Looking to know how many pallets high you can store in the vertical height of your warehouse? Look no further. This free online calculator allows you to estimate the number of pallets high you can stack in the vertical space available. The estimator helps you with all these other important considerations for the warehouse:

  • How many beam levels can I put in my racking?
  • How many pallets high can I store in the vertical space in my building?
  • What it the height of the top of pallet on my top load beam?
  • How far below the sprinkler head does the top of load at the top of my racking need to be?
  • What is the distance between the top of load and my sprinkler heads?
  • How many beams do I need per bay of racking?
  • How tall is the load beam in my racking?
  • How much lift (fork elevation) does my forklift need?
  • How tall does my upright frame (racking end-frame) need to be?

Analyze How Many Pallets High Can You Store in a Warehouse

Evaluating a warehouse space starts with the square footage and how many pallets high you can store in the space.  This calculator is very helpful for professionals trying to quickly determine the height of the highest beam level and the distance of the highest pallet from the sprinkler head.  If you are designing racking, this calculator is very helpful.

Use this graphic to help understand how the pallet levels calculator works

How many pallets high can I fit in my warehouse?
How many pallets high can I fit in my warehouse? This graphic matches the data fields and output fields in the calculator below.

How to Determine How Many Pallets High You Can Store In Your Warehouse – Step by Step Guide

Step 1 – What is the height to your lowest sprinkler head?

Knowing the height tot your lowest sprinkler head will let you know the space available to store pallets. If you have standard sprinklers, the metal tag hanging from your sprinkler riser will say something other than “ESFR”. ESFR sprinklers need 36″ to spread water. Non-ESFR sprinklers need 18″ If you don’t know what type of sprinkler you have, give a call and we can help.

Riser tag that says what type water flow - determines the number of pallets high you can store
Riser tag that says what type water flow – determines the number of pallets high you can store
hydraulic data plate - aka riser tag - shows ESFR sprinklers
hydraulic data plate – aka riser tag – shows ESFR sprinklers

Step 2 – Maximum top of load height – how many pallets high is the top pallet?

Once you know the height of the sprinkler heads and the type of sprinklers, you can now know the maximum storage height of pallets (product) in your warehouse. This height is either the height of the lowest sprinkler minus 18 inches or minus 36 inches.

Another restriction to the maximum storage height of pallets is the type of commodity you are storing. Be sure to work with a fire consultant and sprinkler engineer before you install racking. Contact us to provide you with professional guidance for how many pallets high to store, and how high you can permit storage.

Step 3 – The height and lift off of the pallet closest to the ground

If you want to know the number of pallets high you can store, first we need to know how high the pallet is that is closest to the ground. These can sometimes be taller than the rest of the pallets. Also, the lift off can sometimes be different. For example, if you have a reach truck and the baselegs opening (out rigger inside dimension) is narrower than the width of the pallet, you need to lift the pallet up and over the height of the load wheels. That means you need 10-12 inches of lift off, compared to if you were using a sit down forklift OR you would need a wider aisle. So we make the first level configurable.

After that, we need to know the height of the tallest pallets being stored on beam level 1 and above, plus we need to know lift off (space between the top of the pallet and the bottom of the next beam up). If you have light loads and the clear height of the building is low, 6″ lift off might be enough. But if you are unsure, allow 8 inches.

Step 4 – How tall do my beams need to be?

The weight of the pallets you will store on the beams will determine how tall the beams are. Usually, pallet rack beams are 96″ long, but the height will vary base on the weight of the load being stored. To determine how tall your beams need to be, estimate the capacity of the beams you will need here. Remember, you need to multiply the weight of the pallets your are storing by the number of pallets wide you will store on a beam level. Therefore, (2) 1500# pallets require a minimum of 3000# capacity beams which are nearly 4 inches tall.

Step 5 – How many beam levels and how many beams per bay do I need to buy?

Once you know how many pallet high you can stack, you will know how many beam levels there will be in your racking. Once you have this number, times it by two to know how many beams you need. You can buy pallet rack beams here.

Step 6 – How high does my forklift need to lift to pick up a pallet off the top load beam?

To determine how much fork elevation your forklift needs, you will want to first determine the height of the top load beam and add lift off. If is a good idea to have at least 8″ of lift off on the top level, and 12″ is even better. But if all you have is 6″ and a counterbalance forklift with mast tilt, you might be able take the top pallet off the top load beam. Try not to cut it close if you don’t have to.

Step 7 – Need help? Just ask.

Schedule time to meet with us to discuss your new warehouse storage project by using this scheduling app below.