How to Identify Your Pallet Racking

Start with the beam end connector

The connector is the fingerprint of a racking system. Look at how the beam meets the upright: the shape of the end plate, the number and shape of the hooks, and how it locks — a spring clip, a drop pin, or a bolt.

Photograph it square-on and close. Two systems that look identical down the aisle often have visibly different connectors, and connectors are never interchangeable between manufacturers even when they appear to fit.

Then the upright slot pattern

Uprights are punched with a repeating pattern of slots or holes on the front face. The shape (teardrop, keyhole, plain slot), the pitch between them and the width of the column section all narrow the brand down quickly.

Also note whether the frame bracing is bolted or welded. Bolted frames dismantle and resell; heavily welded frames are harder to reuse.

Check the footplate and end frames

Branding survives longest at floor level and on end-frame load notices. Look for stamped, embossed or printed names on the footplate, and for a load notice plate or sticker at the end of each run — that plate often gives the manufacturer, the design unit load and the beam configuration it was designed for.

If a load notice exists, photograph it. It is one of the most valuable pieces of information a seller can hand over, because it makes the racking easier to resell legally.

The five measurements buyers ask for

Take these with a tape measure — no ladder required:

• Beam length: the clear span between two uprights (commonly 1,800mm, 2,250mm, 2,700mm, 3,300mm or 3,600mm)
• Beam face height: the depth of the beam section itself (typically 50–140mm)
• Frame height: floor to the top of the upright
• Frame depth: front to back of the frame (commonly 900mm or 1,100mm)
• Bay count: number of bays per run, and number of beam levels per bay

Common UK brands you are likely to have

Dexion (including Speedlock and P90), Link 51, Redirack, Mecalux, Stow, Apex, PSS, Bito, SSI Schaefer, Esmena, Hi-Lo and Stackapal cover the large majority of what we see in UK warehouses.

If you cannot match yours, it does not matter much for selling — a clear photo set is enough for an experienced buyer to identify it or to price it as an unbranded matched lot.

Never mix brands

Beams from one manufacturer dropped into another manufacturer's uprights is one of the most common unsafe modifications in UK warehouses. Even where the hooks physically engage, the connector geometry and the design assumptions differ, so the published load ratings no longer apply.

If you have inherited a mixed system, get it inspected by a SEMA-approved racking inspector before loading it — and mention it when you sell, because it changes how the components are sorted.