Drive-Through Racking (Drive-In / Tunnel Racking)
1. Product Features
Fully bolted assembly structure, no horizontal beam dividers, forklifts enter the rack aisle to access pallets, dense storage along the entire lane depth, storage capacity 30%-50% higher than standard selective racking; primarily LIFO (Last In, First Out), with some configurations allowing drive-through for FIFO (First In, First Out).
Material: Q235 standard steel sections, columns, cantilever arms, top ties, and back ties are bolted together, no on-site welding.
Applicable Goods
High-volume, low-SKU full-pallet goods: grain and oil, beverages, frozen food, chemical raw materials, animal feed, tires, boxed raw materials; not suitable for multi-SKU piece picking.
2. Structural Components
1. Upright frames: heavy-duty C-channel columns + top and bottom horizontal braces + diagonal bracing, available in single-row and double-row configurations
2. Cantilever arms (load arms): clip-on or bolted type, support pallets at each level, load capacity 500kg-3000kg per position
3. Top ties and back ties: connect the entire row of racks to prevent tipping and enhance overall stability
4. Guide rails / base beams: guide pallets on the floor, preventing misalignment and jamming
5. Protective accessories: column impact guards, end-of-aisle protective rails, rack end stops
3. Two Structural Types
1. Drive-In (single-side entry)
Forklifts enter from one end of the rack, the other end is closed, goods are handled LIFO, commonly used, lower cost.
2. Drive-Through (double-side entry)
Forklifts can enter from both ends, one end for loading, the other for unloading, achieving FIFO, often used in cold chain and cold storage.
4. Key Parameters
- Lane depth: typically 3-10 pallet positions deep (deeper lanes increase storage utilization but reduce access efficiency)
- Level height: each level height based on pallet + goods height + forklift clearance, typical level height 1.6m-2.8m
- Aisle: compatible with internal combustion / electric reach trucks, aisle width based on pallet size (for 1200mm pallets, typically 3.0-3.3m)
- Load capacity per pallet: 500kg-2500kg
5. Advantages and Disadvantages
Advantages: high storage density, saves warehouse aisle space, lower investment than shuttle racking;
Disadvantages: cannot perform random picking, access efficiency is lower than selective racking, not suitable for goods with frequent batch turnover.
6. Operating Environment
Mostly used in ambient warehouses and low-temperature cold storage (special version for -18°C blast freezers, low-temperature resistant profiles).
