An important decision you’ll make when installing new pallet racking or updating your current solution is the type of frame bracing. The bracing is essential to providing structural stability and stabilizing the cores of your racking systems.
Welded and bolted frame bracings are two of the most popular options, but they have distinct differences. Below, we discuss the features, advantages and disadvantages of these two pallet racking frame bracings.
Welded Pallet Racking
Welded frame bracings are the most commonly adopted pallet racking style in North America, especially in the United States. Its popularity stems from U.S. manufacturers’ interest in promoting and protecting welding jobs. Welded pallet rack frames include a diagonal brace directly welded on a column. They typically include cross bracing or struts welded to frame columns.
Manufacturers often attach the cross bracing or struts to the open lips of the C-shaped column channel. This construction results in sturdy and rigid frame bracings that don’t flex easily. Some welded systems have slope-back or offset front legs or seismic full-depth base plates to support ground-level beams.
Pros of Welding
Welded pallet racking systems have a variety of advantages that make them preferable for some manufacturers:
- Low installation costs: These systems come as fully assembled units, which minimizes installation costs.
- Safety: Welded pallet racking is often considered safer than bolted pallet racking systems because it’s less susceptible to loosening and bolt failure over time.
- Aesthetics: Welded frame bracing appears neater and cleaner than bolted pallet racking systems because of the lack of protrusions. The weld seams are covered with paint, giving them a smooth and consistent finish.
- Easy maintenance: Welded pallet racking bracing is easier and cheaper to maintain because few parts are likely to come loose with consistent use.
- Sturdy construction: Welding renders these pallet racking systems strong, durable and stable, making them more capable of handling heavy loads and reducing the risk of tipping or collapsing.
Cons of Welding
Many manufacturers have shifted to other forms of frame bracing because of the drawbacks and limitations of welded frame bracing. Some of these downsides include:
- Expensive: Welding frame bracings is significantly expensive because of the additional material and labor costs associated with the welding process. They are also more expensive to ship than bolted racks because they ship fully assembled.
- Non-customizable: Adjusting the height of welded pallet racking systems involves cutting out diagonal or horizontal braces and rewelding them back together. This makes customization a costly and labor-intensive process.
- Rigid: The sturdy build of welded pallet racking may be disadvantageous during seismic events because the systems cannot shift or flex to avoid breaking.
- Difficult to repair: Welded pallet racking makes it difficult to determine damage, defects or weakness in the welded seams because they’re painted over. You often need a professional inspection to determine these issues and their effects, which may be too late after the structure collapses.
Bolted Pallet Racking
Bolted systems are the more popular frame bracing choice in Europe but are gaining traction in other destinations, including North America. The spike in adoption results from its many advantages over welded pallet racking.
These pallet racking systems consist of steel posts and beams connected with bolts. More specifically, the frame struts are bolted to the brace panels and attached to the side of the C channel. The bolts are supported by holes predrilled into the sides of the hardware pieces.
Pros of Bolting
Bolted pallet racking offers a range of benefits that give it the upper hand over its welded counterpart:
- Cost-effective: Bolted pallet racking minimizes production, shipping, repair and replacement costs. Production costs are lower because you don’t incur welding labor and material costs, and shipping is less expensive because they’re dismantled and packed into smaller containers. Maintenance, repair and replacement costs are lower because you can work on specific parts instead of the entire system.
- Easier to repair: Damage, weakness and defects on bolted frame bracings are easy to identify with the naked eye, allowing you to determine the best course of action early on. The extent of damage is also reduced, as the bolts continue to support the structure even if a lock nut comes off or a column or strut is damaged. It’s also possible to repair a single damaged column, strut or bracing.
- Customizable: Customizing bolted pallet racking is easy and cost-effective. The columns come with adjustable bracing that accommodates various heights and can be tailored to the desired size.
- Flexible: Bolted pallet racking is best for warehouses in areas prone to seismic events. The limited bolt threads and serrated lock nuts prevent overtightening, and the rack can shift and flex when force is applied by seismic events or equipment without breaking or bending easily.
Cons of Bolting
While bolted pallet racking has several advantages, there are a couple of drawbacks to note:
- Frequent maintenance: With time, the bolts start to loosen and require regular inspections and tightening to minimize safety hazards in the warehouse.
- Compromised integrity: Bolts create potential weak points in the structure and can loosen over time, potentially causing damage.
- Limited aesthetics: Many manufacturers find the protruding bolts less aesthetically pleasing, though their function and performance make up for it.
Deciding Between Bolted or Welded Pallet Racking
When choosing between bolted and welded pallet racking, weigh these key features to determine fit and functionality in your facility:
1. Structural Requirements
Structural integrity determines the holding capacity of your pallet racking structures. Generally, both welded and bolted pallet racking systems provide superior structural integrity.
You can ascertain the integrity of your bracing systems by working with trained and certified welders. These individuals ensure weld quality by implementing rigorous quality controls. Bolting allows you to customize structures that meet your weight requirements to ensure integrity.
2. Cost and Time Efficiency
Welded pallet racking systems are typically more costly, time-consuming and labor-intensive than bolted pallet structures. The former requires more specialized labor to furnish the welds, while the latter requires a significant amount of hardware, including bolts, nuts and washers to assemble the structures. The costs of shipping and handling fully assembled welded racking structures are higher than shipping individual bolted pallet racking components to be assembled on-site.
3. Flexibility and Adaptability
Bolted structures are mostly preferred for their flexibility and ability to withstand high forces, from equipment impact to high winds in seismic-prone areas. These bolted structures sway and flex to allow movement without the risk of bending or breaking. Meanwhile, when exposed to high forces, welded pallet racking systems are more susceptible to breaking because they’re rigid and immovable.
Get Bolted Racking Systems From Tennessee Rack
Ultimately, bolted frame bracings are the best solution for high-performance racking systems. Tennessee Rack is a leading rack solution provider that’s been in operation since 2006, handling racking projects for some of the top businesses in the region.
We offer practical, cost-effective pallet racking solutions that cover the entire process, from consultation and design to shipping and installation. Fill out our quote form or call 615-739-6174 today for more information on our bolted racking systems.
