Here’s when it makes sense to think beyond the catalog and explore custom or modified pallet racking solutions—and how we’ve helped other businesses do exactly that.
Pallet Rack Frames: When Your Load Isn’t Standard
One of the most common challenges we see is storing long, dense product that doesn’t behave like a standard pallet load. In the project shown here, a metal fabricator needed to keep heavy profile bundles on wood blocks under the rack. A catalog frame with light-gauge columns and standard baseplates simply wouldn’t cut it.
We built the system around heavy-duty uprights with 3″ x 3″, 14-gauge columns and added extra posts in the lower portion of the frame so two uprights share the vertical load. The bracing pattern was tightened, and an oversized 8″ x 8″ baseplate spreads the load into the slab and keeps deflection in check. Because the load isn’t on pallets but on dunnage, we used a solid steel deck instead of a wire deck to fully support the point loads from the profiles.
The result is a rack bay that safely parks dense bar and profile bundles below while providing a strong, smooth work surface above—engineered to handle the weight and satisfy permitting requirements with a healthy safety margin.
No problem — custom options are available. We regularly build pallet rack frames in non-standard heights, widths, and weight capacities to fit unique storage challenges. But here’s something to keep in mind: when you go custom on your uprights, you’ll likely need custom pallet rack beams to match. Why? Because frame dimensions directly affect beam length, spacing, and load capacity.
That’s not a bad thing — in fact, customizing your beams can unlock serious advantages.
Why Custom Pallet Rack Beams Can Be a Smart Move
Take, for example, a client in the automotive service industry who needed a mobile tire rack that also worked as a rolling workstation. The upper section only had to be deep enough to hold tire sets—about 24″ deep—but the lower level needed a full 48″-deep work surface for tools, parts bins, and shock assemblies. Standard rack components forced a single depth on every level, wasting space and making the bench awkward to use. We built a custom mobile rack with a shallow top section for tires and bins and an extra-deep lower deck that functions like a heavy-duty worktable, giving their techs compact tire storage and a usable workstation in one unit.
Our pallet rack beams come in standard lengths of 38″, 48″, 72″, 96″, 108″, 120″, and 144″. Beam heights range from 3″ to 6.25″, with weight capacities ranging from 1,777 lbs to over 6,500 lbs per pair, depending on size and configuration. All beams feature the industry-standard 1 5/8″ step and a teardrop connection for fast, tool-free installation.
Pallet Rack Wire Decking That Works for You
While standard wire decking fits most applications, we offer a variety of decking types to suit different needs, including welded-wire mesh with permanently attached reinforcements, metal bar grating, composite engineered wood, corrugated metal, perforated sheet metal, and other options for storage racks. Whether you’re storing pallets, bins, loose materials, or unusually shaped inventory, we can customize your decking for the right fit, weight capacity, and safety requirements.
A food distribution customer recently needed to store non-palletized produce. While our standard wire decking with a 2″ x 4″ mesh pattern fits most setups, sometimes non-standard pallet beams require a different number of wire decks to fully cover the space and support your loads. For 8 ft, 9 ft, or 10 ft beams, you’ll need 2 decks per beam level. For 12 ft beams, you’ll need 1.5 times as many decks as beams. When dealing with custom-sized beams, like our client did, individual deckings are key to achieving the best results. The outcome? No more damaged products and full compliance with food safety and fire regulations.
There are many decking options available for both pallet and shelving racks, so you can confidently choose and customize the perfect solution to fit your specific needs. By the way, the same flexibility applies to boltless shelving. Let’s talk specs — we’re ready to help.
Boltless Shelving for Maximum Flexibility
Just one real-world example. A local electronics retailer needed a storage solution that could easily adapt to changing inventory sizes—from small accessories to bulky equipment—without sacrificing accessibility or weight capacity. Standard shelving just wasn’t cutting it.
We customize our boltless shelving, add casters for mobility, tie plates for extra stability, and choose wire decking for better ventilation and durability. In such a way, we created a versatile storage setup that supports up to 2,400 lbs per shelf. The freestanding design allowed access from all four sides without wall support, perfect for their open floor layout.
Thus, custom boltless shelving turned a typical storage problem into a practical, scalable solution.
We’re not magicians — we’re experienced engineers with years of expertise and deep knowledge of regulations. That’s why we can customize even larger systems, like cantilever racks, to meet your exact needs.
Custom-Spec Cantilever Racks
A steel supplier recently approached us with a challenge: they needed to store 21-foot-long steel tubing that far exceeded standard cantilever rack dimensions. Off-the-shelf systems couldn’t provide the reach or load capacity they needed, and safety during forklift loading was a major concern.
We customized their cantilever rack system from the ground up. Instead of standard 36″ arms, we engineered 48″ extra-long arms with reinforced end stops to handle their extended materials safely. We also fabricated custom-height uprights taller than our stock 16′ units and adjusted the bracing pattern to account for the increased vertical load and spacing requirements. For added stability, we used wider bases and customized anchor placements to fit the client’s concrete slab specs.
The result? A double-sided cantilever system that securely stores oversized tubing, optimizes floor space, and keeps forklift operations running smoothly, with full compliance to safety codes.
Need a Rack That’s Not in the Catalog?
Tell us what you’re storing, how you handle it, and any site limits. Our engineers will design and fabricate a custom rack system to your exact specs—from oversized arms to extra-tall uprights and everything in between.
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