Racking type
Drive-in racking
Drive-in racking trades aisles for lane depth: far more pallets in the same building, and slower access to each.
The system
What drive-in racking is, and how a lane works.
Move
Both levels are full. Choose a level and pick a pallet: the last pallet in stands at the face, and it is the first one out.
Drive-in racking is high-density pallet storage: the forklift drives into the lane and sets pallets down several deep, so most of the aisles go. In adjustable pallet racking the aisles take more floor than the racking they serve. Drive-in buys that floor back, so an extension or a move can wait.
The trade is access. A lane holds one product and runs last in, first out, so hundreds of lines picked daily want selective pallet racking, and dated stock wants pallet live racking.
Push-back racking sits between the two: still last in, first out, but loaded from the aisle, so no truck enters the structure.
How it works
How a lane is loaded, and how it gives its pallets back.
Support rails run down both sides of the lane at every level. Pallets sit across them on their edges, so nothing crosses the front.
Drive in, set down, reverse out
Each pallet goes to the first free position down the lane.
One face, both ways
Pallets go in and out through the same face, and a back stop closes the far end.
Last in, first out
The pallet at the back comes out last.
Drive-through racking, for dated stock
A lane open at both ends runs first in, first out, at the cost of a second aisle.
Where it fits
Where it fits, and where it does not.
Suits
- Few products, large volumes.
- Full pallets in and out.
- Low SKU counts.
- Seasonal stock and buffer inventory.
- Long storage periods.
- Cold stores, where designing the racking first shrinks the chamber.
Does not suit
- Hundreds of lines, picked in small quantities.
- Stock that must rotate first in, first out.
- Lines too small to fill a lane.
Common sectors
- Food and drink
- Cold storage
- Manufacturing
- Packaging
- Paper products
- Building materials
- Distribution centres
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-inThis page. Density 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 deepDensity 60 of 100, selectivity 55, affordability 82.
Specifying it
What moves the cost, and what a survey has to record.
There's no useful rate per pallet position. The steel is sized to the building, the pallet and the truck.
- 01
Height
The cheapest capacity, if the slab and the sections carry it.
- 02
Lane depth
Depth follows the pallets held per line.
- 03
The pallet
A heavier or longer pallet changes rails, frames and bracing.
- 04
Protection and sprinklers
Upright protection, guide rails and in-rack sprinklers, because trucks work inside.
- 05
Installation
Phased around a working operation, priced in sections, often out of hours.
- 06
Scale
More per position than selective racking, less per square metre, less again on a big scheme.
The survey
Recorded before anything is drawn.
- Clear floor area, and where columns fall.
- Clear height to steel and services.
- The slab, and what it carries under load.
- Trucks, lift height and mast type.
- Pallet size, condition and loaded weight.
- Fire protection and in-rack sprinklers.
Safety
What keeps it safe in use.
The truck works inside the structure with a raised pallet in front of the driver, so impact is routine.
- Heavy-duty upright protection at every entry.
- Entry guide rails at the lane mouth.
- Support rails matched to the pallet.
- Load notices on every run, stating capacity.
- Rack inspections, damage graded and acted on.
- Driver training for working inside a lane.
- Routine maintenance, damaged components replaced.
- Design and inspection to published UK standards.
Questions
Drive-in racking, common questions
What is drive-in racking?
Drive-in racking is a high-density pallet storage system: forklift trucks drive into the lanes instead of working from an aisle, so the same floor area holds far more pallets.
Is drive-in racking safe?
Drive-in racking is safe when designed, installed and maintained correctly. Trucks work inside the structure, so it needs upright protection, guide rails, load notices, regular inspections and trained drivers.
What are the disadvantages of drive-in racking?
The main disadvantage of drive-in racking is access. A lane holds one product and runs last in, first out, so a pallet at the back is reached only by moving those in front.
What forklift trucks are used with drive-in racking?
Counterbalance and reach trucks both work with drive-in pallet racking, depending on lane depth and lift height. Lane width and entry clearances are set around them.
How much space can drive-in racking save?
Drive-in racking usually holds 50% to 80% more pallets than selective pallet racking in the same floor area, depending on lane depth and product profile.
Next step
Tell us the building. We'll tell you what it holds.
Send the building, the pallets and the trucks. Back comes a free survey, drawings and a costed proposal.