Cantilever Racking

Cantilever racking is the system to use when you store long, awkward or variable-length loads that will not sit neatly on conventional pallet racking — timber, pipe, tube, board, steel sections, profiles, guttering and sheet material. Instead of beams running between front and back uprights, a cantilever rack uses a single column with projecting arms, giving a completely open front so stock can be loaded and picked from the side without an upright getting in the way.

We supply welded and adjustable cantilever racks from GPC Industries, plus the engineered STOW Cantilever Racking System for made-to-order layouts. Everything below is UK supply, priced in GBP, with the real load ratings from the product data. If you are comparing cantilever storage against a beam-and-deck alternative, the prices and the honest limitations are both on this page.

Cantilever racking prices at a glance

Model	Configuration	Load per arm	Price
CR100EX	Adjustable extension bay — 4 × 1000 mm arms, 1 upright	250 kg	£1,290.00
GCR110	Parallel arms — single-sided	200 kg	£1,917.00
GCR120	Tapered arms — single-sided	200 kg	£2,094.12
GCR220	Tapered arms — double-sided	200 kg	£2,233.32
GCR210	Parallel arms — double-sided	200 kg	£2,392.74
CR0503ST	Adjustable starter bay — 12 × 500 mm arms, 3 uprights	250 kg	£3,148.74
CR0504ST	Adjustable starter bay — 15 × 500 mm arms, 3 uprights	250 kg	£3,366.42
CR1003ST	Adjustable starter bay — 12 × 1000 mm arms, 3 uprights	250 kg	£3,411.48
CR1004ST	Adjustable starter bay — 15 × 1000 mm arms, 3 uprights	250 kg	£3,652.80
STOW	Cantilever Racking System — made to order	Specified per project	POA

What are cantilever racks?

A cantilever rack is a column — the upright — sitting on a wide base foot, with arms bolted or slotted on at intervals up the column. The load rests across the arms. Because there is nothing across the front, you can drop a six-metre length of tube straight onto the arms from the side, and you can store items of wildly different lengths in the same bay without re-configuring anything.

Bays are built as a starter bay (two or more uprights plus arms and bracing) and then extended with extension bays, which share an upright with the bay next to them. That is why an extension bay costs far less than a starter — our CR100EX extension is £1,290.00 against £3,411.48 for the equivalent CR1003ST starter. If you are planning a run, budget for one starter and then extensions.

Single-sided and double-sided

Single sided cantilever racking has arms on one face only and is designed to stand against a wall. Double sided cantilever racking carries arms on both faces of the same column, so it doubles storage capacity for very little extra floor width — the right choice down the middle of an aisle where you can get at both sides. Our GPC parallel range is £1,917.00 single-sided (GCR110) and £2,392.74 double-sided (GCR210); the tapered range is £2,094.12 (GCR120) and £2,233.32 (GCR220).

Parallel arms or tapered arms?

Parallel arms sit horizontally and suit boxed, bundled, flat or evenly stacked loads — sheet material, board, banded packs of timber. Tapered arms angle upwards towards the tip, which helps retain round and loose stock that would otherwise roll forwards: pipe, tube, bar, poles and coils. Both GPC ranges have removable end stops on every arm, but a tapered arm gives you a second line of defence on rolling stock. If you are storing a mixture, tapered is the safer default.

Cantilever racking arms are the part that decides most of the specification. Arm length should be roughly the depth of the load you are supporting, not the length of the item — a 5 m length of tube spanning four 1000 mm arms is supported far better than the same tube on two 1500 mm arms. Arm spacing up the column sets how many levels you get and how much headroom each one has; on the adjustable GPC CR range, cantilever racking arms move in 150 mm increments, so you can re-pitch the levels when your stock profile changes rather than buying a new bay.

Heavy duty cantilever racking: what the load ratings actually mean

Cantilever load ratings are quoted per arm, not per bay, and that catches people out. Our GPC ranges are rated as follows:

• GPC Cantilever Racking (CR range, adjustable): 250 kg per arm, arms height-adjustable in 150 mm increments.
• GPC Cantilever Racking — Parallel Arms (GCR110/GCR210): 200 kg per arm, fully welded construction.
• GPC Cantilever Racking — Tapered Arms (GCR120/GCR220): 200 kg per arm, fully welded construction.

