How to Choose a Cantilever Rack

To choose a cantilever rack, start with the length, depth and weight of what you store. Then pick single or double-sided, an arm at least as long as the load is deep, arms and uprights rated for the load, enough uprights to stop the load from sagging, and a height that fits your ceiling and forklift.

This guide follows that order, using the sizing method in the MECO Omaha Buyer's Guide. We sell the full MECO Omaha cantilever line, Series 1000 through Series 5000 and every component in the Buyer's Guide, plus the full Gillis Jarke Steeltree and Space Plus USA lines. That includes sizes not listed on our site.

What is a cantilever rack, and do I need one?

A cantilever rack stores long or bulky material on arms that stick out from vertical uprights, with no front post in the way. That open front lets you load lumber, pipe, tubing, bar stock, conduit, sheet goods and furniture straight off a forklift or by hand.

You need one if your material is longer than a pallet rack bay, or if front posts keep getting in the way when you load and unload. If everything you store fits on a pallet, pallet rack is usually the better fit. See Cantilever Rack vs. Pallet Rack.

Should I get single-sided or double-sided?

Pick single-sided if the rack goes against a wall, and double-sided if it stands in the open with an aisle on both sides.

  • Single-sided: arms on one side of the upright. The base is shorter, so the rack uses less floor depth. A MECO Series 1000 8' single-sided upright uses a 33" to 57" base, depending on arm length.
  • Double-sided: arms on both sides of the same uprights, so one bay holds twice the material. The base is longer: 54" to 102" for the same Series 1000 8' upright.

MECO uprights are punched on both sides. A single-sided upright becomes double-sided when you mount it on a longer double-sided base.

Two safety rules from MECO: never put arms on the back of an upright that sits on a single-sided base, and never attach uprights to walls, building columns or other structures.

How long should the arms be?

Choose arms at least as long as your load is deep. MECO's rule is that load depth should never exceed arm length: a 48" wide bundle of plywood needs a 48" arm, and a 24" wide bundle of steel needs a 24" arm.

MECO arms come in lengths from 12" to 60":

  • Series 1000 and 2000: 12" to 48"
  • Series 3000, 4000 and 5000: standard arms from 12" to 60", plus heavy and extra heavy duty arms from 36" to 60"

Gillis Jarke offers 60" arms as well: the Steeltree 25 60" arm is rated 1,330 lb, and the Jarke 900 Series high capacity 60" arm (90SA60HCL) is rated 1,650 lb. Space Plus USA also makes a 60" arm as a special order with a 12 to 14 week lead time.

Longer arms carry less weight. The MECO standard straight arm for Series 3000 to 5000 is rated 3,000 lb at 12", 2,000 lb at 24", 1,000 lb at 48" and 600 lb at 60". Buy the shortest arm that covers your load.

Straight or inclined arms? Straight arms suit stable loads like lumber, steel sheet, cartons and skids. Inclined arms are pitched 20 degrees so pipe, tubing and other round stock rolls back toward the upright instead of off the front. MECO inclined arms come in 12" to 48".

Arm lips: every MECO arm can take a bolt-on lip that rises 2" above the arm to keep loads from sliding off. Lips can be added or removed any time and don't carry any of the load. To order arms with lips, add "L" to the model number, for example SA48L.

How much capacity do I need?

Your load has to fit within two ratings: the capacity of each arm and the capacity of each upright.

  1. Arm capacity: divide the weight on one level by the number of arms holding it. In MECO's example, 7,500 lb per level on 3 arms needs arms rated at least 2,500 lb each.
  2. Upright capacity: multiply the number of arms on one side by the load on each arm, then divide by the number of uprights. The total arm load must never exceed the upright's rating.

Arm ratings assume the load is spread evenly front to back or centered on the arm. A load sitting out toward the tip of the arm can cut arm capacity by up to 50%.

Upright capacity drops as uprights get taller and as arms get longer. A MECO Series 4000 8' single-sided upright is rated 21,500 lb with 24" arms but 14,200 lb with 42" arms. A 20' upright with 24" arms is rated 15,800 lb.

As a rule of thumb, medium duty racks suit lumber, conduit, tubing and light bar stock. Heavy duty racks suit steel bar, structural shapes and bundled pipe. The table further down compares every series.

How many uprights do I need, and how far apart?

Use enough uprights that the load doesn't sag between arms, spaced so the load overhangs the end arms by one-half the distance between uprights. That overhang rule comes from MECO, and following it keeps each arm carrying an equal share.

To check for sag, MECO suggests laying the load across two wooden blocks spaced like arms. If it doesn't sag, two uprights per bay will work as long as nothing is overloaded. If it does sag, test with three or four blocks and use that many uprights.

Example: a 24' load on 3 uprights spaced 8' apart overhangs each end arm by 4', exactly half the spacing.

Uprights are tied together with brace sets, sized by the distance from the center of one upright to the center of the next. MECO brace sets run from 24" to 120" on center (up to 96" on Series 1000). Taller uprights use more braces: sets of two for 6' to 8' uprights, three for 10' to 14', and four with X-bracing for 15' to 20'.

You can buy a row as kits or as components:

  • Starter unit: 2 uprights, arms and a brace set, forming one complete bay.
  • Add-on unit: 1 upright, arms and a brace set. It attaches to an existing bay and shares its upright, so each extra bay costs less than a second starter.
  • Components: individual uprights, arms and brace sets for any configuration.

MECO starter and add-on kits come in Series 1000 (6', 8' and 10') and Series 4000 (8', 10' and 12'). Every other MECO configuration is built from components, and we sell all of them.

