UK pallet racking is sized around two pallets: the 1200 × 1000 mm UK pallet and the 1200 × 800 mm Euro pallet. A typical bay uses 1100 mm deep upright frames, a 2700 mm clear beam length (three Euro pallets or two UK pallets stored 1200 mm wide) and frame heights set by your truck's lift height and the building's clear height.

Those figures are a starting point, not a rule. This guide explains where each standard dimension comes from, which clearances sit inside it, and what we need from you to draw a layout that fits your pallets, your trucks and your building.

Which pallet sizes is UK racking designed around?

UK racking is designed first for the pallet, so the dimensions start there. ISO 6780 lists six principal pallet plan sizes for intercontinental handling, including 1200 × 800 mm and 1200 × 1000 mm, with a manufacturing tolerance of +3 mm and −6 mm on plan dimensions (ISO, ISO 6780:2003). In UK warehouses the two you meet most are the UK pallet at 1200 × 1000 mm and the Euro pallet at 1200 × 800 mm.

The EPAL Euro pallet is 1200 × 800 × 144 mm and weighs around 25 kg, while the EPAL 2 pallet is 1200 × 1000 × 162 mm and weighs around 35 kg (EPAL). Pallet height matters as much as plan size, because it feeds straight into beam level spacing. If you handle both types, read our guide to sizing racking for UK and Euro pallets before fixing a frame depth.

Pallet	Plan size (mm)	Typical frame depth (mm)	Typical face to aisle (mm)
UK pallet, stored 1200 deep	1200 × 1000	1100	1000
UK pallet, stored 1000 deep	1200 × 1000	900	1200
Euro pallet, stored 1200 deep	1200 × 800	1100	800
Euro pallet, stored 800 deep	1200 × 800	1100 with support bars	1200

Frame depths in the table are typical values; confirm them against your pallet condition and truck.

How deep should the upright frames be?

Frame depth is normally 100 mm less than the pallet depth, so a 1200 mm deep pallet sits on an 1100 mm deep frame. That gives roughly 50 mm of overhang at the front and back, which lets the truck place the pallet without the forks hitting the beam and keeps the pallet's bottom boards sitting across both beams.

Too little overhang and pallet boards can drop between the beams if a load is placed off-centre. Too much and the pallet bends between beams or hangs into the flue space at the back. Where pallets are short, weak or stored the "wrong" way round, we add pallet support bars or mesh decking rather than squeezing the frame. Our pallet racking upright frames are made to the depth on your layout drawing, so a non-standard depth is a drawing change rather than a special order.

Which beam length do you need?

Beam length is set by pallet width across the face plus the side clearances between pallets and between pallet and upright. The common UK lengths come straight from that arithmetic: three 800 mm Euro pallets plus four clearances of about 75 mm makes 2700 mm, and two UK pallets stored 1200 mm wide plus three gaps of about 100 mm also makes 2700 mm.

BS EN 15620:2021 sets the tolerances, deformations and clearances for single deep adjustable pallet racking used with industrial trucks, and it also covers drive-in and cantilever racking (BSI, BS EN 15620:2021). The standard ties clearances to the height of the beam level and the class of operation, so the gaps at a high level are larger than at the first beam. In practice a layout often uses one beam length throughout and sizes the clearance for the worst case.

Longer beams carry less per level for the same section, and they deflect more. If you want four pallets on one level, the beam section gets deeper and the bay load goes up. Our guide on working out beam capacity explains how span and load trade off. You can see the beam sections we make on our pallet racking beams page.

How high can pallet racking go?

Racking height is limited by whichever of four things runs out first: the lift height of your truck, the clear height of the building, the clearance needed below sprinklers and lights, and the capacity of the frame. The top beam must sit low enough for the truck to place a pallet with clearance above it, and the top of the load must stay clear of sprinkler heads, light fittings and roof members.

As typical values, counterbalance trucks in UK warehouses often work to around 4–6 m, reach trucks commonly to 8–11 m, and very narrow aisle trucks higher still. Your truck's data sheet gives the exact maximum lift height and the residual capacity at that height, which is often lower than the rated capacity at floor level. Our article on aisle widths for each forklift type covers how the truck choice also fixes the aisle.

Taller frames also need a sensible height-to-depth ratio, and runs that are tall and single-sided may need tying to the building or to each other. That is a design check the engineer does for each layout; it is not something to guess from a catalogue.

How is beam level spacing worked out?

Beam level spacing is the loaded pallet height plus the clearance above the load plus the beam depth. A 1500 mm loaded pallet, a typical 100 mm top clearance and a 120 mm deep beam gives a pitch of about 1720 mm, rounded to the hole pitch of the upright, which is typically 50 mm or 75 mm depending on the profile.

Two things often get missed. First, the clearance above the load generally increases with height, so a layout with equal pitches may need a slightly larger gap at the top. Second, the first beam level and the spacing between levels affect the frame's capacity, because they set the unsupported length of the upright. Moving beams later is allowed only within the limits on your load notice and the supplier's guidance; a large change in spacing can reduce the safe bay load.

How far apart are back-to-back runs?

Back-to-back runs are joined with row spacers that keep a set gap between the two rows, typically in the range of 150–300 mm. The gap stops pallets on one side pushing into the other side's loads, keeps the two runs acting together and leaves a longitudinal flue space.

Flue spaces matter for fire. If your building has in-rack or roof sprinklers, the sprinkler designer and your insurer may set minimum transverse and longitudinal flue widths, and the racking layout must keep them open. The Home Office guidance on fire risk assessment for factories and warehouses is the place to start (GOV.UK). We supply row spacers to the length the layout needs.

What dimensions should you send for a quote?

Send the information that fixes the dimensions, and the drawing follows from it. For an accurate layout we ask for:

• pallet plan size, type, loaded height and maximum weight;
• a building plan with columns, doors, docks, fire exits and any floor drains or joints;
• clear height to the lowest obstruction, including sprinklers, lights and roof steel;
• the truck make, model and data sheet, including lift height and aisle width figure;
• how many pallet positions you want now and later.

HSE guidance in HSG76 says racking should be installed by competent people following the manufacturer's instructions (HSE, HSG76), and the SEMA design code or BS EN 15512 sets how the design itself is checked (SEMA). We send load tables with every order and test reports on request. The wider range is on our pallet racking page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common pallet racking size in the UK?

As a typical value, the most common bay is 1100 mm deep frames with 2700 mm clear beams. That holds three Euro pallets or two UK pallets stored 1200 mm wide per level, and frame heights vary with the building and truck.

Can I store UK and Euro pallets in the same racking?

Yes, if both are stored 1200 mm deep on 1100 mm frames, because the depth is the same. The beam length and clearances must suit the widest arrangement, and the load notice must show the permitted loads for each.

How much clearance should there be above a pallet?

A typical figure at low levels is around 75–100 mm, increasing at higher beam levels. BS EN 15620 sets the clearances by height and class, and your truck's performance at height may need more.

Can I change beam heights after installation?

Only within the limits on the load notice and the supplier's guidance. Changing level spacing can reduce frame capacity, so check with the supplier before moving beams and unload the bay first.

Sources

• ISO: ISO 6780:2003 Flat pallets for intercontinental materials handling
• EPAL: EPAL Euro pallet
• EPAL: EPAL 2 pallet
• BSI: BS EN 15620:2021 Tolerances, deformations and clearances
• SEMA: Racking design code
• HSE: HSG76 Warehousing and storage, a guide to health and safety
• GOV.UK: Fire safety risk assessment, factories and warehouses