Cantilevered Shelving

Cantilever Shelving Systems: What You Need to Know

Cantilevered shelving and light-duty cantilever racks can be found in grocery stores, kitchens, storage rooms, and display areas. These shelves are used for many applications, from holding bulky goods and storing boxes of product to displaying food for sale and expanding the work surface in a kitchen. They have a simple design that utilizes the forces of compression and extension to support loads without additional uprights or balusters.

Common Questions About Cantilevered Shelving

What is a cantilever shelf?

Cantilever shelving systems differ from traditional shelving because they're only supported from one side. This design enables flexible use and simplified adjustments if the shelves need to be relocated or reconfigured. The lack of forward vertical supports also means there are no barriers to get in the operator's way or impede access to tools, work surfaces, or products during use.

How do cantilever shelves work?

Cantilevered shelving redistributes load weight backward through its horizontal surface and downward through the vertical supports and base, enabling the shelves to support significant amounts of weight. This redistribution of force is what prevents the shelving from bending or breaking, even though it has no front supports. Because of this design, light-duty cantilever racks and shelves are completely unobstructed from the front and sides, easing loading and unloading and making the shelves suitable for holding long, bulky, or awkward items.

What are the parts of a cantilever shelf?

Several components work together to make up the structure and support of cantilever racks and shelves. These components are often designed to be taken apart and put back together in various configurations, enabling users to adapt storage and work spaces to changing business needs. Below, some basic parts of a cantilever shelving setup are defined.

• A base provides a stable foundation for the shelf or rack and helps distribute the unit's weight horizontally along the ground, supporting the uprights and increasing the unit's stability.
• Vertical supports, also known as upright columns or uprights, absorb load pressure from shelves and racks, keeping them stable.
• Bracing connects vertical uprights to each other, adding strength and stability to the entire shelving unit.
• Arms project from the upright columns, creating support for the shelves.
• Decking, also called shelves or shelf plates, rest atop the arms, providing a level platform on which to load product.
• In some structures, arms and decks are fixed together as a single piece; these are also typically called shelves.