Everything in a row must come from the same series. MECO parts are modular within a series, Series 1000 and 2000 parts don't fit any other series, and heavy and extra heavy duty arms fit Series 3000, 4000 and 5000 uprights only.

How tall should the uprights be?

Set the height by your ceiling, forklift reach and sprinkler system, and check local building codes. MECO uprights come in heights from 6' to 20'.

MECO's method for sizing height: add the base height, the height of each load you'll store, the thickness of each arm, and 6" of clearance between each load and the arm above it. Email us for the base height and arm thickness of the series you're considering.

  • Adjustability: arms move up and down the upright on 3" centers on MECO and Gillis Jarke racks, and every 4" on Space Plus USA.
  • Use the base: a load stored on a MECO base doesn't reduce the upright's rated capacity, so put the heaviest material there.
  • Taller means less capacity: upright ratings drop as height goes up, so check the rating at the height you plan to buy.

What about delivery and setup?

Cantilever racks ship by freight truck as unassembled components, and you assemble and anchor them on site. We quote freight to your address and bill it at cost as a separate line item. See our Shipping Policy for how freight works.

  • Liftgate delivery: no dock or forklift to unload? Tell us when you request your freight quote and we'll add liftgate delivery to it.
  • Assembly: MECO racks come with complete instructions and all assembly hardware.
  • Anchoring: uprights must be anchored to the floor through the holes in the base. Anchors are sold separately, or we can provide them at an additional cost.
  • Lead time: we confirm the lead time with your quote.

Which cantilever rack series is right for me?

Medium duty (MECO Series 1000, Gillis Jarke Steeltree 08) fits lumber, conduit, tubing and light bar stock. For steel bar, structural shapes and bundled pipe, step up to MECO Series 2000 through 5000, Steeltree 25 or Space Plus USA. Upright ratings below are for single-sided uprights. Double-sided uprights are rated about twice as high.

MECO Omaha

Series Duty Upright heights Arm lengths Capacity per arm Single-sided upright capacity How to buy
Series 1000 Medium 6', 7', 8', 10', 12' 12" to 48" 300 to 1,000 lb 3,000 to 8,100 lb Starter and add-on kits (6', 8', 10') or components by quote
Series 2000 Medium-heavy 6' to 20' 12" to 48" 600 to 2,400 lb 7,300 to 18,100 lb Components by quote
Series 3000 Heavy 6' to 20' 12" to 60" 600 to 4,000 lb 7,600 to 23,000 lb Components by quote
Series 4000 Standard heavy 6' to 20' 12" to 60" 600 to 4,000 lb 9,800 to 28,600 lb Starter and add-on kits (8', 10', 12') or components by quote
Series 5000 Extra heavy 10' to 20' 24" to 60" 600 to 4,000 lb 13,800 to 28,700 lb Components by quote

The top arm ratings in Series 2000 through 5000 come from heavy and extra heavy duty arms. Upright ratings fall within each range as height and arm length go up. All figures are from the MECO Omaha Buyer's Guide.

Gillis Jarke and Space Plus USA

Line Duty Upright heights (listed) Arm lengths (listed) Capacity per arm
Gillis Jarke Steeltree 08 Medium 7', 8', 10' 18", 24", 36" 430 to 870 lb
Gillis Jarke Steeltree 25 Heavy 8', 10', 12' 24", 36", 48" (60" by quote) 1,000 to 2,000 lb
Space Plus USA Heavy 12', 16' 48" (60" special order) 3,960 lb (48" arm, 12' unit)

We sell the full Gillis Jarke and Space Plus USA lines, not just the sizes listed on our site. Email us for anything you don't see.

Common questions

Can I get a size or configuration that isn't listed on your site?

Yes. We sell every series and component in the MECO Omaha Buyer's Guide, plus the full Gillis Jarke and Space Plus USA lines. Email us for a quote.

Can I mix brands or series in one row?

No. MECO parts are modular within a series, and Series 1000 and 2000 parts don't fit any other series. Heavy and extra heavy duty MECO arms fit Series 3000, 4000 and 5000 uprights only.

Can I add arms or uprights later?

Yes. MECO racks are modular within each series, so you can add arms, uprights and brace sets at any time and swap in different arm lengths.

Can I turn a single-sided rack into a double-sided one?

Yes, on MECO racks. Mount the uprights on longer double-sided bases and add arms to the second side.

Are floor anchors included?

No. Anchors are sold separately, or we can provide them at an additional cost.

Will round stock roll off the arms?

Use inclined arms, bolt-on lips, or MECO bolt-on pipe sockets with removable 6", 9" or 12" pipes. Gillis Jarke Steeltree arms come with lips, and Space Plus USA offers drop-in pipe stops.

Can I store boxes or furniture on a cantilever rack?

Yes. MECO drop-in deck support saddles hold 2x4 cross supports for a plywood deck on the arms and bases.

Can cantilever racks go outdoors?

Space Plus USA racks are powder coated for indoor and outdoor use, with galvanized available on request. MECO also offers roof supports for covered outdoor storage, custom designed for local wind and snow loads. Roof supports can reduce rack capacity.

Where should the heaviest material go?

On the base. On MECO racks, a load on the base doesn't reduce the upright's rated capacity.

What's the difference between a starter and an add-on unit?

A starter has 2 uprights and stands on its own. An add-on has 1 upright and attaches to an existing bay, so it costs less per bay.

Need help sizing your rack?

Email us for a quote. Send the length, depth and weight of your heaviest load, how many levels you need, your ceiling height and your floor space, and we'll recommend a configuration and quote the rack and freight to your address.

Written by Neel Doshi, founder of My Warehouse World.

Back to blog