Today let’s talk about the different specification of beams and function of beams.
The two basic elements for pallet racking is upright frame and beam. Upright Frame is the frame structure of racking system, which hold all the weight and fix the beams. Beams are the directly support of cargo. The specification of beam will affect the load capacity of total system.
There are 3 types of beams which were most frequently used in racking system:
1. Box beam. Box beam is joined with 2 pieces of C section steel with spot weld or formed directly. Box beam is the most widely used beam, as the structure is the most strong compare with other type of beam. Usually the box beam have 3 or 4 hooks according to different load requirement. The section is from 80 x 40 to 150 x 50 to suitable
2. Step beam: step beam is mainly used to put steel shelf or wood shelf on the beam. Step beam is also called P beam. The beam section can be 50 x 30, 60 x 40 or 80 x 50.
3. Z beam: Z beam is the beam formed with Z section, it’s usually used for light duty cargo. The section can be 60 x 40 or 80 x 50. Z beam and step beam is mainly used for longspan shelving or medium duty racking
The length of beam is depend on how many pallets will put on the beam. Take the 1200 x 800 euro pallets for example, L2400 beam can fit 2 pallets, L2700 beam can fit 3 pallets per level. For non standard pallet, we can use customized beams to meet client requirement.
Load Capacity of beam: load capacity is a important factor for beam. The structure and section size will affect load capacity a lot. General speaking, more complex the section is, the better capacity it will be. Our engineer will choose the minimum cost solution to reach the requirement of each client.
