Start thinking about using your warehouse space in a cubic sense rather than a footprint. What height do you have above you? That’s exactly where a mezzanine floor and racking really comes into play, because you can double your floor space easily, quickly, and affordably. You can get additional office, storage, retail, or production space. If you’re battling to decide between rack supported mezzanine floors vs. drive in racking, keep reading!
Rack-Supported Mezzanine Floors vs. Drive-in Racking: Definitions
Rack supported mezzanine floors are manufactured using steel and a timber deck, which acts as a platform. You access the mezzanine through a steel staircase. These can be either a very traditional steel staircase or glass balustrade staircases, depending on requirements. Any exposed edges are generally finished with a handrail. This effectively creates another floor level to add racking , as well as putting racking underneath. Either aisles are constructed between the racking rows or entire platforms are built onto the racking units themselves when using rack-supported mezzanines. It’s then easy to customise the floor with a large range of shelves and racking solutions.
Drive-in racking is a space-efficient storage system where forklifts drive directly into storage lanes to load or unload pallets. This method significantly increases storage capacity—by 60-80% compared to traditional pallet racking—by reducing the need for access aisles. If you’re comparing drive-in and drive-through racking systems, remember that both are structured as a cube, with each location representing a pallet storage space. Forklifts navigate into these lanes, guided by floor-mounted rails.
Which is Right for You?
Rather than go down the architect route and look at a traditional block-and-beam solution, they look towards a mezzanine solution because it’s really quick to install and very cost-effective. Compared to a block-and-beam solution, mezzanines have become incredibly popular over the last three to five years. Generally, when you meet somebody looking at new premises for a building, they’re assessing the square footage and trying their best to facilitate how much space they need for racking, office space, or production. People often think of it as a 2D footprint.
We really encourage people to think of their warehouse in cubic square meters rather than as a footprint. If you’ve got high ceilings available, this is where a mezzanine becomes beneficial. You can put your office, production, or storage space in the air. What that generally means is people need a smaller building than they first anticipated, which has loads of benefits. Yes, you’ve got the outlay of the mezzanine floor, but overall, it’s much cheaper long-term than paying additional rates or rent.
You’ve got to love the high-density storage you get with drive-in racking. Pallets are stored in a deep configuration, maximizing space utilisation based on building size and the number of SKUs. Your pallets rest on guide rails that span the depth of the racking, making it easy for forklifts to deposit or retrieve loads without requiring access aisles between rows. The lack of aisles is one of the biggest differences when it comes to rack support mezzanine floors vs. drive in racking.
This innovative design allows for a greater percentage of available floor space to be utilised for actual pallet storage, making it an efficient choice for warehouses and distribution centers.
Who Should You Choose?
When you’re considering a new premises or moving, get someone involved who is familiar with the system you want. At Krost Shelving and Racking, we can help you pinpoint exactly how much square metres you need for your warehouse. Compared to the cost of additional external storage or higher rates for a larger building, rack supported mezzanines are considerably cheaper.
To give a budget price off the bat is very difficult, as they are all bespoke solutions. Every warehouse and circumstance is slightly different. To get rack supported mezzanine or drive in racking prices, you need someone to understand your requirements, create a tailored design, and then provide comparisons.
The first option is to find some local companies and invite them to give you a quote. Go to town and ask the person who visits you about their experience with designing both. While the systems might seem copy and paste for the average warehouse, many of our customers have realised the skill lies in understanding your needs and designing a warehouse storage system that is as inconspicuous to the operation as possible.
A good designer will try to hide the columns or position them cleverly so no one clashes with them. For example, they might position columns in the corners of rooms or use tricks like leaving beams exposed when needed. Invite companies in, but don’t just choose based on their website. Ask the designer about their experience, previous designs, and how they demonstrate competence.
Designing rack supported mezzanines becomes more complicated than drive in racking when incorporating other aspects, such as partitioning, air conditioning, sprinkler systems, or lighting. This is where engaging racking experts in South Africa with an understanding of all these aspects is crucial. We offer a principal designer to oversee the pre-construction phase and ensure everything works together. Then one of our team oversees the various trades involved on-site to get you set up.
Conclusion
If you’re looking at rack support mezzanine floors vs. drive in racking for your business, we’d be delighted to help. We have expertise in shelving and racking in storage, production, and warehouse offices. We’ll visit your premises, listen to your needs, and provide a full design and itemized quote. We’ll help you get the best value for money and, more importantly, the best solution for your company.
