Pallet Rack Design Calculator

Rack bay load and beam levels from pallet dimensions.

Inputs

Pallet width (in)

Pallet depth (in)

Loaded pallet height (in)

Pallet weight (lb)

Rack height (ft)

Tab to move between fields

Results

Beam levels

3

Bay width (in)93

Beam load (lb/pair)5,000

Frame load (lb)15,000

Positions/bay6

Aisle width (ft)12

How to Use This Calculator

Enter pallet width (in) and depth (in) — standard GMA pallets are 42 in wide × 48 in deep.
Set the loaded pallet height (in) including the pallet itself and all stacked product.
Enter the pallet weight (lb) for the heaviest loaded pallet you will store.
Input the overall rack height (ft) to calculate the number of beam levels.
Review Beam levels for storage tier count, Beam load (lb/pair) for beam selection, and Aisle width (ft) for forklift planning.

What each input means

Pallet width (in): Pallet width (face into rack). Standard GMA = 42 in.
Pallet depth (in): Pallet depth (into rack). Standard GMA = 48 in.
Loaded pallet height (in): Height of loaded pallet including pallet itself.
Pallet weight (lb): Weight of one loaded pallet.
Rack height (ft): Overall rack frame height.

What each result means

Beam levels: Number of storage levels.
Bay width (in): Total bay opening width.
Beam load (lb/pair): Load per pair of beams (2 pallets).
Frame load (lb): Total load on one upright frame.
Positions/bay: Total pallet positions per bay.
Aisle width (ft): Minimum aisle width for forklift access.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Pallet width (in) = 42, Pallet depth (in) = 48, Loaded pallet height (in) = 60, Pallet weight (lb) = 2500 = 5 input(s) provided
Calculate Beam levels
Beam levels = floor(((rackHeightFt * 12) - 6) / levelHeightIn)
3 = 3
Calculate Bay width
Bay width = palletWidthIn * 2 + 9
93 = 93
Calculate Beam load
Beam load = palletWeightLb * 2
5000 = 5000

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