Three numbers matter, and they are different numbers: the load one arm can carry, the total load one column can carry down its full height, and the load the whole bay can carry. A length of steel spanning four arms spreads its weight across those four arms — but if it is loaded unevenly, or if a forklift sets it down on two arms first, the arm rating is what is being tested. Work from the heaviest single item you will store, then check the arm rating, then the column. We cover this properly in our guide to load ratings explained — UDL, SWL and what they mean.

The other rule: load heaviest at the base. Cantilever columns are stable because the mass sits low over the base foot. Put the steel on the bottom arms and the lightweight board at the top, never the other way round.

What are the disadvantages of cantilever racks?

Worth knowing before you commit the floor space:

• It uses floor area inefficiently for short stock. Cantilever earns its keep on long loads. If your stock is palletised, pallet racking stores far more per square metre.
• It must be fixed down. The GPC CR frames have wall and floor fixing points to secure the unit — the fixings themselves are not included, and the fixing spec depends on your slab. A cantilever column loaded at height and not bolted down is a serious hazard.
• Arm rating limits per-point loading. 200–250 kg per arm sounds generous until a forklift lowers a bundle onto two arms rather than four.
• Small and loose items do not suit it. Anything that can slip between arms needs a deck, a tote or shelving instead — see longspan shelving for bulky-but-not-long stock.
• You need the access to install it. All the GPC cantilever units ship as fully welded or part-welded assemblies and a forklift is required to unload them. If you have no forklift on site, arrange one for the delivery slot.

Is cantilever racking the same as pallet racking?

No. Pallet racking is a beam-and-upright structure built around a standard pallet footprint; cantilever racking is an open-fronted arm structure built around length. Pallet racking wins on density for uniform palletised stock; cantilever wins on anything long, mixed-length or awkward. We compare the two in detail — including where a beam bay with a timber deck is the cheaper answer — in cantilever racking vs pallet racking, and set both in context in warehouse racking types explained.

Cantilever racking for timber, pipe and sheet

The three loads that drive most cantilever enquiries:

• Timber cantilever racking. Banded packs and loose lengths, usually mixed. Parallel arms if it is packaged and square; tapered if it is loose. Builders' merchants and joinery shops generally want long arms and fewer levels — most searches for timber racking end up here, because pallet racking simply cannot take a 4.8 m length without a deck.
• Pipe racking. Tube, conduit, copper and plastic pipe all roll. Tapered arms with end stops, and load in bundles rather than singles wherever you can.
• Board and sheet. Plasterboard, ply, MDF and metal sheet want short-to-medium parallel arms and close arm spacing so the sheet does not sag between arms. For vertical sheet and bar storage, look at long-load storage instead.

How much does cantilever racking cost?

The honest picture of the UK market, including the tiers we do not sell:

• £780–£1,300 — light and medium-duty bays from the trade catalogues. Bolted, lighter gauge, typically sold as starter and add-on bays. Fine for a workshop storing a few hundred kilos of timber. We do not sell at this tier, and if that is what your load calls for, the trade shelving suppliers are the better buy.
• £1,100–£1,750 — mid-range bolted cantilever. The bulk of what the racking retailers list.
• £1,290.00–£3,652.80 — our GPC range. Fully welded parallel and tapered frames, or the adjustable CR range at 250 kg per arm with 150 mm arm-height increments. Built for a working warehouse, not a garage.
• POA — engineered STOW systems. Made to order, arm lengths and load capacities specified per project, roughly 30–45 days from order confirmation.

If you are pricing a full run, do not compare starter bay to starter bay — price the run. One starter plus three extensions is a very different number from four starters.

STOW: engineered cantilever racking systems

Where the GPC ranges are fixed-configuration units you order and take, the STOW Cantilever Racking System is designed around your building. Heavy-duty uprights in a range of heights and finishes, adjustable arms in a range of lengths and load capacities that slot onto the upright, base feet and bracing for lateral stability, and accessories including end caps, load stops and beam safety locks. It is modular, so a layout can be re-configured as stock changes. Made to order: expect approximately 30–45 days from order confirmation.

Safety, inspection and the things people forget

Cantilever racking is a load-bearing structure and sits under the same duties as any other racking. Display safe working loads where operators can see them, keep a competent-person inspection routine, and act on damage rather than logging it and moving on — a struck cantilever column is worse news than a struck pallet racking upright because there is no front frame sharing the load. Our guide to warehouse racking inspection under SEMA and HSG76 covers what good looks like.

