Pallet racking comes in all kinds of different types. It may be easy to look at pallet racking and think “it’s just pallet racking,” but the different types and varieties are designed to do different things based on a warehouse’s storage requirements. Rather than going with a one size fits all approach to pallet racking, there are multiple designs to fit different situations.

Selective pallet racking is one of those varieties of pallet racking, and it’s also the most basic kind of pallet racking. But just because it’s a more basic form of pallet racking doesn’t mean it’s not useful for warehouse storage. Rather than basic, selective pallet racking can be thought of as “general.” It’s good for a lot of warehouse storage scenarios but, because it’s so general, it may not be suitable for all types of storage.

What Is Selective Pallet Racking

Selective pallet racking is likely the most common type of pallet racking. This is because it works for so many storage situations. Selective pallet racking has each pallet position accessible, meaning that each pallet is easily accessible via forklift.

Because selective pallet racking is designed for each pallet position to be accessible, the density of the storage is exchanged for the ability to get to every pallet. This means that selective pallet racking needs more aisle space than, for example, double deep pallet racking, but, as mentioned, it’s easy to get to every pallet.

The Benefits Of Selective Pallet Racking

Although selective pallet racking lacks the density of many other types of pallet racking , this becomes a benefit for many storage situations.

In warehouses that have a high variety of SKUs but not many pallets of each SKU, selective pallet racking is often the optimal choice. This is because the large variety of SKUs means that every pallet needs to be easy to access, so selective pallet racking’s selectivity becomes helpful here. It’s in the name, after all.

Going further, selective pallet racking usually doesn’t require any specialised equipment, other than a forklift of course. Other higher density pallet racking that allows for high amounts of selectivity, like narrow aisle pallet racking, requires unique equipment like turret trucks to gain access to all pallet positions.

Because of all of this, selective pallet racking tends to be the most affordable variety of pallet racking, both for the racking itself and the materials handling equipment that goes with it.

Selective Pallet Racking Is Versatile

Selective pallet racking is also known for its versatility. The most obvious way it’s versatile is because it’s just ordinary racking that stores pallets. That may not sound terribly special, but it gets the job done and is easy for warehouse employees to work with.

Further adding to selective pallet racking’s versatility is that it’s easy to modify. Since selective pallet racking doesn’t need any specialised components to it, it can be changed to suit the needs of a given warehouse. This means it’s easy to modify selective pallet racking to accommodate different pallet sizes and even store non-palletised loads like large spools of wire.

Is Selective Pallet Racking Right For Your Warehouse?

If you think selective pallet racking might be the right for your warehouse, you may be right. But also keep in mind that selective is only one of many varieties of pallet racking. Selective pallet racking is easy and affordable, but it also lacks the density of storage that some businesses may require. In the long term, it may be more worthwhile for a business to invest in a different kind of pallet racking more suited to its operations.

That’s why you need an expert sometimes. We have decades of experience in helping businesses select the right kind of pallet racking for their needs. Contact us to find out more.