The basic components of a standard cantilever system include bases, columns, arms, and bracing. The bases are designed to provide stability through sheer weight and size, effectively counterbalancing the leverage effect of the arms as they extend outward from the system with whatever goods are stored on them. Industrial-grade bases are in the hundreds of kilograms, with provisions for bolting them to the floor in areas with high seismic activity.
Columns bolted vertically to these bases are the backbone of the entire system, constructed from heavy gauge steel with a thickness of 5-8mm, typically, and a series of slots or holes along their length to allow arms to be moved to different levels as required. This is more important than it sounds, as a facility may store 3-metre goods in a particular year and 5-meters in another, and having a system where this can be rearranged without having to replace the entire system saves a lot of money in the long term.
Indoor vs. Outdoor Applications
It is possible for heavy duty cantilever racking to be used for outdoor applications. However, there are some considerations that have to be made. Galvanising has to be used instead of paint. Galvanising has far more resistance to corrosion. It does cost more. The cost of galvanising is 15 to 20 percent more than paint. However, the life expectancy of galvanised steel far exceeds that of painted steel. It far exceeds the life expectancy of steel in hostile environments such as those found in outdoor storage. Wind loads have to be factored in for outdoor storage. They can be significant for tall structures such as those that are required for storing sheet metal or large dimensional timber.
When It Makes Financial Sense
Cantilever racking is far more expensive per tonne of storage capacity than other forms of racking such as pallet racking. It can be twice as expensive for heavy-duty cantilever racking. However, this is not really the point. If the products that are being stored cannot be stored in any other way, then there is no cost factor. It is actually the efficiency factor compared to the cost of damaging the products and the infrastructure compared to floor stacking or other racking solutions.
Warehouses with varying lengths of products will benefit the most from cantilever racking systems. The flexibility of being able to store 2-meter cut-offs as well as 12-meter lengths of material on one system is incredibly valuable. It is difficult to quantify how valuable it is, but it is incredibly valuable when you first need to add a new product to your inventory without having to add more infrastructure costs.
