Why the Style Matters
Beams only fit uprights of the same style. Check the upright: hole shape, hole spacing and how the beam hangs.
Most US racking, and most of our stock, is teardrop. Looking for storage systems instead (selective, drive-in, push-back)? See every type of pallet racking. We buy and sell the other styles too.
Racking Connection Types
Identification Table
| Style | Column holes | How the beam connects | Lock | Tells |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Teardrop (Interlake Mecalux, Steel King, Husky, Frazier roll-formed, most makers) | Inverted teardrop slots, two columns per face | Three or four round pins on the beam's end plate drop into the wide top of the slot and seat in the narrow bottom | Drop-in safety lock or bolt | Most common in the US; orange beams on blue or green uprights |
| Interlake New Style | Rectangular slots with a slight inward slant at the bottom, two columns | Shaved or tooth pins | Drop-in lock | Fits teardrop uprights |
| Sammons / Hannibal | Teardrop slots, spaced wider than standard teardrop | Mushroom-head pins | Lock pin | West Coast; grey steel; only Sammons beams fit |
| Ridg-U-Rak | Rectangular slots, a raised ridge down the face | Hooked beam flanges rest on the ridge | Spring lock with two pins inside the column | The ridge is the giveaway |
| Keystone / Republic | Keystone (trapezoid) holes on the centre line | Hooks on the beam end slide into the holes | J-hook or steel clip | One column of holes, not two |
| Speedrack | Small round holes along both edges of the face | A U-bracket wraps the column and pins through the edge holes | J-hook | No pins on the beam itself |
| Penco | Pairs of narrow slanted slots | Slanted hooks | Sliding lock in the beam | Slots lean, beams taper |
| T-Bolt (Unarco, USP) | Rectangular slots on the centre line | One large bolt per end through the slot | The bolt itself; earthquake clips optional | Blue uprights with yellow beams are common |
| Structural (Frazier, Steel King SK3000, Unarco structural) | Round bolt holes, two columns | Hot-rolled C-channel beam with a welded angle bracket on each end, two bolts per end | Bolts | Heavy open C columns; the most impact resistant |
The Teardrop Family
Teardrop is a slot pattern, not a brand. Interlake made it common; Mecalux (which bought Interlake), Steel King, Husky Rack & Wire, Frazier (roll-formed line), Kingway, Bulldog, Lyon, Speedrack (later production) and USP make or made it. Slot shape and slot spacing match, so used teardrop beams usually hang on another maker's frames.
But column steel thickness, column width, pin size and slot stamping vary by maker and year, so fit can be loose or tight. A good fit is not a rating. RMI advises against mixing makers in one structure; a mixed row needs an engineer's approval of the actual parts. Brands have also changed connection types over the years, so colour and hole shape alone do not prove fit. We match used beams to frames and load-test the pin fit before it ships.
How to Tell Which One You Have
- Photograph the column face straight on, with a tape measure across it.
- Photograph one beam end: connector plate, pins or hooks, and the lock.
- Measure the column: the width of the front face, the depth, and the frame depth (front column to back column). Write the numbers down and send them with the photos.
- Look for a label, often a maker's sticker or stamped name near the footplate.
- Send us the photos. Same day: the style, what fits, what we stock, and what it is worth if you are selling.
Roll-Formed or Structural?
Every style above except structural is roll-formed: cold-formed sheet, lighter, cheaper. Most hang beams on pins or hooks; T-bolt uses a bolt. Structural is made from thicker hot-rolled steel, bolted together, and takes forklift hits much better. See roll-formed vs structural and beam types (step, box, C).
Mixing Styles in One Warehouse
Styles can share a building if each row is one style and each row is rated. Teardrop beams won't hang on keystone; Ridg-U-Rak fits only Ridg-U-Rak. Some non-teardrop styles are no longer made, so we expand them with used stock.
Common questions
What is the most common pallet rack style?
Teardrop: inverted teardrop slots, beam pins drop in, no bolts. Interlake Mecalux, Steel King, Husky and most others build it.
Are all teardrop beams interchangeable?
Often they fit. Slot shape and spacing match, but column steel thickness, width and pin size vary, so fit can be loose or tight. Fit is not a rating: a mixed row needs an engineer's approval. We check fit on every used teardrop lot.
How do I know if my rack is keystone or teardrop?
Teardrop has two columns of inverted teardrop slots. Keystone has one column of trapezoid holes down the middle of the face, and the beam hooks in instead of pinning.
What is Ridg-U-Rak?
A roll-formed rack with rectangular slots and a raised ridge down the upright face. Hooked beam flanges rest on the ridge, held by a spring lock in the column. Still made.
Can you identify my rack from a photo?
Yes. Send a straight-on photo of the column face with a tape measure across it, plus a beam end. We reply the same day with the style, what fits and what we stock.
