systems. Additionally, shipping costs are traditionally higher with structural pallet racking. These are considerations to discuss with your pallet rack design team before committing to a final design.
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Structural C-Channel |
Boxed Structural Column |
Reinforced Structural Rack |
Let the Apex Carolinas Team Guide Your Pallet Rack Design Process
There are so many important things to think about when selecting the right pallet rack design for your warehouse. Apex Carolinas is your local full-service material handling and storage solutions provider. We are your source for all things pallet rack, including design, installation, and warehouse safety. Our experts are committed to implementing safe, effective pallet-racking solutions to enhance the productivity of your operation.
Call Apex today to speak with our design team. We have locations in Charlotte and Hickory, North Carolina AND Greenville, South Carolina. No matter where in Carolina you’re located – We’ve got this.
