What is Cantilever? Cantilever & Lumber Racks Explained

Cantilever is perfect for storing items such as furniture, boats, vehicles, steel bar stock, pvc, iron pipe, lumber, plumbing pipes, bar stock, wood, steel pipes, plywood, tubes, wire coils, veneer, sheet stock, drywall, sheet rock or other long raw material.

Are you interested in learning more about heavy duty cantilever racks? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!

Cantilever racking is a heavy duty storage system designed to store long, bulky or awkward materials that are often hard to store because of shape or length. Cantilever doesn’t have vertical posts on the front so it is free of obstructions. It uses the following components to complete the system:

Eric Thovson (ET) explains what cantilever is and why it's an excellent solution for heavy duty storage shelving in a variety of different applications.

Cantilever Rack Manufacturer Brands & Styles

With over 20 acres of in-stock inventory of new & used cantilever racks, SJF Material Handling stocks several sizes of both single sided and double sided cantalever uprights, bases, arms, brace sets and other rack accessories. SJF Material Handling is the go-to source for some of the most popular brands and manufacturers of cantilever racks including:

• Atlas
• Clymer
• Cogan
• Dexco
• Elite
• Frazier
• Hannibal
• Interlake
• Jarke
• Lodi
• Meco
• Monarch
• Palmer-Shile
• Paltier
• Prest
• Ridg-u-Rak
• Roll Form
• Ross
• SJF
• SpaceRak
• Steel King
• Structural
• Unarco
• Webb

Frequently Asked Questions about Cantilever Rack

Cantilever racks are steel shelving units with long arms that extend from metal frames used to store long, bulky or awkward materials. They are used to store items such as furniture, lumber, PVC, metal pipes, steel bar stock, plywood, steel sheets, sheetrock and even cars.

Cantilever racks are configurable in countless different ways, allowing a flexible solution to fit any type of storage needs. They can be used both indoors and outdoors and are found in warehouses and storage yards across the world as an efficient storage solution.

In addition, cantilever racking can be decked to provide static storage similar to pallet racking, with the advantage that it provides easier storage and retrieval of bulky or oddly sized material than traditional pallet rack.

At SJF, you can find light duty, medium duty and heavy duty components, kits and cantilever systems in stock and ready to ship.

We can also help you find specialty cantilever systems such as cantilever lumber racks, salvage racks and cantilever supported rack with roofs.

Cantilever racks are known by many names, such as:

• Cantilever storage racks
• Cantilever shelving
• Furniture cantilever rack
• Cantilever pipe racks
• Lumber storage racks
• Cantilever lumber racks
• Cantilever steel racks
• and more

The storage density with cantilever racks can be very high if you plan out how you will use it efficiently, but generally cantilever rack's flexibility makes it a very popular storage solution with near immediate return on investment.

Cantilever rack uprights are the vertical support columns and are the backbone of the cantilever rack. Cantilever bases and arms attach to the uprights to complete the cantilever rack system.

Uprights are available in single or double sided configurations. Single sided cantilever racks allow material to be stored on the front side only. With double sided uprights, material can be stored on both the front and back sides of the rack.

Cantilever rack arms extend out from the uprights to create the levels that are used for storage, similar to pallet rack beams. The arms are typically adjustable on the upright to create shelf levels of whatever height are needed. Arms can be straight or inclined to hold goods that may roll off. Some arms even come with a "lip" that attaches to the end of the arm to prevent loads from slipping off the front of the rack.

Cantilever rack braces go between uprights to stabilize the rack laterally. Braces are not intended to hold loads and should only be used to connect and brace the uprights in a row. The braces will be the same length as the spacing between uprights.

Roll-form cantilever rack is the preferred storage rack for light and medium storage due to its bolt-less design and lighter overall weight.

Structural cantilever rack is preferred for heavier loads that weigh 1,500 lbs. or more. Structural cantilever rack is made from hot rolled c-channel structural steel. It uses additional hardware (nuts and bolts) for assembly. It is inherently heavier, stronger and can hold heavier loads than roll-form rack. It is also more impact resistant than roll-form rack.

While roll-form rack is the rack of choice for light and medium storage, structural rack is often the preferred solution for higher density applications. Structural racks are thicker and the heavier construction offers improved resistance to impact from forklifts entering and exiting the racks.

You should consider using structural racks:

• When heavier capacities (1,500 lbs or more per shelf) are being stored.
• When storing traditionally heavy and bulky items such as plywood, lumber, pipe, bar stock, steel sheets and coils, sheetrock, etc.

Due to its heavier weight, structural cantilever rack costs more to ship than roll-form cantilever. Roll-form rack is less costly to ship because it's lighter than structural racks with the same dimensions.

