Racking type
Double deep racking
Double deep racking stands two runs back to back, worked from one aisle by a double-reach truck: half the aisles, every second pallet blocked.
The system
What double deep racking is, and how a lane works.
Move
Both levels are full. Choose a level and pick a pallet: the front position has to come out before the rear one.
Double deep racking is two runs of adjustable pallet racking stood back to back and worked from one aisle, so a lane holds two pallets instead of one. Half the aisles that selective pallet racking needs become storage, and every second pallet is blocked.
The cost is rotation: a pair works last in, first out, so stock that must move first in, first out wants pallet live racking. Double deep pallet racking is the cheapest deep lane to convert to, because sound frames can often be re-spaced.
How it works
How a lane is loaded, and how it gives its pallets back.
Two runs share one aisle, so the truck fills the back position through the front.
Load the rear position first
The truck reaches over the front beams, sets the back pallet, then the second in front.
Pick the front, then the rear
The rear pallet only moves once the front position is clear.
Reset the beams as the stock changes
Ordinary beams in ordinary frames, re-pitched in 50mm steps to suit the pallet.
Where it fits
Where it fits, and where it does not.
Suits
- Lines held two or more pallets at a time.
- Existing frames that can be identified and re-spaced.
- Tight floors, where aisles limit the count before height does.
- Fleets running a double-reach truck, or willing to.
Does not suit
- A wide catalogue held one pallet to a line.
- Fleets without a double-reach truck.
- Stock that has to rotate first in, first out.
Common sectors
- Manufacturing
- Third-party logistics (3PL)
- Building materials
- Consumer goods
Against its siblings
Five configurations on three axes.
Density, selectivity and affordability decide most racking choices. The scores are judgements, not measurements, read down a column against the other four.
AdjustableDensity 40 of 100, selectivity 96, affordability 100.
Drive-inDensity 96 of 100, selectivity 25, affordability 65.
Push-backDensity 75 of 100, selectivity 62, affordability 48.
Pallet liveDensity 85 of 100, selectivity 40, affordability 30.
Double deepThis page. Density 60 of 100, selectivity 55, affordability 82.
Specifying it
What moves the cost, and what a survey has to record.
The variables a proposal is built from, and what a survey records before anything is drawn. None is priced on its own.
- 01
The truck
A double-reach truck is the largest single item in most schemes.
- 02
Beam length
Twice the beams per aisle, and a longer beam needs a heavier section.
- 03
Height
Taller frames take heavier sections, and the rear position asks more of the truck.
- 04
Number of positions
Design, delivery and installation spread across the scheme, so cost per position falls.
- 05
Converting existing runs
Sound frames of the right series are re-spaced and reused.
The survey
Recorded before anything is drawn.
- The truck: reach, lift height and aisle width.
- The aisles now, and how many runs the floor takes re-spaced.
- Internal dimensions, clear height, and where columns, sprinklers and services fall.
- The slab: flatness, and what it carries under concentrated load.
Safety
What keeps it safe in use.
The structure is ordinary adjustable racking. What changes is the driving: deeper into the rack, the rear load out of sight.
- Rear stops behind every lane, so nothing leaves the far side.
- Load notices on every run, stating the rated capacity.
- Regular rack inspections, with damage recorded, graded and acted on.
- Driver training for the rear position, a different skill.
- Upright protection at the aisle face and run ends.
- One matched system throughout: mixed manufacturers leave a run unrated.
Questions
Double deep racking, common questions
What is double deep racking?
Double deep racking is two runs of adjustable pallet racking back to back, worked from one aisle, so a lane holds two pallets, the rear blocked until the front moves.
Which forklift trucks work double deep racking?
Double deep racking needs a double-reach truck, whose pantograph mast reaches the rear position through the front. A standard reach truck can't get there, and nor can a counterbalance.
Is every pallet reachable in double deep racking?
No. Only the front pallet of a lane is directly reachable; the rear is blocked until the front has moved. Double deep suits lines held in twos or more.
Can existing pallet racking be converted to double deep?
Often yes. Where the frames are identifiable, undamaged and their ratings known, the runs are re-spaced to suit the truck. The design, floor fixings and load notices are new.
How much space does double deep racking save?
Double deep racking halves the aisles and turns that floor into pallet positions. How much you get depends on the stock: a line holding one pallet leaves the rear position empty.
Next step
The cheapest deep lane to convert to
Send the building, the pallets and the truck you run, and we'll cost a layout, with the single-deep option beside it.