Pallet Racking Types — APR, Drive-In, Push-Back, Cantilever

The most common system in the UK — selective access to every pallet, easy to inspect, well understood failure modes (upright impacts, beam deflection, missing safety pins).

High-density LIFO storage. Inspections focus on rail damage, upright base impacts, and bracing integrity — drive-in racking is more sensitive to MHE impacts than APR.

Dynamic systems with rollers or carts. Inspections add wear-component checks (rollers, brakes, retainers) on top of the standard structural audit.

Used with man-up trucks and wire guidance. Floor flatness, guide rails and beam-end protectors are critical inspection points.

For long loads — timber, tubing, profiles. Inspected to a separate SEMA cantilever inspection methodology.

High-density APR on motorised bases. Adds electrical, photocell and brake inspections to the structural check.

Whatever system you run, the legal duties are the same — see what HSE expects from racking inspections. Every type is checked to the same three-tier regime: day-to-day observation by staff, weekly visual checks by a trained PRRS, and an annual expert inspection. Our free SEMA racking inspection checklist covers the structural checks common to every system, and each type adds its own focus on top.

One point of terminology worth knowing: racking inspections can only ever be described as SEMA-aligned, never SEMA approved — SEMA does not approve inspection companies, reports or training.