Each cantilevered storage rack system is designed and engineered to match the requirements of the loads that will be placed and stored in it. Consisting of vertical columns from which horizontal arms project perpendicularly on one or both sides — with no vertical column connecting the arms on the aisle face — cantilevered racking engineers will include brace panels in between the columns to tie them together in the down-aisle direction.

These panels, which incorporate a top and bottom member and diagonal or “X” bracing, are installed between the columns of specific bays, as determined by the design engineer. Their purpose is to provide additional support for the columns. With the addition of a brace panel to the structure, the risk of a column buckling due to the downward forces applied by the weight of a load placed on the cantilevered rack arms is significantly reduced. These braces also resist down-aisle sway.

All cantilevered rack columns will have some type of bracing. Typically, the taller the column, the more bracing is required. Seismic areas may require more bracing as well.

Want to learn more about the safe design, manufacture, and installation of cantilevered rack systems? Download RMI’s ANSI MH16.3 Specification for the Design, Testing and Utilization of Industrial Steel Cantilevered Storage Racks.