Cantilever Rack in Columbia, Maryland

In flex buildings near Snowden River Parkway and Oakland Mills, long material usually is not the main inventory. It is the awkward part: aluminum extrusions for enclosures, conduit for installation crews, panels for displays.

Cantilever racking gets that material off the floor and away from walls, where it tends to get bent or damaged. A short run is often all a Columbia tenant needs.

A single-sided run has arms on one side and backs up to a wall. It is the usual choice in compact flex suites because it leaves the floor open.

A double-sided run has arms on both sides and stands in the middle of the floor, accessed from two aisles. It stores twice as much per foot of upright but needs space on both faces.

Most Columbia projects start single-sided and add a second run if volume grows.

Light tubing and extrusions are long and flexible. They sag between supports, so uprights go closer together than they would for heavy bar. The rule of thumb: enough arms that the material stays straight, with no more than about half the arm spacing hanging past the end arms.

Arm length matches load depth. Many light loads sit fine on shorter arms, which keeps the aisle wide.

In smaller shops, light material is often loaded by hand. Arm heights then stay within easy reach, and the lowest level may sit on the base.

Where a forklift handles bundles, the aisle must allow the truck to approach with the load. Side-loaders are rare in flex buildings, so we usually design for a counterbalance truck and plan turning space.

Flex buildings in the 18 to 32 foot range limit how many arm levels make sense, especially for hand loading. Two or three levels are typical. Arms are adjustable along the upright, so levels can change as material changes.

A cantilever storage rack in this setting is about organizing awkward stock, not reaching the roof.

Tenants near Columbia Gateway often start with one short run. Cantilever racking extends easily: add an upright and a set of arms, and the run grows by one bay. Plan the first run so the wall or floor space beyond it stays clear for that future bay.

If the suite changes, a cantilever storage rack also comes apart and reinstalls at a new address with a revised drawing.

Anodized or painted extrusions scratch easily. Plastic or rubber arm caps protect the finish, and they cost little compared with a rejected part. We note them on the quote wherever finished material sits directly on steel.

Boxed and palletized stock usually shares the suite. Dated pallets fit a Columbia pallet flow layout; a few pallet items kept deep fit drive-in rack in Columbia.

We operate as a division of Warehouse Equipment & Supplies Co., in the business of supplying and installing rack since 1997. Look over the Columbia service area page and the cantilever rack product page, and email us your piece lengths for a no-cost drawing.

Baltimore Pallet Racks

1400 W. Lombard St.

Unit #687

Baltimore, MD 21223

Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Is cantilever rack worth it for a small flex suite in Columbia?

How close should uprights be for light extrusions?

Can cantilever be loaded by hand?

How many arm levels fit a Columbia flex building?