Two warehouses of identical footprint can hold dramatically different pallet counts depending on the racking system chosen. The right choice depends less on the building and more on your inventory profile — SKU count, throughput, and stock rotation rules.
Selective Racking
Selective pallet racking gives 100% access to every pallet, which is ideal for high-SKU, fast-rotation operations. The trade-off is density: a large share of floor space becomes aisles. It is the default for a reason, but it is rarely the densest option.
Drive-In and Push-Back
Drive-in racking removes aisles by storing pallets deep, dramatically increasing density for low-SKU, high-volume stock — at the cost of selectivity (last-in, first-out). Push-back racking offers a middle ground, providing several pallets of depth per lane with better rotation than drive-in.
Matching System to Inventory
The decision flows from your data: many SKUs with frequent picks favour selective; few SKUs with high volume favour drive-in; a mix often benefits from a blended layout. Getting this right can change usable storage density by as much as 300%, so it deserves analysis before the building is even finalised.