A
Aisle Width
The clear distance between two facing rows of racking, sized to the turning radius of the forklift or reach truck being used.
B
Bay
A single storage section of a racking run, bounded by two upright frames — the basic unit used to count racking capacity.
Beam Connector
The locking bracket that attaches a horizontal beam to an upright frame, typically secured with a safety clip.
C
Cantilever Racking
A racking style using arms projecting from a central column, used for long or irregular loads like pipe, lumber and sheet stock.
Cross-Docking
Unloading inbound goods and loading them directly onto outbound transport, with little or no intermediate storage.
D
Dock Leveler
A hydraulic or mechanical plate that bridges the gap between a loading dock and a trailer bed to allow forklift access.
Drive-In Racking
A high-density racking system where the forklift drives into the rack structure to place or retrieve pallets, sacrificing selectivity for density.
F
FIFO / LIFO
First-In-First-Out and Last-In-First-Out — inventory rotation strategies that determine which racking type suits a given SKU.
L
Load Capacity
The maximum weight a racking level, beam pair or arm is rated to carry, assuming evenly distributed load and correct installation.
M
Mezzanine
A free-standing intermediate floor structure that adds usable floor area within an existing building's clear height.
P
Pallet Position
The footprint and height allocated to store a single pallet within a racking bay — the standard unit for sizing storage capacity.
S
SKU
Stock Keeping Unit — a unique code identifying a distinct product and its storage/tracking record.
Selective Racking
Racking that gives direct, single-handling access to every pallet position — the most common configuration for high-SKU-count warehouses.
W
Wire Decking
A welded-wire mesh panel that sits on racking beams to support cartons or loose stock and improve fire-sprinkler penetration.
