Why are you out of space with roof to spare?
Because the load grows sideways, not upwards.
Stacked on the floor, each square metre holds one position and the volume above stays empty. Racking turns that height into pallet positions, without moving a wall or renting another building.
What it is
It is a structure of upright frames and horizontal beams that form levels where pallets rest. There are three paths: selective racking, with direct access to every pallet; high density, which stores in depth; and the mezzanine, which adds a floor inside the building.
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This page helps you choose between them.
In practice
In most warehouses that ask about automation, the first answer is the right racking. The order is always the same: layout first, then racking, and density or robotics only when the volume per SKU justifies it.
What is selective pallet racking?
Density versus accessibility: the trade-off behind every choice
Every storage system sits somewhere between two extremes. At one end is direct access: each pallet comes out without moving any other, and you reach any SKU at any moment.
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At the other end is maximum density: pallets are stored one behind another, and to reach the one at the back you have to move the ones in front. Selective pallet racking is the accessible extreme. That is its value and also its limit, because every position needs an aisle to reach it and a large share of the floor goes to circulation. The denser the configuration, the less accessible each individual position becomes, and the other way round. There is no better configuration in the abstract: there is one that matches your product mix. Many SKUs with low volume each make accessibility worth more than density. Few SKUs with high volume reverse the arithmetic entirely.
What height buys you, without automating anything
The gain from going higher is measurable and does not require automation. As a design reference, using the height can multiply the capacity of a warehouse that block-stacks on the floor today by up to 3 times, and that is the ceiling; how much you reach in each case comes out of the survey, with measured clear height and the real load unit.
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That 3x translates into up to 66% of the floor released: the same goods on a third of the surface. And the square metre you recover has a market price. Premium industrial rent in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area (AMBA) averages USD 7.33 per square metre per month (CBRE, Q2 2026), and building a new warehouse costs between USD 180 and USD 430 per square metre (OneMake, June 2026). Nor is supply abundant: premium vacancy in AMBA stands at 10.15%, with negative net absorption (CBRE, Q2 2026). Before relocating, compare those figures against the cost of densifying what you already have with conventional racking.
The forklift decides: equipment first, aisle width second
Aisle width is not chosen by the racking: it is imposed by the equipment you operate. A counterbalanced forklift needs more room to turn than a reach truck, and a trilateral machine works in even narrower aisles, at the cost of being captive to that aisle.
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Every metre of aisle you save is surface that goes back to storage, but narrowing an aisle without changing the equipment is the fastest way to damage a structure. The correct order is therefore the opposite of the usual one: first decide which equipment will operate the warehouse, then the aisle width that equipment needs with the load unit you actually move, and only then the racking module. Lift height also belongs in the calculation, because there is no point designing levels the forklift cannot reach. If you are considering renewing the fleet, that is the moment to redesign the layout, not afterwards.
What to verify before you buy
Three checks prevent most expensive redesigns. The first is real clear height, which is not roof height: it is measured to the lowest point that interferes, usually a beam, a sprinkler, a light fitting or a cable tray.
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From that figure you still have to deduct safety clearance and the manoeuvring of the equipment. The second is the condition of the floor: racking concentrates the whole load on its base plates, and a floor with broken joints, settlement or unevenness is not fixed with shims. The third is the permissible floor load in kilos per square metre, which defines how much can be stacked above. The exact flatness and load values are defined by the equipment manufacturer according to the system chosen, and they are verified on site during the survey, before any quotation. We do not publish them as a general number because no general number exists.
When selective racking is not enough: high density and mezzanines
When selective racking falls short there are two routes, and they are not interchangeable. The first is high density: if you hold few SKUs with high volume each, storing pallets in depth removes aisles and raises positions per square metre, at the cost of giving up direct access and accepting an entry and exit order.
