Two Ways to Store Pallets Deep
Selective racking gives every pallet its own spot at the aisle, but half the building ends up as aisles. Drive-in and push-back store pallets deep. They look alike and work very differently.
How Each One Works
In drive-in racking, the forklift drives into the rack and sets pallets on front-to-back rails, starting at the back of the lane. A whole bay, floor to top, holds one product.
In push-back racking, the forklift stays in the aisle. Each lane has rolling carts on a slight slope. Each new pallet pushes the last one back; take one out and the rest roll forward. Each level is a separate lane.
Side by Side
| Drive-In | Push-Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Depth | Often 4 to 10 pallets, sometimes more | Usually 2 to 6 pallets, by maker |
| Products per bay | One | One per level |
| Forklift | Drives into the rack | Stays in the aisle |
| Rotation | Last in, first out (drive-through can be first in, first out) | Last in, first out |
| Speed | Usually slower, careful driving | Usually faster |
| Rack damage | Higher risk | Lower risk |
| Cost per pallet | Lower | Higher |
| Best for | A lot of a few items | Some of many items |
Choose Drive-In When
- Big blocks of one product.
- Cost per pallet comes first. The least expensive dense system.
- Freezers. Fewer aisles, less space to cool.
- No strict rotation. Or you can empty a lane before refilling it.
Choose Push-Back When
- Many items, a few pallets each. Each level can hold something different.
- Speed matters. It is usually faster, depending on lane depth and product mix.
- Less damage. Trucks never enter the structure.
- Drivers change often. It takes less skill.
You Can Use Both
Many warehouses do: drive-in for the two or three items that fill the building, push-back for middle movers, selective for the rest.
Send us your item list with pallet counts. More on drive-in and push-back systems.