Due to its heavier weight and nut and bolt connections, structural cantilever may take longer to install, which could affect cost. Roll form cantilever rack traditionally installs faster due to its bolt-less connection design, which allows for a fast and easy connection of the arms to the uprights.

When and How to Use Cantilever Rack

When and How to Use Cantilever Rack

For more heavy duty rack systeminformation, please contact us. We will provide professional answers.

When you need to increase the storage space of your warehouse, it’s important to take into account the kinds of inventory you intend to store and retrieve. Cantilever racks are highly beneficial to many warehouse operations, but when and how should you use cantilever racks as a storage solution?

What are Cantilever Racks?

Cantilever systems, also called lumber racks, are designed to store long, bulky items that may also be oddly shaped. These inventory items are not palletized and include lumber, bar stock, furniture, metal tubing, pipes, drywall sheets, and other non-standard materials.

A cantilever rack consists of two cantilever uprights attached to bases, which anchor the system to the warehouse floor. Cantilever arms attach to the uprights and provide the support structure for storing items. There may also be sway braces between the uprights for additional stability.

The arms may be perfectly horizontal or inclined, depending on the inventory items. For example, an incline can keep these items secure when storing PVC tubing, bar stock, or other round objects.

Cantilever Configurations

Cantilever racks are available in two different configurations. In single-sided cantilever racks, the arms only project from one side of the uprights. There are also double-sided racks that double the storage capacity of the system.

Roll Formed vs. Structural

Two kinds of assembly and manufacturing methods are used in cantilever racks.

Structural racks

In a structural cantilever rack, the components are composed of hot-rolled steel that is either welded or bolted together by the manufacturer. Using heavy-gauge steel, structural racks are stronger, providing increased weight capacity compared with roll-formed racks.

Our Red Steel Cantilever Rack is made using structural-steel "I" beams for increased strength and rigidity. Available in either single- or double-sided configurations, the Red Steel Cantilever Rack is highly versatile and permits easy access.

Roll-formed racks

Composed of cold-rolled steel components, roll-formed cantilever racks are more lightly constructed than their structural counterparts, providing reduced load capacities as a result. However, roll-formed racks are still strong and are easy to assemble and disassemble. Lead times with roll-formed racking systems are also generally lower, as the method of fabrication is simpler.

Our Meco Omaha Series 2000 Medium-Heavy Duty Cantilever Racks are good examples of this type of racking system. Durably constructed, these heavy-duty racks are simple and easy to install. The open-base design increases forklift accessibility, and the arms are adjustable on 3" centers.

Depending on the height, configuration, and arm length that you choose, this system can support anywhere between 8,800 and 34,800 lbs.

How to Set up Your Cantilever Rack

To find the best cantilever racking system, it’s important to know the dimensions of the products you’ll be storing, as well as the weight capacity of the rack to store expected loads safely.

Measure Products

You will need to measure the load’s height, length, width, and depth to ensure compatibility with your racking system. If your load is made up of multiple parts, measure the load as a unit.

The depth of your loads can help you to determine the appropriate length of the cantilever arms. If the depth of the load exceeds the length of the cantilever arms, for example, you may need to adjust this accordingly.

It’s also essential the load is properly placed on the cantilever arms. The rated arm capacity depends on a properly positioned load of the correct measurements. The load should not overhang the length of the arms by more than half the distance between the centers of both uprights.

Load Deflection

To minimize load deflection, you will need to find the most suitable distance between the uprights to support the load properly. To find the proper lateral spacing, monitor the system closely for signs of bowing when the load is placed on the arms. The distance that causes the least measurable deflection is the one most suitable. You can test a load for deflection by placing it on blocks of wood on the ground.

Proper Cantilever Height

When installing any kind of racking system, it’s necessary to determine the clear height of your warehouse. This isn’t simply the ceiling height but the distance from the floor to the lowest-hanging overhead object. In addition, the reach of your forklift trucks can influence the ideal height of the system.

The anticipated load height also affects the distance between the cantilever arms, allowing you to determine their appropriate heights. There should, ideally, be a 6" clearance between the top of the load and the bottom of the set of arms directly above it.

You’ll also need to know the height of the arms and the height of the bases. Once you have this information, you can determine the number of arms you should have for each level.

Shelving + Rack Can Help You Find the Right Cantilever Rack

At Shelving + Rack Systems, Inc., we supply a variety of storage solutions for the modern warehouse, including cantilever systems. Give us a call at (800) 589-7225, and we’ll help you find the perfect cantilever racking system to suit your warehouse and inventory.

If you want to learn more, please visit our website mold rack.