Rack Protection
Rack protection is everything between your forklifts and your rack columns — guard rails, column protectors, end-of-aisle barriers, bollards, and bumpers. It's the cheapest insurance policy in a warehouse. A $50 column protector can prevent a $5,000 rack repair and an even more expensive inventory loss or injury.
Learn more about rack protection ↓Rack Protection Suppliers (54)
A-Lined Handling Systems
A-Lined Handling Systems is a turnkey material handling integrator and authorized Steel King distributor serving Connecticut and the Northeast.
A-SAFE INC
A-SAFE manufactures industrial safety barriers guardrails and rack protection systems using their patented all-polymer three-layered design. Their rack protection line includes RackGuard leg protectors and rack end barriers plus the RackEye active monitoring technology.
Atlanta Warehouse Solutions
Founded 2015, offers warehouse racking, mezzanines, conveyors, design/layout, installation, and rack safety audits.
Bluff Manufacturing
Bluff Manufacturing is a leading manufacturer of yard ramps dock boards levelers and warehouse safety products. They design engineer and manufacture custom solutions at their Fort Worth TX facility with over 80 years in business.
Cogan Wire & Metal Products
Cogan is a Canadian manufacturer of industrial storage and safety products with over a century of history. They produce mezzanines cantilever racking guardrails wire mesh partitions and storage lockers from their 100000+ sq ft facility with a network of dealers throughout North America.
Custom Equipment Company
Family-owned authorized distributor of industrial material handling, storage, and packaging equipment serving businesses across the US for over 40 years. Carries a wide range of warehouse racking, shelving, dock equipment, containers, and safety products from major manufacturers.
Damotech, Inc.
Damotech is North America's largest end-to-end warehouse safety partner specializing in pallet rack repair protection and inspection. They manufacture engineered rack repair kits and protection products with a manufacturing facility in Moberly MO.
Durham Manufacturing Company
Durham Manufacturing has been producing industrial storage and material handling solutions since 1922. They manufacture storage cabinets shelving racks carts workbenches and safety products at their Durham CT facility.
EGA Products, Inc.
Greystone Equipment Company
Leader in material handling and storage equipment specializing in pallet racking, industrial storage solutions, and warehouse design for the greater Philadelphia region. Provides professional installation, warehouse layout consultation, and system dismantling services.
Gulf Coast Material Handling
Gulf Coast Material Handling distributes pallet rack and warehouse equipment serving Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region.
Hallowell
Hallowell has been manufacturing quality storage products since 1903 as a division of List Industries. They produce industrial shelving steel cabinets lockers workbenches and guardrail safety products all made in America.
Hassel Material Handling
Distributor of material handling systems, equipment, supplies, and ergonomic products for industrial applications. Established in 1968, they serve the upper Midwest with competitive pricing on pallet racking, shelving, mezzanines, and safety products.
Heartland Steel Products
Husky Rack & Wire
IKG
Illinois Engineered Products, Inc. (IEP)
Illinois Engineered Products manufactures and distributes steel folding gates for security, safety and access control. Permanently mounted gates secure loading docks, lift-up doors, and storefronts. Portable gates control access and pedestrian traffic in hallways, elevator bays, schools, and institutions and can be rolled away not in use. IEP also produces a Hybrid gate model with twice the amount of steel as traditional heavy-duty gates for the ultimate in security and stability.
Lean Materials Inc
Material handling consulting and warehouse solutions provider specializing in pallet racking supply installation and rack protection products.
Liftrucks ETC
Material handling equipment dealer providing forklifts, warehouse racking, shelving, and dock equipment across Idaho and Utah. Acquired by Dillon Toyota Lift in 2024, offering complete warehouse solutions including racking design and installation.
Material Handling Exchange
McCue Corporation
McCue designs and manufactures over 2800 safety protection products including rack protection guard rails column guards and crash-tested bollards. They hold 85+ patents and design all products in-house at their Danvers MA headquarters.
