Sahawatthanakit (1988) Co., Ltd.
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Sahawatthanakit (1988) Engineering Team7 min read

Cantilever Racking for Long Goods — Storing Pipe, Timber, Steel Bar, and Panels per FEM 10.2.09

A guide to cantilever racking for long/bulky goods: pipe, timber, steel sections, panels — upright/arm/brace structure, straight vs inclined arms, capacity per arm, single/double-sided, standards FEM 10.2.09 / AS 4084 / RMI, and selection in Thailand.

warehousecantilever-racklong-goodspipe-storagetimber-rackfem-10-2-09thailand
Cantilever rack storing steel pipe and long timber in a warehouse

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สรุป (TL;DR)

A guide to cantilever racking for long/bulky goods: pipe, timber, steel sections, panels — upright/arm/brace structure, straight vs inclined arms, capacity per arm, single/double-sided, standards FEM 10.2.09 / AS 4084 / RMI, and selection in Thailand.

"Long" and "bulky" goods — steel/PVC pipe, sawn timber, steel bar, structural sections (H-beam, channel), boards/metal sheet, aluminium profiles — cannot go on standard pallet racking. Stacked on the floor they waste space, are hard to pick, and get damaged.

Cantilever racking is the answer — designed specifically for long goods. This article explains the structure, arm selection, capacity, and the standards used.


1. Structure — Three Main Parts

flowchart TD
  A[Cantilever Rack] --> B[Upright/Column
vertical column + floor-bolted base] A --> C[Arm/cantilever
straight or inclined] A --> D[Brace Set
ties columns together] B --> E[Choose by: weight + length of goods] C --> E D --> E E --> F[single or double-sided]
  1. Upright (column + base) — load-bearing column; the long base resists overturning + floor anchors
  2. Arm (cantilever) — holds the goods, height-adjustable, no front beam = easy long-item loading
  3. Brace set — ties columns into a row

Arranged single-sided (against a wall) or double-sided (mid-warehouse, used from both sides).


2. Straight vs Inclined Arms

Arm type Best for
Straight sawn timber, panels, boxes — non-rolling goods
Inclined pipe, round bar — tilted up to prevent rolling off the front

Specify the stored goods up front — round pipe always needs inclined arms, or it rolls off.


3. Capacity — Three Levels

  • Per arm — depends on arm length + steel section (longer = lower)
  • Per upright — the sum of arms on the column
  • Whole system + overturning — the row's tipping stability

Don't just read the "maximum number" in a catalog — state the real weight + length + load positions for the engineer to calculate.


4. Design Standards

Standard Origin
FEM 10.2.09 Europe — cantilever racking specifically
AS 4084 Australia — steel storage racking
RMI ANSI MH16.1-2023 USA
SS 2643 (INSTA 253) Sweden/Nordic
DPT 1311-50 Thailand — regional seismic forces

For seismic work (Bangkok metro) → see our seismic rack article.


5. Checklist Before Ordering Cantilever Racks

  1. State the stored goods — type (pipe/timber/steel), length, weight per piece
  2. Choose arms — straight (non-rolling) / inclined (round pipe)
  3. single vs double-sided by floor space
  4. Handling method — forklift / crane → sets the clearances
  5. Bangkok → consider seismic + engineer-certified drawings for acceptance

We design and supply cantilever racking for all long goods (pipe, timber, steel bar, sections, panels) to FEM 10.2.09 / AS 4084 / RMI — with straight/inclined arms matched to the goods, capacity calculation per arm/column/system, seismic support to DPT 1311, and engineer-certified drawings for government/inspection-acceptance work.

Talk to our engineering team to design your warehouse's cantilever racking — call 02-096-2118 or LINE OA @406rrgvm.


Summary

  • Cantilever racking = cantilevered-arm racking (no front beam) for long/bulky goods that won't fit pallets
  • Three parts: upright + arm + brace · single/double-sided
  • Straight arms (non-rolling) vs inclined arms (round pipe — anti-roll)
  • Capacity at three levels: per arm · per column · whole system + overturning
  • Standards: FEM 10.2.09 / AS 4084 / RMI + seismic DPT 1311 (Bangkok)

Correctly designed cantilever racking = safe long-goods storage, space saved, fast picking, no toppling.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1

How does cantilever racking differ from selective racking?

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Selective racking is designed for palletized goods (with front and rear beams), while cantilever racking uses 'cantilevered arms' with no front column, so it stores 'long' items laid across several arms — pipe, timber, steel bar, sections, board/metal sheet that won't fit pallet racking. The absence of a front upright makes loading/unloading long items with a forklift/crane easy.
2

Straight or inclined arms — which to choose?

+
Straight arms suit non-rolling goods such as sawn timber, panels, and boxes. Inclined arms (tilted slightly up) are required for round items that could roll off, such as pipe and round bar — the incline prevents them sliding off the front. Specify the stored goods at the design stage to pick the right arm.
3

How is cantilever rack capacity calculated?

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Look at three levels: (1) capacity per arm — depends on arm length + steel section, (2) capacity per upright/column — the sum of the arms on a column, (3) whole-system capacity + overturning stability. Longer arms = lower capacity. State the real weight + length + load positions for the engineer to calculate — don't just read the maximum number in a catalog.
4

Do cantilever racks in Thailand need to consider earthquakes?

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In Bangkok metro, yes — the soft soil amplifies seismic waves (see our seismic rack article). A tall, heavily-loaded cantilever is a mass that can topple, so the base + anchors + bracing must be designed to the DPT 1311 regional forces and certified by an engineer for government/inspection-acceptance work.
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