What should hvac and electrical wholesale teams check before ordering cantilever rack?

Start with bundle length, weight, stiffness and the way it is lifted. Arm capacity alone does not establish the capacity of a whole column or base. We check support spacing, arm projection and level clearance together, and distinguish single-sided wall runs from double-sided storage accessed from two aisles. Include peak inventory and the work that must stay active during installation, not only average loads. Organize conduit and long service materials on open-front arms instead of across stockroom traffic paths.

How is cantilever rack different from pallet rack?

Pallet rack has a front beam and stores discrete, boxed loads. Cantilever has an open front, so long material loads from the side and slides in without clearing an obstruction - that's the entire reason the system exists.

How far apart should the columns be?

Close enough that the load doesn't sag between arms. A common starting point puts arm spacing at roughly half the load length, with the remainder overhanging each end evenly. We check that math against your heaviest bundle before finalizing spacing.

Cantilever Rack warehouse storage system

Southfield, Michigan

Cantilever Rack in Southfield, MI

Southfield distributors often share their footprint with service operations, offices or technical work. Adding reserve stock can pinch the path between receiving and dispatch even when the building still has usable height. A storage proposal should make those competing uses visible before a larger order arrives and floor stacking becomes permanent. Organize conduit and long service materials on open-front arms instead of across stockroom traffic paths. Cantilever warehouse racking gets long material off the floor without placing a beam across the loading face. Arms support bundles from upright columns, with spacing and capacity matched to load length, stiffness and weight. Single-sided runs can use a wall area; double-sided runs need access on both sides. The handling path is as important as the arm count.

For Southfield, the first step is a free warehouse design consultation that turns the storage problem into a layout and an itemized quote, not a guess about how many positions will fit. Send the load dimensions, weights and floor plan, and we will discuss the access and storage tradeoffs before specifying the system.

(313) 637-6214

Why Southfield Warehouses Work With Us

I-696, the Lodge corridor and Telegraph Road connect Southfield's business districts to regional customers. Technical service parts and commercial stock can require many individual picks rather than deep quantities of one item. The drawing needs to separate that active inventory from reserve materials and account for the doors, columns and working areas that already define the floor. Organize conduit and long service materials on open-front arms instead of across stockroom traffic paths.

For cantilever, we collect the longest, shortest and heaviest bundles rather than one average dimension. Column spacing must support the material without sag, while arm length and level clearance suit the handling equipment. Round stock may need inclined arms and stops. A layout can combine long-load storage with pallet rows while preserving turning space. Detroit Pallet Rack, a division of Warehouse Equipment & Supplies Co., connects those decisions with the project quote. You receive a drawing to review, the proposed components and capacities, and an installation sequence tied to the work areas you can release. We discuss the tradeoffs with your operations team before ordering material rather than treating a higher position count as the only measure of a successful project.

Free warehouse consultation

CAD layout with position counts

Pallet rack delivery and installation

Cantilever warehouse racking holding steel tubing

Cantilever rack storing lumber and wood products

Operations We Rack Around Here

Local industrial corridors include the Northwestern Highway corridor, Telegraph Road industrial, the Eight Mile business belt, the Telegraph Road and Northwestern Highway corridor.

HVAC and electrical wholesale

Print and packaging

Building products

Service parts distribution

How Cantilever Rack Works

Arms with nothing in front of them, built for lumber, pipe, and anything a pallet can't hold.

Columns and anchored bases

Upright columns sit on bases anchored to the floor. Base depth is set by load and arm length so the run stays stable even under an off-center pick.

Arms at adjustable heights

Arms bolt or pin into the column at set increments and move as your product mix changes. Straight arms suit boxed goods; inclined arms with a lip hold round or loose stock in place.

Column spacing against sag

Spacing between columns is set so bundles don't sag between arms. A common starting rule places arms about half the load length apart, with the ends overhanging evenly.

Single-sided or double-sided

Single-sided runs go against a wall. Double-sided runs stand in open floor and load from both faces, doubling capacity per base without doubling the footprint.

What a Cantilever Rack Project Includes

Your Southfield cantilever rack project begins with the current load list, a floor plan and a discussion of daily handling. For cantilever, we collect the longest, shortest and heaviest bundles rather than one average dimension. Column spacing must support the material without sag, while arm length and level clearance suit the handling equipment. Round stock may need inclined arms and stops. A layout can combine long-load storage with pallet rows while preserving turning space.

Cantilever specification starts and ends with the load. We collect bundle dimensions, weight per bundle, and how material is handled - forklift forks, a side loader, or by hand off a cart - because that determines arm length, arm capacity, and how much clearance each level needs.

From there we set column height and spacing, choose straight or inclined arms, and decide whether lips are needed to keep round stock from rolling. Single-sided runs get positioned along a wall; double-sided runs get aisle dimensions matched to whatever's moving material in and out.

The quote itemizes columns, bases, arms, bracing, and anchors, with a CAD drawing showing the run, arm levels, and rated capacities per arm. Experienced installation crews we schedule and manage anchor bases, plumb columns, brace the run, and set arm elevations to the drawing.

The result is arms you can reposition as inventory changes, capacity ratings for every level, and the floor space that long material used to occupy.

Delivery and installation are agreed against the approved drawing and the areas your team can release. We review access for unloading, the sequence of rows and the material that needs to arrive first. Confirm the load assumptions before handover and retain the layout and capacity records for future additions. If the product mix changes, review the affected levels or lanes before putting different loads into service.

For the the Northwestern Highway corridor area, receiving access and active work zones are confirmed alongside the drawing. The final scope separates material, delivery coordination and installation so your team can compare proposals on the same basis. Keep the approved layout and capacity information for later changes rather than assuming a future load will fit the original design.

Lumber, plywood, and sheet goods

Pipe, tube, conduit, and bar stock

Steel service center inventory

Furniture, doors, and windows

Long or awkward loads currently sitting on the floor

Call (313) 637-6214

Recent Installations

Racking projects completed for warehouses across Southeast Michigan.

Pallet rack installation by Detroit Pallet Rack

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Get a Cantilever Rack Quote for Your Southfield Warehouse

Send the basics and we will follow up with a layout and pricing. Prefer to talk it through? Call (313) 637-6214.

Detroit Pallet Rack

19120 Grand River Ave.

Suite C

Detroit, MI 48223

(313) 637-6214

Monday - Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

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