Automated storage
Also called: AS/RS, automated storage and retrieval system, automated warehouse
Automated storage, often called AS/RS (automated storage and retrieval system), stores and retrieves pallets with stacker cranes, shuttles and conveyors instead of forklift drivers. It needs pallets with tight dimensional tolerances, low deflection (often 0.5 in, 13 mm, or less) and sound bottom decks.
In depth: Pallets for automation: conveyors, AS/RS and robotic palletizers
A driver can work around a warped or damaged pallet. A machine cannot. Automated systems stop, or fault, when a pallet is out of tolerance, so pallet quality becomes a throughput issue.
Typical pallet requirements
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Deflection of 0.5 in (13 mm) or less | Shuttles and cranes need clearance under and around the load |
| Tight footprint and height tolerances | Profile checks reject oversize loads |
| Bottom boards in a set orientation | Conveyors and shuttles bear on specific members |
| No missing or broken boards, no protruding nails | Jams and damage to equipment |
| One pallet type per system | Mixed types behave differently |
The exact limits come from the system integrator. Many sites put a pallet inspection station before the system to reject bad pallets.
Why it matters for pallet design
Designs for automated storage are usually stiffer than the load alone would require, because deflection governs. Deckboard thickness, stringer height and species choice all affect stiffness. The ANSI MH1 standard includes a part on pallets for automated handling. Some operations use dedicated plastic or new wood pallets inside the system and a pallet inverter at the boundary.
On a spec sheet or RFQ
Name the system type (crane AS/RS, shuttle, AGV or AMR, conveyor), the support points, the deflection limit, and the tolerances the integrator requires. Attach the integrator's pallet specification if you have it. See the automation guide.
Common confusions
"Automation ready" is not a standard term. Ask which system and which tolerances it was checked against.
Related
- GuidesPallets for automation: conveyors, AS/RS and robotic palletizersAutomated systems need consistent, flat, stiff pallets. Bottom boards must cross the conveyor supports (perpendicular to rollers, across chain strands), gaps must not snag, flatness is often held to 1/4 in or better, and AS/RS racks commonly limit sag to 0.5 in. Perimeter-base block and plastic pallets run either way.
- GlossaryConveyorA pallet conveyor moves loaded pallets on driven rollers or chains instead of a forklift. The pallet's bottom deck is the running surface, so the orientation of bottom boards, flatness, deflection and condition decide whether it runs reliably.
- GlossaryDeflectionDeflection is the amount a pallet bends or sags under load, measured at the point of greatest movement. Racking limits are commonly about 2% of the span, and automated systems often require 0.5 in (13 mm) or less.
- GlossaryPallet dispenserA pallet dispenser is a machine that holds a stack of empty pallets and releases them one at a time, usually onto a conveyor feeding a palletizer. It needs pallets with consistent dimensions, flat decks and sound bottom boards.
- GlossaryWhat is pallet racking?Pallet racking is a steel storage structure of upright frames and horizontal beams that holds loaded pallets in levels above the floor. The pallet usually spans the gap between two beams, so its racking load rating, not its floor rating, governs.
More in Handling and storage
- GlossaryBlock stackingBlock stacking is storing unit loads directly on top of one another on the warehouse floor, in rows and columns, with no racking. The bottom pallet and the packaging carry the whole stack, so static load and box compression strength limit the height.
- GlossaryDrive-in rackA drive-in rack is high-density racking where the forklift drives into a lane and places pallets many deep on continuous rails along each side. The pallet is supported only along two edges, so its capacity across the unsupported direction governs.
- GlossaryEdge protectorAn edge protector, or corner board, is an L-shaped strip of laminated paperboard, plastic or other material placed on the vertical or top edges of a unit load. It spreads strapping and stretch wrap pressure, protects case corners, and can add vertical stacking strength.
- GlossaryFork tinesFork tines are the two steel arms on a forklift or pallet jack that slide into a pallet's openings to lift it. Their width, thickness, length and spacing set the minimum size of the pallet's openings and affect its dynamic load rating.
- GlossaryPallet flow rackA pallet flow rack is gravity racking where pallets ride on slightly inclined roller lanes from the loading aisle to the picking aisle, giving first in, first out rotation. The pallet's bottom deck rides directly on the rollers.
- GlossaryPallet inverterA pallet inverter is a machine that clamps a unit load and rotates it, often through 180 degrees, so the pallet underneath can be removed and replaced without restacking the product by hand.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 269 words.