McGee Storage & Handling
Licensed general contractor and full-service material handling provider since 1972 selling new and used warehouse products.
MTAC Industrial Solutions
MTAC Industrial Solutions (now Upright Warehouse Solutions) specializes in pallet rack repair, installation, and inspections with engineered repair kit lines.
Mustang Material Handling
Ohio-based warehouse equipment dealer stocking new and used pallet racking systems with installation and repair services.
NPSG Global
Omega Industrial Products, Inc.
Omega Industrial has been innovating industrial guard systems for over 30 years. They manufacture engineered mezzanine systems safety barriers and protection products from their Saukville WI facility.
Pacific Bend Inc.
Pacific Bend is a wholesale distributor of pallet rack wire deck and warehouse accessories based in the western US.
Pallet Rack Surplus
Full-service material handling provider specializing in new and used pallet racking with surplus buying and liquidation services.
PS Industries Incorporated
Rack Express
Rack Express is a national distributor of new pallet rack systems and accessories providing quick-ship warehouse storage solutions.
RackandShelf.com
Rack and Shelf is a national distributor of pallet rack shelving and warehouse storage equipment with fast shipping and competitive prices.
Richmond Rack
Virginia-based supplier of new and used warehouse equipment with over 20000 pieces of inventory.
Ros America Rack Repair
Specialized warehouse rack repair company using a patented DEKRA-certified hydraulic restoration system that can save up to 80 percent versus full rack replacement.
Sentry Protection Products
US manufacturer of impact-resistant warehouse protection products including Column Sentry column protectors, Rack Sentry rack guards, Collision Sentry warning systems, corner guards, and beam bumpers.
Shelving Inc.
Shelving Inc offers industrial shelving pallet rack and warehouse storage solutions at competitive prices with fast shipping nationwide.
Southwest Warehouse Solutions
Established warehouse solutions provider since 1989 offering pallet racking shelving mezzanines dock equipment conveyors with full design engineering and installation services.
SpaceGuard Products
US manufacturer of wire mesh partitions, security cages, BeastWire pallet rack safety panels, rack backing and doors, Centurion rack repair kits, and machine guarding systems. MHI member.
SpaceRak
SpaceRak, a brand of Heartland Steel Products, manufactures engineered steel storage rack systems with 100% welded uprights from facilities in Marysville MI and Lodi CA. Traces roots to Eugene Welding Company (1945).
Speedrack Midwest
Full-service material handling distributor since 1984 selling new and used pallet rack wire deck shelving and safety equipment with installation inspection repair and liquidation services.
SPG International, LLC
Steel King Industries
Steel King Industries is a leading single-source manufacturer of structural steel storage racks and material handling products. Founded in 1970 they manufacture all products in the USA using only US steel.
Storage & Ergonomic Equipment Company
Supplies pallet racks, cantilever racks, wire shelving, mezzanines, and modular offices. Provides rack repair and installation services across PA, NJ, DE, and MD.
The Rack Guys Inc
South Florida warehouse equipment dealer offering new and used pallet racks steel shelving cantilever and dock equipment with installation relocation and repair services.
TP Company
National distributor of industrial storage and material handling equipment selling new used and reconditioned pallet rack shelving and accessories since 1979.
UpRight Warehouse Solutions
Specializes in pallet rack repair, inspections, and turnkey warehouse installations. Patented modular repair kits that work under load. Over 25 years of experience serving Fortune 500 clients.
Vestil Manufacturing
Vestil Manufacturing produces over 1000 different material handling product lines from their 1 million+ sq ft facility in Angola IN. Founded in 1957 they manufacture dock equipment lifting equipment carts and storage solutions.
W.W. Cannon LLC
Dallas-based material handling solutions provider offering warehouse equipment supply installation design and repair services.
Warehouse Design
Full-service material handling solutions provider offering new and used storage systems with turnkey design installation and rack repair services.
