--- title: "Pallet Racks in Chicago, IL | Free Layout" url: https://chicagopalletracks.com/products/pallet-rack description: "Selective pallet racks for Chicago warehouses. Free CAD layout, position counts in writing, install scheduled around your dock. Call (312) 815-2445." lang: en --- Image: Pallet Rack system in an industrial warehouse (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/pallet-rack-hero-Bx52nYZg.jpg) # Pallet Rack Systems in Chicago, IL Selective pallet rack is the backbone of Chicagoland warehousing. Single-deep rows with an aisle on each side give your drivers a clear shot at every pallet, which is why it runs through everything from 3PL big boxes in Romeoville and Bolingbrook to older multi-tenant buildings in Elk Grove Village, Franklin Park, and Bedford Park. The buildings here vary enormously. A newer 32 to 40 ft clear distribution center along I-55 or I-88 can carry five or six beam levels, while an 18 to 24 ft clear building in Cicero or Addison may carry three. We design around the clear height and column grid you're actually leasing, and around the lift trucks you already own - aisle width, reach, and load capacity all get settled before anything is quoted. Rack height, pallet weight, and forklift reach set the storage plan here, whether you're filling a tall distribution center or adding levels in an older warehouse. Because six Class I railroads and every major Midwest interstate meet here, standard components move fast, and our crews install across the metro without travel delays. (312) 815-2445 ## Why Chicagoland Runs on Selective Rack This metro holds two very different building stocks. Along I-55 and I-80 in Will County - CenterPoint Intermodal Center in Joliet and Elwood, and the big-box parks in Romeoville and Bolingbrook - newer 32 to 40 ft clear buildings reward tall frames and five or six beam levels. In the O'Hare submarket, from the Elk Grove Village Business Park through Des Plaines and Franklin Park, the stock is older 18 to 24 ft clear multi-tenant space where every position has to be earned within a tighter grid. The southwest side tells its own story: Bedford Park, the Clearing district, and Cicero near Midway are packed with food, packaging, and industrial distribution in buildings that were never designed for today's pallet heights. Selective rack adapts to both worlds because beam elevations and frame heights are set per building, with pallet weight, forklift reach, and working aisle widths settled together in the layout. ## The Anatomy of a Selective System 1 ### Frames and beams Roll-formed or structural upright frames carry pairs of load beams across the aisle. Beam length, frame depth, and steel gauge follow your heaviest pallet, not a catalog default. 2 ### One position, one pallet Each pallet sits on a beam level facing the aisle. Nothing gets moved to reach anything else, which is the entire point of paying for two aisles instead of one. 3 ### Beam elevations to the ceiling Beam levels follow the usable clear height, your tallest loaded pallet, and the forklift's loaded reach, so the design uses space you're already renting instead of leaving it empty. 4 ### Decking, guarding, protection Wire decking, pallet supports, row spacers, column protectors, and end-of-aisle guarding get specified in the same layout instead of tacked on later as an afterthought. Image: Rows of industrial pallet racks loaded with pallets in a Chicago warehouse (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/pallet-rack-2-je9-WSvK.jpg) Image: Selective pallet rack row fitted with wire decking on every level (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/selective-pallet-rack-CqoeOHx2.jpg) ## Scope of a Pallet Rack Project The design starts with a conversation, not a mandatory site visit: pallet footprint and weight, forklift type and free lift, clear height, column spacing, aisle width, and turn rate. That's what sets beam capacity and how many levels the building will actually carry. From there our design team draws pallet positions, beam elevations, and aisle centerlines in CAD, then prices every line so you see cost per pallet position instead of a lump sum. That number is what lets you compare selective against pushback or drive-in honestly - selective usually costs less per position to build but more per position in floor space. Before installation, we confirm how the rows will work with receiving, picking, and outgoing shipments. Older Chicago buildings often need shorter runs around columns; suburban distribution space may suit longer rows and higher beam levels. The drawing shows those choices, with aisle widths matched to your forklifts and open staging space where your crew needs it. Standard frames and beams ship from stock and delivery is staged around your dock schedule rather than one truck dropped all at once. Our crews anchor and plumb every frame, hang decking, and tag capacities on the finished rows. What you're left with is racking that matches how the building runs, load-rating documentation your team can post, and one number to call when a beam gets hit or you're adding a row next spring. 1 Phone consultation 2 CAD layout 3 Itemized quote 4 Delivery & installation ## Operations Selective Rack Serves Well High SKU counts with few pallets behind each one Order picking straight off the rack face Mixed pallet sizes and irregular loads Warehouses adding a second or third beam level for more cube Operations that can't tolerate a position being buried behind another ## What We Need to Design It - What's the usable clear height in the storage area? - What are your pallet dimensions and your heaviest pallet weight? - What forklift are you running, and what's its maximum lift height? - How many positions do you need today, and at your peak? - How much floor can you give up to aisles versus storage? ## Recent Installations A sample of racking projects completed across the region. Image: Carton flow rack installation in a warehouse (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/carton-flow-racking-CbC_ZAQs.jpg) Image: Drive-in pallet rack installation in a high-bay warehouse (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/drive-in-CzCRNL_F.jpg) Image: Pallet rack installation reaching the ceiling of a distribution center (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/igt-6-DlAaWmSY.jpg) Image: Selective