Pallet racks are not as old as you may think. In fact, prior to the first world war, they were not very common at all. It became clear in the early twentieth century that warehouses would be better able to utilize their space if they were storing products vertically rather than horizontally. Potentially, warehouses can double or even triple their storage capacities when they stack products vertically.

Additionally, the creation of corrugated packaging, which was cheap but required a lot of labor, meant that storage needed to be easier as well. The more efficiently packages and products could be stored, the more business owners would be able to save money. As forklifts were invented in 1915, it became easier for products to be stacked. Pallet racks followed in the 1920s, with multilevel pallet racks gradually becoming more common. Pallet racks today are, typically, 48 inches deep by 40 inches wide, according to Speed Rack. They've come quite a long way from the early, rudimentary pallet racks.

Today, pallet racks are structured strategically, in order to maximize space even further. This is usually referred to as selective pallet racking, which comes in two main forms. One is roll formed, which creates a structure in a teardrop shape. Pallets rely on horizontal load beams, held in place by mounting clips. This configuration can easily be moved and restructured, which means that it's ideal for products of different shapes and sizes.

The other form is the structural pallet rack, which is held in place with bolts rather than clips. This pallet rack style can hold heavier weights, but pallets can still be reconfigured and dismantled as is necessary.

It's difficult to store anything of great capacity without pallet racks. With that being said, it's also important to understand the variations in pallet racking.