Chapter 7

GUIDELINES AND RESPONSIBILITIES FOR SPECIFYING,

PURCHASING, AND INSTALLING PALLET STORAGE RACKS

7.1 SCOPE

Pallet storage racks are essential infrastructure in the retail-operating environment. Proper
design, application, and installation combined with appropriate training and housekeeping are
necessary to ensure that rack systems will perform well. This chapter provides guidance on
important factors and key responsibilities in the specification, purchase, and installation of steel
pallet storage rack products and systems.

7.2 SPECIFYING AND PURCHASING PALLET STORAGE RACKS

Pallet storage racks are one key component of the operating system. As such, it is important that
a systems approach be taken when specifying this highly engineered product. Issues to be
considered include but are not limited to the following:

• The location of the rack installation. The specific location (including latitude and
longitude) will help to identify the codes, standards, fire safety requirements, and
administrative practices appropriate for the site.

• Details of the contents that will be stored. The size, weight, commodity class, and
packaging of unit loads as well as discrete items are needed to specify the basic rack
structure as well as accessories that contribute to safety, fitness, and containment.

• Details of the loading/unloading equipment. The powered and non-powered industrial

equipment that will be used to load and unload the storage racks will help define the
footprint and aisle spacing necessary for the operation.

• The operating characteristics of the system. Knowing activity levels and zonation as
well as the loading/unloading schedules and protocols will help with floor planning and
selection of system components and accessories.

• The design documents and normative references that govern the application. Each
storage rack installation will be governed by several design standards and codes
documents. These documents include but are not limited to those issued by the American
Institute of Steel Construction (AISC), the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA), American Welding Society (AWS), the Federal Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) including the NEHRP Recommended Provisions, the International Code
Council (ICC) including the International Building Code, state or locally adopted codes,

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manufacturers’ drawings and plans, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA),
and the Rack Manufacturers Institute (RMI).

7.3 RESPONSIBILITIES

DESIGN

• Registered Design Professional. Design professionals are responsible for designing to

satisfy performance objectives desired by the owner or operator. The responsibility for
communicating performance options and, in some cases educating the owner or purchaser
with regard to rack performance also falls primarily to the design professional. Design
responsibilities typically include the preparation of structural calculations and the
preparation or review of rack installation drawings.

• Rack Dealer or Manufacturer. Since rack components vary by manufacturer, it is the

manufacturer's responsibility to provide the design professional with sufficient
information to describe the physical characteristics of the rack. This includes information
on material and component properties sufficient to generate an analytical model of the
rack system that will capture all relevant characteristics of its response. The rack dealer
or manufacturer also may prepare rack configuration drawings.

• Owner or Purchaser. It is the owner's or purchaser’s responsibility to provide

information regarding intended rack usage and all potential loading requirements, to
communicate the desired performance objectives to the design professional, and to make
available structural drawings for the building, including the flooring subsystems. The
owner or purchaser also is responsible for maintaining files of approved rack installation
drawings, related permits, and any conditions to the permit.

• Local Building Department. The local building department or other regulatory body is
responsible for enforcing code requirements. Where required, they also ensure, as a
minimum, that the rack design has been reviewed and approved by a Registered Design
Professional in the appropriate jurisdiction.

MANUFACTURING

• Manufacturer. The pallet storage rack manufacturer is responsible for establishing and
implementing a documented quality control program to ensure reliability of materials and
fabricated components. Such a program should consist of documented procedures with
records kept on file for review.

INSTALLATION

• Installer. It is recommended that the installer establish and enforce a quality control
program that ensures compliance with rack configuration drawings, rack manufacturer's
installation requirements, and anchor manufacturer's installation requirements.

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• Owner or Purchaser. An independent quality assurance program, separate from the

installer’s quality control program, will increase the reliability of the rack installation and
is therefore recommended. This independent program may include hiring the registered
professional responsible for the design or other qualified individuals or directly
employing personnel with adequate rack installation experience to observe the installed
rack system and implementing a testing program for the anchors.

• Local Building Department. The local building department or other regulatory body
may be responsible for inspecting rack installations to the extent required by local codes
to ensure compliance with approved rack drawings.

7.4 BUILDING CONSIDERATIONS

The pallet storage rack system will interact with the building structure in several important ways.
It is important to understand those interactions and to ensure that proper engineering analysis has
been made.

Among the factors to consider are:

• Connections to the Building. Most storage racks will be installed as free-standing items
independent of the building structure. Any connection to the building requires
knowledge of the forces that might be transferred between the building and the rack
system to ensure that neither damages the other.

• Building Floor Capacity. The building floor and the soil that supports it must have
adequate strength to carry the loads applied by the rack system. In some cases, when the
lateral loads are high, the floor also may need to be of significant weight to resist uplift.
The rack system specifier should provide the floor designer with sufficient information
during design so that the floor can be designed to adequately support the rack system.

• Rack System Anchorage. Most rack systems are connected to the floor by anchors
installed in holes drilled into the hardened concrete. The details of floor construction
should be coordinated with the anticipated details for rack system anchorage. Where
floors are either post-tensioned or reinforced with bars heavier than welded wire mesh,
care should be taken in drilling anchor holes to avoid hitting reinforcement or tendons.
Anchors that are near floor slab joints or edges must have adequate edge distance in order
to carry required loads. Special inspection should be provided when required.

• Occupancy Requirements. The configuration and arrangement of racks also should

comply with occupancy requirements related to such things as exiting and fire safety.

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7.5 INSTALLATION

Pallet storage racks should be installed by trained and experienced personnel working from
installation drawings and instructions provided by the rack supplier. These instructions and
drawings, when strictly followed, allow the supplier to warrant the installation for its as-designed
condition. Also see Sec. 9.4 for additional information.

7.6 RECONFIGURED RACKING

Most pallet storage racks are designed to permit the beam location to be changed. The capacity
of the original installation will have been arrived at based on a specific arrangement of
components. Any change from this as-designed condition or allowed deviations can have a
significant impact on the safety and fitness of the rack system. The owner or operator should
always consult the rack provider or a qualified design professional before undertaking any rack
that is reconfigured beyond that allowed on the load application and rack configuration drawings
for the rack system. Also see Sec. 9.5 for additional information

7.7 INTERMIXING COMPONENTS

It is not uncommon for a facility to have pallet storage racks produced at different times by a
single supplier or by different suppliers. While it may appear that components can be
interchanged freely, this should be avoided unless a demonstrated capacity check of the
integrated component is performed. This check might be performed by the supplier(s) or another
qualified design professional. Even the slightest variation in design or manufacturing tolerance
can have a significant and detrimental effect on rack integrity.

7.8 USED RACKING

Previously used pallet storage racks should be installed under the same rigorous standards and
guidelines as new storage racks. This would include capacity rating, installation, and satisfying
codes and standards requirements.

Special care is called for to ensure that the prior use, disassembly, transport, and reassembly of
the rack has not reduced its capacity. In the event that the capacity or the condition is not
obvious, a qualified design professional should be consulted.

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