pallet rack aisle with wire decking (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/img-1220-DJL8pNok.jpg) Image: Warehouse pallet racking aisles with a forklift (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/img-5455-DxNygyEY.jpg) Image: Rows of pallet racking in a distribution facility (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/medco-cleveland-5-Bg7bEehR.jpg) Image: Warehouse pallet rack system spanning a large storage area (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/photo-aug-03-6-17-41-pm-Cpzt32J0.jpg) Image: Pallet racking rows under warehouse skylights (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/photo-jul-22-6-45-56-pm-CIVCQxM9.jpg) Image: Cantilever rack arms mounted along a warehouse wall (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/photo-may-15-2026-7-28-50-pm-1-zev4C15x.jpg) Image: Push back pallet rack carts on inclined rails (https://chicagopalletracks.com/assets/udf-pushback-rack-BgIv7FXJ.jpg) View More Projects: https://chicagopalletracks.com/projects ## Get a Pallet Rack Quote Send the basics and we will come back with a layout and pricing. Prefer to talk? Call (312) 815-2445. ### What's Included: - Free warehouse consultation - CAD layout drawings - Itemized project quote - Rack type recommendations - Installation timeline ## Pallet Rack Questions From Chicago Buyers ### How do I know what beam capacity my Chicago warehouse needs? ### How many pallet positions can I get out of my clear height? ### Will my existing forklifts work with a new layout? ### How do you schedule installation around our Chicago receiving hours? ### Can you add on to or reconfigure the rack we already have? ## Pallet Rack by Service Area Delivery and installation across Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Chicago: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/chicago Aurora: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/aurora Naperville: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/naperville Joliet: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/joliet Elgin: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/elgin Waukegan: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/waukegan Cicero: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/cicero Schaumburg: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/schaumburg Bolingbrook: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/bolingbrook Des Plaines: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/des-plaines Elk Grove Village: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/elk-grove-village Carol Stream: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/carol-stream Romeoville: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/romeoville Bedford Park: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/bedford-park Addison: https://chicagopalletracks.com/service-area/addison ## Other Rack Systems & Services ### Pushback Rack Two to six pallets deep from one aisle, without giving up much reach. https://chicagopalletracks.com/products/pushback-rack ### Pallet Flow Rack Load one side, pick the other, and let gravity enforce first in, first out. https://chicagopalletracks.com/products/pallet-flow-rack ### Drive-In Rack No aisles. The forklift enters the structure, and the floor holds more pallets per square foot than any other system. https://chicagopalletracks.com/products/drive-in-rack ### Cantilever Rack Arms with nothing in front of them, built for lumber, pipe, and anything a pallet can't hold. https://chicagopalletracks.com/products/cantilever-rack ### Carton Flow Rack Cases advance to the picker instead of the picker hunting for cases. https://chicagopalletracks.com/products/carton-flow-rack ### Warehouse Relocation We tear down, move, and reinstall your pallet rack so the new building is ready to receive on day one. https://chicagopalletracks.com/warehouse-relocation ## Where We Work Located in Chicago, we serve the entire Chicagoland area with industrial pallet racks and warehouse storage solutions. ### Chicago Pallet Racks #### Address 36 N. Cass Ave. Unit #5170 Westmont, IL 60559 #### Phone (312) 815-2445 #### Business Hours Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM Saturday: Closed Sunday: Closed ## Ready to Price Pallet Rack? Call (312) 815-2445 or request a quote and we will start a layout. 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Tell us your pallet dimensions and your worst-case load weight, and we size beams and frames to that with margin built in. Ratings for the finished configuration get handed over so your team can post them on the rack." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How many pallet positions can I get out of my clear height?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "It comes down to usable clear height, your loaded pallet height, beam spacing, and how high your forklift can place a load. A 32 ft clear building along I-55 lays out very differently from a 20 ft clear space in Elk Grove Village. We model both in CAD and give you the position count in writing." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Will my existing forklifts work with a new layout?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "That's one of the first things we check. Aisle width is set by your truck's turning radius, and the highest beam elevation by its maximum lift height with load. If the layout assumes a truck you don't own, we'll tell you before you sign anything." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do you schedule installation around our Chicago receiving hours?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "We agree on delivery windows and the order of the rows before crews arrive. That keeps incoming steel out of busy dock lanes and leaves working areas available while installation moves through the building. For winter jobs with unheated staging space, we plan material drops and crew access around your receiving shifts." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can you add on to or reconfigure the rack we already have?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Usually. We identify manufacturer, connector style, and column profile from photos and measurements, then match or adapt so new bays tie into your existing rows. Beam levels can also be reset when your pallet heights change." } } ] } ] ```