Rack System — Statewide Delaware
Cantilever Rack in Delaware
Long-load storage with no front column — structural and roll-formed arms up to 72 inches, for lumber, pipe, steel, and rolled goods.
Cantilever Rack supplied and installed across Delaware. Free, no-obligation quotes.
// Overview
Cantilever Rack in Delaware
Cantilever rack is the purpose-built storage system for long loads — material that is longer than a standard pallet and often cannot be palletized at all. A cantilever system uses vertical columns with horizontal arms extending outward; because there is no front column obstructing the load face, lumber packs, pipe bundles, steel bar, tubing, rolled goods, and oversize fabricated parts sit cleanly across the arms at any length. Arms can be single-sided (against a wall) or double-sided (freestanding, loaded from both sides for density). Arm capacities scale from 500 lbs per pair on light-duty roll-formed systems up to 4,000+ lbs per pair on structural-steel systems. Cantilever is the default rack for Delaware plumbing wholesalers, lumber and building-supply distributors, steel service centers, HVAC distribution, and furniture and oversize-part operations. Delaware Pallet Racking designs, supplies, and installs cantilever systems engineered to the Delaware State Building Code (IBC-based) and RMI ANSI MH16.1-2023, with base shoes anchored to code for wind and lateral loading in Delaware.
- Store long and irregular loads that pallet rack cannot accommodate
- Recover space wasted by palletizing oversize product
- Eliminate stacking damage on unsupported floor bundles
- Double linear storage in the same column footprint with double-sided layouts
// What you get
Product features
- Column heights from 8 to 25 feet for single or multi-level storage
- Arm lengths from 24 to 72 inches with custom options to 96"
- Light-duty roll-formed through heavy-structural I-beam constructions
- Single-sided (wall-backed) and double-sided freestanding configurations
- End stops, incline arms, rub rails, and divider options available
- Base shoes anchored per engineered drawings for Delaware wind loading
- Engineered to Delaware State Building Code (IBC-based) and RMI ANSI MH16.1-2023
// Spec sheet
Cantilever Rack at a glance
// Specifications
Vertical columns, horizontal arms
Structural steel columns (I-beam or heavy tube) are base-shoe-anchored to concrete. Horizontal arms bolt into the column at set elevations, extending forward 24 to 72 inches to cradle the load.
No front obstruction
Because there is no front column, the load face is completely open. A 24-foot length of pipe or lumber sits across multiple arms without the interference a selective rack beam would create.
Side-load from the aisle
Forklift with long forks or a side-loader positions parallel to the rack and sets the load across the arms. The forklift never enters the rack — all handling is aisle-side.
// Fit check
Is it right for you?
// Choose it when
- You store loads longer than 48 inches (pipe, lumber, bar stock, rolled goods, extrusions)
- Product cannot be palletized or palletizing wastes significant space
- You need to pull bundles or pieces from a load at mixed lengths
- Current pallet rack is forcing you to stack long loads inefficiently across multiple bays
- You want the density advantage of double-sided long-load storage
// Consider alternatives when
- Loads fit cleanly on standard pallets — stay with selective pallet rack
- You need overhead density with only short items — pallet rack or shelving is more space-efficient
- You need full enclosure for security — cantilever is inherently open-faced
- Your load capacity per arm exceeds 4,000 lbs — specialty heavy-structural designs or alternative storage needed
// Where we install it
Delaware use cases
Plumbing & PVF wholesale — Wilmington, New Castle County
Ferguson Enterprises and regional plumbing wholesale operations rely on cantilever for bulk pipe, fittings stock rod, and tubing. CED and Rexel electrical wholesale operations use the same pattern for conduit and long-length electrical stock.
Lumber & building supply — across Delaware
84 Lumber and regional building supply operations run cantilever for dimensional lumber, treated lumber, engineered wood products, and trim packs — with double-sided configurations common in larger yards.
Steel service centers — Wilmington, Port of Wilmington
Steel service centers in the Wilmington area store structural shapes, bar stock, flat bar, and tubing on heavy-structural cantilever. These are the heaviest-duty Delaware cantilever installs — 3,000 to 4,000 lbs per arm pair is routine.
HVAC distribution — Newark area, Christiana, New Castle County
Johnstone Supply and regional HVAC distributors run cantilever for sheet-metal ductwork stock, line sets, and long-format refrigerant tubing where palletizing would waste vertical cube.
Furniture & oversize retail — New Castle County, Bear/Glasgow area
Regional furniture and home goods operations use cantilever for rolled carpet, bundled headboards, long mattress packaging, and oversize furniture components that exceed pallet dimensions in every direction.
// Straight answers
Cantilever Rack questions
01 What is the difference between roll-formed and structural cantilever?
Roll-formed cantilever uses bent sheet-steel components — lighter, less expensive, typically rated 500 to 1,500 lbs per arm pair. Structural cantilever uses hot-rolled I-beam and heavy tube steel, typically rated 1,500 to 4,000+ lbs per arm pair. Use roll-formed for lumber, light pipe, and packaged goods; use structural for steel bar, heavy pipe bundles, and steel service center inventory.
02 Can cantilever be moved or reconfigured?
Yes. Because cantilever systems bolt together and anchor with standard base shoes, they can be disassembled, relocated, and reinstalled — including adjusting arm elevations up or down the column in set increments. This is a major operational advantage when product mix changes.
03 Do I need seismic or wind engineering in Delaware?
Delaware is Seismic Design Category A to B (low seismic), but wind load under ASCE 7 for Delaware uses a 110 mph 3-second gust baseline. For cantilever — especially tall or double-sided configurations — the anchor-bolt pattern and base-shoe sizing are typically governed by wind and lateral-load analysis more than seismic. Every Delaware install we do includes sealed engineering addressing this.
04 How do I choose arm length?
Arm length should support the load across at least two arms with appropriate overhang, typically no more than 25 percent of load length extending past the last arm. Standard arms run 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 inches. For lumber and pipe, 48" is the common default; steel service centers typically run 60" to 72" for long bar stock.
05 Can I mix cantilever arm levels for different products?
Yes, and it is common. Arm elevations along a single column can be adjusted independently at 3-inch or 6-inch increments (depending on column hole pattern), allowing one bay to hold tall bundles at wide spacing and the next bay to hold closer-spaced short-length stock. This is a core advantage over fixed-beam pallet rack for long-load operations.
06 Is single-sided or double-sided cantilever better?
Single-sided against a wall is the simpler install and works when you have one aisle and limited floor depth. Double-sided freestanding doubles the linear arm-feet per column footprint but requires two aisles (one on each side). For most mid-to-large Delaware lumber yards, plumbing distributors, and steel service centers, double-sided is the dominant pattern because the density gain pays back quickly.
07 How much weight can cantilever rack hold?
Capacity is per arm pair and varies enormously by design: light roll-formed cantilever arms carry 500–2,000 lb each, while heavy structural arms for steel service centers run 5,000–20,000+ lb. Total column load and base design matter as much as the arms. Delaware Pallet Racking sizes cantilever from your actual load list and provides stamped capacity documentation.
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