Warehouses, quite naturally, are built to store various products until they’re needed, and the sheer volume of ‘stuff’ within a warehouse obviously means that you’re going to be stacking things on top of each other at some point. You’ve only got a finite amount of floor space, after all, so if you don’t stack up palates and the like then you aren’t going to be making optimal use of your warehouse.

However, is it really as simple as all that? Is ‘putting one thing on top of the other’ all that you have to master? Well, in short, no it’s not, as stacking and storing things in a warehouse efficiently, not to mention safely, needs a great deal more thought that that. Read on to learn more about our top tips in this area:

Do stack heavier items at the bottom of a pallet stack. This is very important, as otherwise the lighter items beneath them will be crushed. Also, you need to have a mind that’s firmly focused on safety aspects at all times, so, in the event of an accident, you want to make sure that anything falling off the top of a teetering stack is as light as possible. Heavy items up high are an accident waiting to happen.

Don’t stack burdens against the walls if you can help it. Doing so creates an environment which pests can exploit, and stacked pallets against a wall will soon begin to represent an attractive home for rats, mice, insects and the like. Keep space around your stacked pallets to avoid this.

Do always observe the height limits for stacks. The specifics for this area will vary depending on the type of material that is being stacked, and whether or not it is going to be handled manually or mechanically. For example, timber stacks can’t usually reach above 16 feet high if they’re only going to be moved by hand. The height of stacks should always be labelled to prevent them climbing too high.

Don’t stack weighty burdens at awkward heights if they’re going to be moved by hand. Heavy items should be limited to storage that’s between knee and shoulder height if you want to promote properly ergonomic lifting. Anything else is asking for an injury.

Do leave enough space between stacked pallets to allow for them to be unloaded. Your storage lanes may be wide enough to navigate ordinarily, but when you need to move stacked pallets, even taking a couple of things from the top of a stack is going to totally block a narrow aisle.

Finally, do think outside the box. Be prepared to be flexible. Sometimes, heavy items can be small, and light burdens can be very sizable, and therefore you may have to be creative with your stacking to ensure safety. Simply throwing large burdens on top of very small objects isn’t going to cut it. Consider things like optimal centres of gravity, and be prepared to layer products up in an appropriate manner to achieve a sensible stack.

Of course, you also need to obtain the right types of shelving to stack and store things in any sort of warehouse, and so The Shelving Centre aims to be the very best option among all storage shelving suppliers in the UK. Furthermore, we can provide used pallet racking in London and the surrounding areas for when you want to access a real bargain, so be sure to make us your first port of call whenever you have a need for shelving. To find out more, don’t hesitate to contact us now by calling 020 8998 9247 or sending an email to david.cornish@theshelvingcentre.co.uk.