How deep can a pushback lane go?

Two to six pallets deep is the practical range. Lanes beyond four deep only pay off if you consistently hold that many pallets per SKU - we size lane depth from your inventory profile, not by maxing out the rail.

How does push back racking compare to drive-in rack?

Both store deep from one face. With pushback the forklift stays in the aisle and gravity does the work, which is faster and gentler on the structure. Drive-in goes deeper and costs less per position, but the driver has to enter the lane to place and pull loads.

Will my drivers need retraining?

Barely any. Loading is closer to selective racking than to drive-in - square up in the aisle, set the pallet, let the cart take it. Most crews are comfortable within a shift.

What load capacities are available?

Cart and rail assemblies are commonly rated 2,500 to 4,000 lb per pallet, with heavier configurations available. We specify to your heaviest pallet with margin and hand over ratings for the finished lane.

Can pushback go into an existing selective row?

Often. Bay width and frame depth have to suit the cart and rail assembly, so we verify your current frames and connector style first, then convert the bays that work and leave the rest selective.

Is pushback a fit for FIFO product?

Not strictly - each lane runs last in, first out, so pallet-level FIFO belongs to pallet flow rack instead. Many operations get around this by dedicating a lane per production date, which keeps pushback workable for date-sensitive goods.

St. Louis, Missouri

Pushback Rack in St. Louis, MO

Name: St. Louis Pallet Racks
Address: 1118 Hampton Ave Ste 219, St. Louis, MO, 63139, US
Telephone: (314) 338-4815
Price range: $$

Beverage and packaging reserve has spread across floor stacks near North Riverfront docks. Several pallets of the same item need a defined home, but a narrow city building cannot sacrifice another working aisle.

Pushback rack puts repeated pallets on nested carts served from one aisle. It runs last in, first out within each lane, so inventory depth and rotation policy decide whether the recovered floor is useful. We compare lane depths with your real pallet counts, cart contact, and loaded weight before recommending a layout. Keep mixed orders accessible while assigning deeper lanes only to repeat inventory. Start with your building drawing and current load information so the proposal addresses the immediate bottleneck rather than selling capacity you cannot use.

(314) 338-4815

Why St. Louis Warehouses Work With Us

Planning around North Riverfront, The Hill, and Carondelet starts with how the local operation handles material, not with a standard rack diagram. Older city industrial buildings combine changing roof heights, dense column grids, and loading doors that were positioned for a different shipping operation. Food processors, printers, and regional distributors need those constraints accounted for before more steel occupies the floor.

For this project, the central decision is straightforward: keep mixed orders accessible while assigning deeper lanes only to repeat inventory. A push back pallet rack system is selected by filled positions and available faces, not simply the deepest cart package offered. Pallet overhang, bottom construction, and load stability can change the specification. We discuss those details before quoting and keep reserve density separate from any inventory that requires direct access or strict date rotation.

As a division of Warehouse Equipment & Supplies Co., St. Louis Pallet Racks gives you a single point of contact for the free warehouse consultation, layout revisions, component questions, and installation planning. We explain what is included, identify unresolved measurements, and keep changes visible in an itemized quote. If your operating priorities change, the drawing is reviewed before material is released rather than leaving your team to work around a surprise.

Free warehouse consultation
CAD layout with storage counts
One contact for layout, delivery, and installation

High-density pushback rack lanes loaded with pallets

Pushback pallet racking showing cart rails and load beams

How Pushback Rack Works

Two to six pallets deep from one aisle, without giving up much reach.

Loading from the aisle

The driver sets the first pallet on the front cart. Each pallet added after that pushes the cart train deeper into the lane, so one aisle handles the whole depth.

Carts nested on rails

Steel carts with nylon or steel wheels ride inclined rails, each nesting under the one ahead of it - that nesting is what makes multi-deep storage possible from a single face.

Retrieval by gravity

Pull the front pallet and the next cart rolls forward on the incline to the pick face. No driving into the lane, no repositioning pallets by hand.

Last in, first out

Each lane runs LIFO. That suits fast-turning product and any operation managing rotation by lane rather than by individual pallet date.

What Your Pushback Rack Project Includes

The planning review includes where reserve enters the system, how lanes are assigned, and what happens when a lane is only partly occupied. We leave staging and mixed-order access on the drawing so the position gain is not purchased at the expense of dispatch. Your team receives the approved assumptions with the quote and can compare a different depth before carts are released.

Pushback layouts are built around the pallet, not the building. We start by confirming pallet type, footprint, overhang, and load weight, because cart spacing and rail incline follow that profile rather than a generic 48x40 assumption.

Next we set lane depth. Deeper lanes store more, but only pay off if you actually carry that many pallets per SKU - so we compare a two-deep and a four-deep version of the same footprint and show what each does to total positions and to how many pick faces you're left with.

The quote covers frames, beams, rails, carts, and guarding, itemized so you can see exactly what the added density costs per position - the number that matters more than the sticker price. Rails and carts are set and tested at installation, and cart travel is verified in every lane before handover.

You end up with a CAD drawing, capacity ratings, a system drivers pick up in a shift, and a local source for replacement carts and wheels down the road.

What We Need to Plan It

How many pallets of the same SKU do you typically hold at once?
What's the pallet footprint, and is there overhang?
What's the heaviest pallet going into a lane?
What's the clear ceiling height or your forklift's max lift height?
How wide are the aisles you're working with today?

Where This Service Fits

Two to six pallets of the same SKU stacked in one lane
Cold storage or leased space where rent per square foot is steep
Operations trimming aisle count to add positions
Beverage, packaging, and consumer goods runs
Buildings with clear height to spare but limited floor

Recent Installations

A look at pallet rack installations our crews have completed for warehouses across the St. Louis metro area.

View More Projects

Get a Pushback Rack Quote

Tell us about your St. Louis operation and we will follow up with layout planning and pricing. Prefer to talk? Call (314) 338-4815.

St. Louis Pallet Racks

1118 Hampton Ave
Ste 219
St. Louis, MO 63139

Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday: Closed

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