How Much Weight Can Pallet Racking Hold?

The weight a pallet rack can hold and withstand varies across manufacturers, sizes, and designs, which is why you need to understand your pallet rack’s dimensions and structural integrity before loading products onto it.

In this guide, we outline the standard weight a pallet rack can hold as well as the potential risks if you exceed this capacity limit.

Weight limits for pallet racking

Generally, your pallet racking can be designed to hold whatever it is you need to hold by your chosen installation team, but the industry average per pair of beams is four tonnes. While this is the average weight pallet racking beams can hold, the frames your racking has can influence the capacity even further.

If you have a standard-duty frame, this normally has a weight limit of nine tonnes, whereas medium-duty and heavy-duty frames can hold fifteen and twenty tonnes respectively. Putting the beam and frame quantities together will give you the total weight capacity for your pallet racking system.

These numbers should be considered a rough guide and your specific limits will vary.

Pallet racking weight calculator

Maximum load per pair of beams x Frame load = Pallet racking capacity

Frame load ÷ Maximum load per pair of beams = Total layers

What can happen if the weight exceeds the limit?

It is vital to know the capacity of your pallet racking in order to keep your storage environment safe (the warehouse owner has a responsibility to ensure the safety of their staff).

If the load on your pallet racking system exceeds its limit, it can:

• Place staff at a higher risk of injury
• Lead to expensive repairs due to damage that could have been prevented
• Fine for not complying with SEMA standards
• Face potential downtime for your warehouse

Pallet racking inspections

At Oakway Storage, we are fully equipped to carry out a variety of Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) approved racking inspections, such as pallet racking inspections and cantilever racking inspections. We also provide in-depth and detailed written safety reports once the racking inspection has been completed, as this will give you a full breakdown as to what state your racking is in.

Any repairs that are necessary to keep your warehouse fully functioning and up to standard following the inspection, can be performed by our highly trained team of professionals. As well as providing racking inspections, we offer a variety of storage solutions so that you can keep your warehouse running at its optimum level.