Cantilever Rack for H-Town Warehouses

Roll-formed cantilever is bent from sheet steel, lighter and cheaper, usually rated roughly 500 to 1,500 lb per arm pair. Structural cantilever uses hot-rolled I-beam and heavy tube and typically carries 1,500 to 4,000 lb or more. Lumber, light pipe and packaged goods suit roll-formed; bar stock, heavy pipe and steel service inventory need structural.

Yes. Columns bolt to base plates and arms bolt to columns, so a system can be taken down, moved and put back up, and arm heights can be shifted along the column. That flexibility is useful when your product lengths or mix change.

Rows that sit outdoors, under open sheds or near the bay in League City, Texas City or Galveston face salt air and storm-driven rain. Hot-dip galvanized columns and arms resist corrosion much better than a painted finish there. Inland, indoor installs usually do fine with standard paint.

The Houston area falls in Seismic Design Category A, so earthquake loads rarely govern. Wind is a different story on the Gulf Coast, and ASCE 7 wind loads are set by the specific site. On tall or double-sided rows, especially outdoors, anchor pattern and base plate size are usually driven by wind and other lateral loads, and our engineering addresses both.

Each load should rest on at least two arms, with no more than about a quarter of its length hanging past the end arm. Standard arms come in 24, 36, 48, 60 and 72 inches. Lumber and pipe usually run about 48 inches; steel service rows often need 60 to 72 inches for long bar.

Yes. Arms move along the column on a regular hole pattern, often 3 or 6 inches apart, so one bay can hold tall bundles on wide spacing and the next can hold short stock on tight spacing. Fixed pallet rack beams cannot match that for long-load work.

A one-sided row against a wall is simpler and works when you have a single aisle and limited floor depth. A two-sided row doubles the arm length per column but needs an aisle on each side. Larger lumber yards, PVF houses and steel operations usually go two-sided because the extra storage pays back fast.

Ratings are stated per arm pair and range widely: light roll-formed arms may carry a few hundred to a couple thousand pounds each, while heavy structural arms built for steel service can go far higher. Column and base design matter as much as the arms. We size cantilever from your real load list and document the rated capacities.