What is Cantilever Rack?

What is Cantilever Rack?

Cantilever rack is a freestanding storage unit with horizontal weight bearing arms extending from a single vertical column.  The absence of a second support column on the outboard end of the arm allows for uninterrupted storage of long lengths of material, and easy loading / unloading with a forklift.

Cantilever rack systems are the perfect storage solution for furniture, steel bars and pipes, sheet metal, any type of lumber, and various other hard to store long products that must be kept off the floor.  Cantilever rack provides instant accessibility to a single piece or an entire load.  Modular in nature, cantilevered rack can be configured to fit just about any storage need and adjust to changing conditions.  Additional arms, uprights, and brace sets are easily added or subtracted as needed.

Cantilever storage racks consist of three basic components arms, uprights, and brace sets.  We will cover each in the following paragraphs.

Uprights

Cantilever uprights consist of a vertical column and a horizontal base which is connected to the vertical column.  The horizontal base also acts as a storage level allowing the user to store material close to the ground level.  In order for any cantilever system to work properly there must be at least two uprights.  Uprights can be ordered as single or double sided.  Single sided uprights allow for storage on one side only, perfect when space is an issue as the uprights can be placed adjacent to existing walls.  Please note: arms should never be placed on the back side of a single sided system.  Double sided uprights allow for storage of materials on both sides of the columns, in effect doubling your storage capabilities.  One must take into account the floor space needed when choosing double sided cantilever rack systems.  Make sure that you have enough room for the loading and unloading of your materials for both sides of the racking system.

Each edge of the vertical column is punched vertically on 3″ centers, allowing you to adjust your arms up and down the upright in 3″ increments.

Arms

Cantilever arms are the heart of the rack system.  Offered as straight arms (generally used for storing stable loads such as lumber and sheet metal) and as inclined arms (for a cylindrical object such as PVC piping or other objects that tend to roll).  As stated, arms can be adjusted on 3″ centers up and down the upright and are available in lengths as small as 12″ up to 60″ and available in various weight capacities.  Proper arm selection is paramount to designing the correct cantilever rack system.  We suggest you thoroughly read our section on how to design cantilever rack or talk to a sales associate to help select the proper arm.  Arms are available with or without lips.

The hair pin keeper provides instant adjustability for the cantilever arm.  A small pin is inserted through the arm and the vertical column and is then secured using the pin.  There are no nuts and bolts needed, permitting instant height adjustability.

Straight arms up to 48″ in length have a 3/8″ pitch per foot to compensate for deflection.  Arms 54″ and 60″ long have a minimum pitch of 5/8″ per foot.  Inclined arms have a pitch of 20 degrees or approximately 4.36″ per foot.

Brace Sets

Braces are structural channel members that are bolted from one upright to the next and provide lateral stability to the cantilever system.  Brace sets are measured from center to center of the uprights and are sold as sets rather than individual pieces.

Depending on the upright height and brace length, brace sets come in a variety of configurations.  “2B” brace patterns are two horizontal channel members bolted from upright to upright, generally for uprights 6′ to 10′ in height.  “3B” brace patterns are the same as the “2B” except they utilize three horizontal channel members instead of two, typically used in uprights 10′ to 14′ in height. “4BX” brace patterns, or otherwise known as X braces utilize the same two channel members with an X pattern in the middle, providing extra lateral stability for uprights 15′ to 20′ in height. “4BXX” use the same design as the “4BX” except they have a double X design for uprights 15′ to 20′ in height and brace lengths longer than 84″.