Drive-in rack
Also called: drive-in racking, drive-through rack
A 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.
In depth: Pallet racking and deflection: rack spans, direction and sag limits
Drive-in racking removes the aisles between rows. Lanes are loaded and unloaded from one end (last in, first out). A drive-through variant is open at both ends.
How the pallet is supported
The pallet rests on two rails (support arms) running the depth of the lane, one under each side edge. Nothing supports the middle. If a 48 × 40 in stringer pallet enters 40 in face first, the rails sit under its 48 in sides. The deckboards then span between the rails, so it is effectively racked across width.
What it needs from the pallet
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| Rated for edge support in the direction used | Only two edges bear |
| Bottom boards or blocks bearing on the rails | Point bearing damages rails and pallets |
| Tight width tolerance | Narrow pallets drop off the rails; wide ones jam |
| Stiff enough to limit deflection | Sag makes the pallet slip off the rails |
Block pallets with stringerboards or bottom boards running along the rails, and heavy-duty stringer designs, are common choices. The rack supplier's pallet guidance is authoritative.
On a spec sheet or RFQ
State "drive-in rack", the rail spacing or span, the edge that bears on the rails, and the storage depth. Ask for a rating in that support condition, not a floor rating.
Common confusions
Drive-in is not the same as push-back, where pallets sit on carts, or pallet flow, where they ride on rollers.
Related
- 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.
- GlossaryRacked across widthRacked across width is a support condition where the rack beams support the pallet's two long sides and the pallet's width spans the open gap. On a stringer pallet the deckboards, not the stringers, carry the load across the span.
- GlossaryPush-back rackA push-back rack stores pallets several deep on nested wheeled carts that roll on slightly inclined rails. Loading a new pallet pushes the others back, and removing the front pallet lets the rest roll forward, so stock is last in, first out.
- GuidesPallet racking and deflection: rack spans, direction and sag limitsIn a rack a pallet spans between two beams with nothing underneath, so it bends. Racked across the length (stringers span about 40 to 44 in on a 48 in pallet) is usually stiffer than across the width (deckboards span about 36 in). Common deflection limits are about 2% of span, or 0.5 in or less for automated storage.
- TypesBlock pallet: construction, dimensions and usesA block pallet is a wooden pallet whose deck sits on blocks, usually nine arranged 3 × 3, joined by stringerboards. The gaps between blocks give full 4-way entry for both forklifts and pallet jacks. EUR/EPAL, CP and the pooled 48 × 40 in pallets of CHEP and PECO are all block pallets.
More in Handling and storage
- GlossaryAutomated storageAutomated 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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.
Last reviewed 2026-09-24. 253 words.