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The second is mezzanines: if what you store is cartons or loose units, and what you have spare is height rather than working surface, a mezzanine doubles the usable floor and adds order-picking metres without touching the building. Those, together with the selective racking page, are the pages that follow this one. In many warehouses the answer is not a single family but a combination by zone: selective racking for uneven-rotation SKUs, high density for the few that move volume, a mezzanine for unit picking. That mix is defined in the survey, not from a catalogue.
What determines the choice of a racking system?
We do not publish model-by-model specification tables: the detailed sheet comes with the assessment, sized against your operation. These are the criteria the choice is made on.
Number of SKUs versus volume per SKU
Many SKUs with low volume each push towards selective racking. Few SKUs with high volume push towards high density. It is the criterion that weighs most, and the first one to calculate, before looking at any equipment or any catalogue.
Available clear height
Measured to the lowest interfering point, not to the roof. It defines how many levels fit and whether the step up justifies the investment: automated pallet systems work between 7 and 40 metres, so below that the conversation is about racking.
Handling equipment and aisle width
The forklift you already own, or the one you plan to buy, fixes the aisle width. That width decides how much surface goes to circulation and, therefore, how many positions actually fit inside the warehouse you already have.
Weight and dimensions of the load unit
The real pallet, with goods loaded and overhangs included, not the theoretical one. Weight, height, width and the condition of the pallet define the module, the capacity of each level and whether support accessories are needed.
Need for immediate access
If any position has to be available on the spot, because of expiry dates, batch control or dispatch urgency, selective racking wins. If you can work in sequence and group despatches, dense configurations become an option.
Floor condition and permissible load
It determines whether the structure can be anchored to the existing slab or whether work is needed first. The required values are defined by the equipment manufacturer according to the system chosen and verified on site during the survey.
When do you not need to automate?
If the problem is disorder, automation does not fix it: it speeds it up.
When products cannot be found, the inventory does not reconcile or picking involves too much walking, start by removing stock that does not move, slotting by pick frequency and standardising the load unit. That round costs almost nothing in equipment and usually frees more space than expected. Automation comes in when volume per SKU is high and stable, movement is intense and repetitive, or conditions are ones a person cannot sustain, such as cold.
Within this family
Frequently asked questions
Can't find your question?Write to us and we reply within one business day.
Tell us about your case01How many levels can selective pallet racking have?
It depends on three things: the real clear height measured to the lowest interfering point, the lift height of the forklift you operate, and the weight of the load unit. There is no general number that works for every warehouse. The number of levels and the capacity of each one come out of the survey calculation and are delivered in the technical sheet of the diagnosis.
02Does selective racking suit me if I have few SKUs and high volume?
Probably not the most efficient answer. With few SKUs and high volume each, selective racking spends too much surface on aisles you barely use. That profile is better solved with high density, storing pallets in depth. It is worth doing the positions-per-square-metre calculation for both configurations before deciding anything.
03Can I install racking on the floor I already have?
In many cases yes, but it is verified, not assumed. Flatness, the condition of the joints and the permissible load in kilos per square metre all matter. The required values are defined by the equipment manufacturer according to the system chosen and measured on site during the survey, before quoting. If the floor falls short, the works are sized and included in the project.
04Do you publish tables with profile dimensions and load capacities?
No, and that is deliberate. A model-by-model table out of context leads to buying badly, because the capacity of a level depends on the load unit, the module and the anchoring. We work with ranges and selection criteria, and the full technical sheet is delivered in the diagnosis, already calculated for your warehouse.
05How long does an installation take?
For automated systems, the installation lead time is 3 to 4 months from the purchase order. Conventional racking is resolved in considerably shorter timeframes, and it depends on the size of the project, material availability and whether the warehouse has to stay in operation. The schedule is closed with the detailed design.
Other systems
Before quoting racking,measure the warehouse
An on-site survey establishes real clear height, floor condition, load unit and aisle width. With that we deliver the layout, the technical sheet and the quotation. And if racking is enough for you, we will say so.