Pallet Racking is designed to accommodate products of various shapes and sizes supported on pallets. The design of the pallet directly influences the design of the racking.
Pallets allow products to be moved mechanically; by FLT's (fork lift trucks, hand pallet trucks, stacker cranes and conveyor systems. The top face of the pallet can be open or close boarded with provision for forks created by either blocks or bearers. The gap created is generally around 110mm.
Generally pallets stored on racking have to be good quality pallets (GKN Chep or simillar) with a perimeter base. Poor quality (one way) pallets are usually not strong enought o support the product on pallet racking and either timber decks or pallet support bars are required.
Standard Pallet Sizes
The most common pallet sizes used in the UK are:
- 1200 x 1000mm with fork entry on the 1200mm face
- 1000 x 1200mm with fork entry on the 1000mm face and
- 800 x 1200mm with fork entry on the 800mm face
Two-Way or Four-Way Entry Pallets?
Pallets are generally described as two-way entry or four-way entry pallets. Pallets accessed from two sides are two-way entry pallets whilst pallets accessed from all four sides are four-way entry pallets.
The construction of the pallet dictates whether it is two or four-way entry. A two-way pallet has solid bearers that prevent access from the sides of the pallet. A four-way pallet has bearers, or blocks, in each corner that enables access from either end or the sides of the pallet. The sides of a four-way , through which the load of the pallet truck can pass without leaving the ground, are known as “free entry sides”, the other sides where the trucks wheels have to pass over the pallets bottom slats are termed “restricted entry sides”.
Pallet Design
Pallet design vary but they generally comprise some or all of the following components;
Pallet Types
The most common pallet types are:
Two-way entry, single decked:
A pallet with only a top deck. Suitable for items that can withstand the concentrated loads imposed by the bearers during stacking, e.g, wooden boxes and drums. Also used where little stacking is required and for storing unit loads in pallet racking when the bearers are supported by the rack framework.
Four-way entry, cruciform perimeter base:
The cruciform design of the bottom slats adds to the strength of the pallet and improves load distribution when stacked. This is the most widely used type of four-way entry pallet. Other pallet designs are available to improve load distribution or work better with specialised handling equipment such as stacker cranes and pallet trucks. However, the majority of the pallets in use in the UK will conform to one of the two previous definitions.
Storing Pallets
85% of the pallets in use in the UK are 1200 x 1000mm. Many of these are stored in rack. 75% of the pallets stored in racking are stored with the 1000mm dimension front to back, or "1000 deep" as it is popularly known. SEMA regulations stipulate that when using a two-way pallet 1000 deep the frame depth should be 750mm. A 900mm frame depth is stipulated when using a four-way entry pallet.
So, when you are considering your storage system one of the first decisions you have to make is about pallets. What type are you going to be putting into the racking system? The answer to this question will dictate many of the features of your rack lay-out. In a future article we will look at clearances - how you create the right amount of space to move your pallets around your storage system without wasting space.
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