In the market there seems to be some confusion about how you whether you should use pallet rack or wire deck.
For instance, many people use wire rack for pallet support. Often wire decking is not rated for supporting the weight of a pallet. The better solution here is pallet rack support.
Here is a quick breakdown of what each of these products add to your warehouse racking.
Pallet Supports: Pallet supports are an added stability for your pallets.
Why do I need added support for my pallet racks? Don’t the pallets bear the weight of my product?
Theoretically, however as we all know the uniform strength of pallets aren’t very uniform.
Also if you have pallets that don’t quite reach across the span or might require extra support, this is what you need. There are a variety of pallet supports for different applications and come in galvanized to powder coated supports. In addition to style, they also support different weights and can vary in length.
Pallet support bars are usually designed to connect over the pallet rack step beam or sit inside the step of the beam to support the bottom of load and reinforce the system as a whole. They are generally used with selective style pallet racking
Pallet supports are affordable, but you can also purchase used pallet supports to save even more money.
Pallet supports will not prevent loose material from creating a hazard to people, products or machinery below the racks. For that you need…
Wire Decking: Wired decking’s main selling point is that it can be added to pallet rack so you can store split cases and open cases. An additional advantage is that it prevents the aforementioned loose articles from damaging anything below.
Like pallet supports, wire decking comes in a variety of styles to fit with your rack.
While wire decking does provide a measure of support and stability to your pallet rack, it is not sturdy enough to support pallets alone.
Wired decking has mostly replaced the old wooden or plywood decking formerly used in warehouse. In addition to being more durable, it also has safety advantages over wooden decking. In the event of a fire, wire decking allows water from sprinklers to penetrate a much greater area than solid wood.
Every warehouse is unique and has it’s own circumstances. You may need any combination of pallet rack 0r wire deck or both in different parts of your warehouse.
If you need help deciding what you need in your warehouse contact ABCO Systems. We can help with all of your distribution center and warehouse questions.