Organize and Protect Your Lumber Inventory With Cantilever Racking

Precision inventory control and product protection arewidths, and thicknesses. Organizing these cuts by
two things that are vital to recession proofing anysheer dimensions alone is difficult enough. When you
business involved in the distribution of lumber or theconsider the added difficulty in categorizing lumber by
manufacture of wooden products like furniture.wood type, it quickly becomes evident how difficulty
Cantilever lumber racks offer a very low-cost meansinventory control without a system of organization
to accomplishing both, and they can support up toand a convenient method of retrieval.
several thousand pounds in weight.Wood is also very vulnerable to impact and moisture
These systems are best custom built, because theand requires some special storage considerations.
capacity and size of a cantilever lumber rack will beEven indoors in very hot, humid climates, warehouses
determined by product length, type of lumber cut,can be too humid for the long-term storage of
and the total weight capacity supported by the arms.lumber, and leaving boards, planks, and sheets on the
Precise calculations have to be made to ensurefloor invites damage, mold, and safety concerns.
evenly distributed loading, uneven loads will reduceCantilever lumber racks both elevate and separate
the total capacity of the rack by 50 percent.lumber by size and type, placing it closer to fans or
Cantilever lumber racks are intended to organize andother forms of ventilation, or making it possible to
protect cuts of lumber by keeping them off the floorcover the lumber with plastic or tarpaulins in order to
and providing an efficient method of categorizingprevent it from becoming damp.
various dimensions and types of wood. CantileverThe most common type of cantilever rack that is
lumber racks can be built with single or double-sidedused to store lumber is the structural rack. Structural
towers. If base assemblies are stackable, it allowscantilever racking is used for more heavy-duty
towers to be joined together to create entire rowsapplications such as lumber and pipe storage.
of storage.Structural components generally include structural
This is an extremely efficient method of spacecolumns and bases, roll-formed arms, horizontal
management in crowded warehouses. Cantileverbracings, X-Bracings, and hardware used to mount
lumber racks take up much less space than palletthe units.
racks, and so long as they are anchored properly toX-braces can be either 48 inches or 60 inches wide.
the concrete floor and built with appropriatelyColumns, as we have already mentioned, can be
proportioned columns, arms, and braces, they can beeither single-sided or double-sided. Many lumber yards
built very tall so as to minimize their consumption ofprefer to use double-sided cantilever lumber racks
horizontal floor space and make it easier for forkliftsbecause this allows them to create rows for forklifts
to access their contents.to move through. It also makes better use of space
Cantilever racks are vital to the lumber industry.to build this type of system if there is sufficient area
Almost all cuts of timber feature a variety of lengths,in which to do so.