Cantilever Rack

Cantilever rack is designed for long or irregularly shaped loads. This racking is most frequently used for the storage of heavy steel pipe, plate, angle, flats or bar stock. It is also often used for the storage of plastic pipe, lumber and furniture. Cantilever rack can be designed to meet a very wide range of capacities.

Warehouse Supply Group stocks heavy-duty structural bolt-together cantilever rack in Houston, Texas.  We have in our inventory 12′ and 16′ high columns, 4′ arms and bases, and a number of different bracing widths.  We also have designed several large made-to-order systems for extremely high capacities.

Storage and retrieval from cantilever racking can be done using standard sit-down forklifts, sideloaders, stand-up electric orderpickers and cranes.  You can achieve a very high density of heavy, long loads using cantilever with rail-guided sideloaders.

Cantilever rack can be single-sided or double sided, meaning that the rack can have storage on one side, single-sided, or both, double-sided.

Cantilever rack design, installation and the storage and retrieval method of the end-user are extremely important to the safety of the overall system.  Be sure you have accurate weight and dimensional details on the loads you will be storing before purchasing any cantilever racking. Be sure your vendor has experience designing and installing cantilever for your type of application.  Be sure you are using quality hardware and appropriate anchors when installing your cantilever racking.

Cantilever rack has five major components:

  1. Column-The vertical piece that the supports the arms and bases.  Structural cantilever, constructed of Wide Flange, is usually designated by the width and weight per foot, i.e. W8-21.  The anchors are installed through the column base into the slab.
  2. Base-Some bases are welded to the column and others bolt on either side and are usually made of the same material as the column.  The base acts as the first storage level.
  3. Arm-The most common arm length is 48″, but standard sizes run from 24″ to 72″.  Capacities per arm range from 500-8,000 Lbs.  Arms are attached to the column and are the supports for the material stored.  Some cantilever arms bolt to the column while others attach with a locking pin mechanism.Arms either are straight or have a 2 degree angle.  The angle is designed to prevent product from rolling off of the arms. Cantilever arms are available with a variety of end-stops designs if required.
  4. X-Brace-These braces are give horizontal support to the columns and are available new from 24″ wide to 96″ wide.  Some bracing is bolted on during installation, while others come as a welded panel.  Bracing patterns vary depending on manufacturer, column height, number of connected bays and the capacity of the cantilever.  Consult with Warehouse Supply Group to determine the necessary bracing.
  5. Strut or Horizontal Brace-Often angle is used to make this component and it matches the length of the X-brace.