Warehouse Racking

Warehouse racking is the system of shelves, configuration, and location of the physical structure required to hold your inventory items. Typically made from plastic, metal, or wood, warehouse racking plays an important part in how easy it is to store and retrieve your inventory items as well as how efficiently your warehouse operates.

Types of Racking

The most popular kind of warehouse racking is called selective racking. In this system, aisles can be narrow as they only need to provide enough space for one pallet to move through. Employees or robotic picking systems select items from the aisle and they are only one pallet deep.

In warehouses that require dense storage, you may choose a drive-in or drive-through racking system. The system you select depends on your inventory process. If you use a last-in-first-out (LIFO) process for low turnover items, you’ll want a drive-in racking system. If you stock items that have a use-by date and follow a first-in-first-out (FIFO) process, you’ll want a drive-through racking system.

Another racking system for LIFO processes and high-density storage is the push-back rack. These racks are typically as deep as two to five pallets and moves the rows forward or back on rails and carts depending on inventory volume. Similar to push-back racks, gravity racks perform in a vertical plane, receiving new goods at the top and dispensing older goods from the bottom.

Racking as Part of Overall System

Labeling, barcoding, or RFID technology in tandem with centralized CMMS software must work hand-in-hand with a racking system so inventory can be accessed and managed efficiently.