Two practical additions worth costing in at the same time: safety barriers at the ends of runs where forklifts turn, and adequate aisle width — an open-fronted rack is only as good as the room you have to present a six-metre length to it side-on. See also racking protection: upright guards and barriers.

Cantilever racking FAQs

What is cantilever racking?

Cantilever racking is a storage structure made of upright columns on base feet with horizontal arms projecting from them. There is no front upright or beam, so long loads such as timber, pipe, tube, bar, board and steel sections can be loaded from the side and stored across several arms at once. Bays are built as a starter bay and extended with extension bays that share an upright.

What are the disadvantages of cantilever racks?

Cantilever racking uses floor area less efficiently than pallet racking for short or palletised stock; loads are limited by the rating of each arm rather than the whole bay; small or loose items can slip between arms; and the frames must be fixed to the wall and floor. The GPC cantilever units we supply are also delivered welded, so a forklift is needed on site to unload them.

How much weight can a cantilever rack support?

Cantilever load ratings are quoted per arm, not per bay. The GPC adjustable CR range we supply is rated at 250 kg per arm; the fully welded GPC parallel-arm (GCR110/GCR210) and tapered-arm (GCR120/GCR220) ranges are rated at 200 kg per arm. Spread long loads across as many arms as possible and load the heaviest material at the base. STOW cantilever systems are specified per project.

How much does cantilever racking cost in the UK?

Our GPC cantilever racking runs from £1,290.00 for the CR100EX extension bay (four 1,000 mm arms, one upright) to £3,652.80 for the CR1004ST starter bay (fifteen 1,000 mm arms, three uprights), with the welded single- and double-sided parallel and tapered bays between £1,917.00 and £2,392.74, all inc. VAT as shown on each product page. Engineered STOW cantilever systems are priced per project.

Do cantilever racks need to be anchored?

Yes. The GPC cantilever racking frames have wall and floor fixing points and should be secured before loading; the fixings themselves are not included because the correct anchor depends on your floor slab and wall construction. An unfixed cantilever column loaded at height is unstable, particularly if loads are placed on the upper arms first.

Do you install cantilever racking?

No. The GPC cantilever units arrive as welded assemblies ready to position and fix in place, and a forklift is required to unload them from the delivery vehicle. STOW cantilever systems are made to order with a typical lead time of approximately 30 to 45 days from order confirmation, and are quoted with their own project scope.

What is the difference between single-sided and double-sided cantilever racking?

Single-sided cantilever racking has arms on one face of the column and is designed to stand against a wall. Double-sided racking carries arms on both faces of the same column and is used down the centre of an aisle where both sides can be reached. In the GPC parallel range the single-sided GCR110 is £1,917.00 and the double-sided GCR210 is £2,392.74; in the tapered range the GCR120 is £2,094.12 and the GCR220 is £2,233.32.

Should I choose parallel or tapered cantilever arms?

Parallel arms sit horizontally and suit flat, boxed or banded loads such as sheet material, board and packaged timber. Tapered arms angle upwards towards the tip so round and loose stock such as pipe, tube, bar and poles cannot roll forwards. Both GPC ranges fit end stops to every arm, but tapered arms give a second line of defence on rolling stock and are the safer choice for mixed loads.

What we do not sell

So you are not left guessing:

• Used and second-hand cantilever racking. We supply new only. Used cantilever can be a sound buy, but only if the arms, uprights and bracing are original matched components with their load ratings documented, and the uprights are free of impact damage — three things that are hard to verify on a mixed lot.
• Loose arms, uprights and racking spares. We sell complete bays and systems, not individual replacement arms.
• Cantilever shelving for light domestic use and wall-mounted cantilever brackets — that is a fixings-aisle purchase, not an industrial one.
• Installation. The GPC units arrive ready to position and fix; STOW systems are quoted with their own project scope.

Choosing your cantilever racking

Work through it in this order: the longest and heaviest single item you need to store, the total weight per arm and per column, whether loads are hand-placed or forklift-placed, whether stock rolls, and whether you can get at one side or both. That gives you arm length, arm rating, arm type and single or double-sided — and at that point the choice between the ranges is straightforward.

For the full technical walk-through, read our cantilever racking buying guide: arms, uprights and load ratings. To compare across systems, see our wider racking and shelving range or the pallet racking buying guide. If you are working at height above the racking, we also supply mezzanine floors.