Welch Equipment Company
One of the largest material handling dealers in the Mountain West. Provides pallet rack design, installation, inspection, repair, and teardown services from their Denver location.
Western Storage and Handling
Sells, installs, and services pallet rack, mezzanines, conveyors, and storage systems across the continental US. Operates from Denver and Colorado Springs locations.
Wildeck, Inc.
Wildeck is an employee-owned manufacturer of industrial mezzanines work platforms vertical lifts and warehouse safety products. Founded in 1974 they manufacture all products in the USA at their Waukesha WI facility.
WireCrafters
Leading US manufacturer of woven and welded wire partitions, pallet rack guarding, machine guarding, tenant storage cages, and driver access cages. Based in Louisville, KY with over 50 years in business.
Worldwide Material Handling Products, LLC
Worldwide Material Handling provides warehouse pallet racking parts and accessories at competitive prices. They specialize in wire mesh decking rack protection products and industrial storage accessories from their Romeoville IL facility.
WPRP Wholesale Pallet Rack Products
WPRP is a wholesale distributor of pallet rack wire decking shelving and warehouse safety products with shipping locations across the United States.
When to Choose Rack Protection
- ✓You operate forklifts or powered equipment anywhere near rack
- ✓Your rack has existing impact damage (protect it from getting worse)
- ✓High-traffic intersections where aisles cross near rack ends
- ✓Insurance or safety audits have flagged unprotected rack columns
- ✓You're installing new rack and want to prevent damage from day one
Key Specs to Ask About
- •Guard type (column protector, row-end guard, guide rail, bollard, rack netting)
- •Impact rating (expressed in pounds of force at a given speed)
- •Installation method (bolt-down, drop-over, wedge-fit)
- •Material (steel, polymer, rubber — each absorbs impact differently)
- •Height of protection (should match the likely impact zone of your equipment)
- •Visibility (high-vis yellow or safety orange for maximum awareness)
Common Applications
- •End-of-aisle rack protection (where cross-traffic turns into rack rows)
- •Column protectors on ground-level uprights in every aisle
- •Guide rails along drive-in and push back rack entry lanes
- •Bollard posts protecting building columns and fire suppression risers
- •Rack-mounted safety netting to prevent items from falling into aisles
How It Compares
| Factor | Rack Protection | Rack Repair |
|---|---|---|
| Timing | Preventive — installed before damage occurs | Reactive — applied after damage happens |
| Purpose | Absorb forklift impacts to prevent column damage | Restore damaged columns to original capacity |
| Cost per upright | $15-$100 (column protectors) | $200-$500 (repair kits installed) |
| ROI | Prevents $500-$3,000 repair or replacement costs | Saves $500-$2,500 vs. full column replacement |
Protection prevents damage. Repair fixes it. You want both. Install protectors on day one, especially at row ends and high-traffic intersections. When damage happens anyway (it will), repair kits restore the column without the cost and downtime of full replacement.
Buyer Tips
Protect your most vulnerable points first: end-of-aisle uprights and the first column on each side of an aisle entry. These take 90% of all forklift hits.
Steel column protectors absorb more impact than plastic ones but can transfer some force to the floor slab. If your slab is thin or post-tensioned, polymer protectors may be safer.
Drop-over protectors are faster to install and replace than bolt-down models. In high-damage areas, speed of replacement matters.
Don't forget overhead protection. Rack netting or wire mesh panels on upper levels prevent loose items from falling into pedestrian walkways.
The average warehouse forklift causes 1-2 rack impacts per week. Most are minor, but they accumulate. A column that's been hit 10 times at low speed can be as compromised as one hit once at high speed.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the most important rack protection to install first?
Do column protectors actually prevent damage?
How often should rack protection be inspected?
Is rack protection required by OSHA?
A forklift going just 5 mph hits a rack column with roughly 14,000 lbs of force — about the same impact as a Honda Civic at 30 mph.
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