Wire decking is a low cost pallet rack accessory that greatly increases safety in your warehouse. I assure you it is worth every penny of your investment. It’s primary purpose is “Fall Through Prevention”. Pallet rack wire decking safely supports pallet loads of products stored in your pallet rack but has many other advantages. Wire mesh decks are very flexible in that they both support full pallet loads but also allow you to store non-palletized products like individual boxes, cases, carton and totes. This gives your rack greater purpose and function.
Don’t get me wrong, if you are strictly storing standard size pallets with secure loads that are tightly stretch wrapped than you can save money by using flanged pallet support crossbars. But if you have different pallet sizes, pallet with loose boxes or unpalletized product then wire decking is your best choice. For example if you have a pallet that is not stretch wrapped properly it’s possible the top box can come loose, fall off the pallet and you can only hope it falls down into the flue space and not into the aisle. Wire mesh decking prevents this from happening by acting as a safety net and keeps pallets and boxes from falling between the beams and landing on someone’s head.
As you know racks are getting taller and taller with shelves that are getting higher and higher to reach. We’ve all seen it – a forklift driver is moving too quickly or trying to set a pallet on a beam level at a high elevation and they set the pallet down improperly on the shelf. Wire decking allows the forklift operator enough time to make necessary adjustments and store the pallet safely in the rack. Without wire decking the pallet could come dislodged, fall to the floor and cause a dangerous accident.
It is always recommended that pallets be supported by the front and back beams of the rack system but wire decking helps support heavy misplaced pallet loads. Wire decking also supports odd size pallets or unpalletized loads. It give you flexibility to store long, heavy, odd size bundles (see picture). The wire mesh gets it support from the u-shaped steel channels that are welded to the bottom of the mesh. With wire mesh decking you only need to be concerned when storing non-evenly distributed loads, point loads or loads where the weight comes down on a point.
Wire decks have stark advantages over other types of decking like wood or solid steel decking. Wire decking is constructed of 50%+ open wire mesh that in instance of a fire allows water from overhead sprinklers to pass through to the next level without interference of solid decking. Speaking of fire, one of the “hottest” warehouse retrofits going is the replacement of wood decking with wire decking in pallet racks. It’s happening all over the country because wood decking is a fire hazard. Wire decking meets local municipal requirements and the Fire Marshall’s codes and can also help reduce insurance rates. If that wasn’t enough, wire decking also allows overhead lighting to better illuminate the products on your shelves which eases loading and offers better visual identification for inventory.
When you add it up, wire decking is a win-win proposition!