Buying guides

Industrial Rack Types Explained: Boltless, Longspan and Pallet Racking

"Industrial rack" covers everything from a garage shelf to a ten-metre pallet racking system. Buying the wrong family is the most expensive mistake in storage — either you overpay for capacity you never use, or you overload a rack that was never designed for the job. Here is how the main types differ.

1. Light-duty boltless shelving

Typical load: up to about 200kg per level. Loaded by: hand.

Short spans (around 100–140cm) and shallow depths (40–60cm) make light-duty shelving ideal for small parts, files, retail stock, packaging and catering supplies. Our white boltless rack is in this class. It suits offices, F&B dry stores, stockrooms, clinics and schools.

2. Medium-duty longspan racking

Typical load: roughly 300–500kg per level. Loaded by: hand, sometimes assisted by a pallet jack at floor level.

Longer spans of 200cm and more mean fewer uprights and wider shelves — perfect for cartons, totes, tyres, spare parts and bulk dry goods. This is the workhorse of SME warehouses, e-commerce pick areas, workshops and central kitchens. Our warehouse rack is a medium-duty longspan system rated at 400kg per level.

3. Selective pallet racking

Typical load: a tonne or more per pallet position. Loaded by: forklift or reach truck.

Tall upright frames with heavy box beams hold palletised goods. Pallet racking needs a forklift, wide aisles, floor anchoring, engineering design and regular inspection. It is the right answer for high-volume distribution centres — and the wrong one for most small and medium businesses that pick cartons by hand.

4. Cantilever racking

For: long items — pipes, timber, steel bar, carpet rolls.

Arms project from a central column with no front uprights, so long loads can be slid in from the side. Specialist and relatively expensive; only worth it if you store long lengths.

5. Mobile and specialist systems

Mobile shelving on floor tracks, mezzanine floors and automated systems all have their place, but they come with civil works, permits and much higher budgets. For most Singapore SMEs, a well-planned layout of boltless and longspan racks delivers more storage per dollar.

Comparison at a glance

How to decide

1. Do you use a forklift? If not, rule out pallet racking.
2. What does a full shelf weigh? Under 200kg, light duty. Up to 400kg, medium duty.
3. How big is your biggest item? That sets the span and depth.
4. Will your stock change? If yes, choose a boltless system you can reconfigure.

Still unsure? Our guide to buying a warehouse rack in Singapore goes deeper, or simply send your floor plan through our free quote form.