Wiredeck Buying Guide

Instead of pallet support bars, many warehouse operators elect to use wiredecking. Every wiredeck buying guide includes information on these highly popular pallet rack system accessories. Wire decks provide great load support for pallets and also act as a net to help prevent items from falling in between the parallel beams of the pallet racks. Wire decks come with a two-and-a-half-by-four-inch mesh of steel wire which is welded to either of 2 basic types of channel supports – flared or step.

These channel supports are how you can distinguish between the 2 most popular wire decks – the step deck and the flared deck. The flared wire deck also known as the universal deck has a flared channel support design that makes it compatible with both step and box beams. The step wire decks are designed specifically for step beams to give a snug and extra supported deck surface. They are not compatible with box beams so please be aware of that. Also, when ordering wire decks please remember that depth always comes first, and width follows second. For example, a 42″ X 46″ step wire deck is 42-inches wide and 46-inch deep.

Wire Mesh Pattern

Most wire decks made in the past 20 years feature a 2″ x 4″, 2.5″ x 4″ or 2.5″ x 4.5″ grid pattern. Sometimes you may see higher density grids, but these are usually made for applications that required hand stacking or storing small materials.

Waterfalls

The term “waterfall” is used to refer to the end(s) of the deck that hangs below the deck’s surface. Waterfalls provide additional protection to wire decks by making them more resistant to coming off of the pallet rack unexpectedly. The accepted industry standard for waterfall height is 1.5 inches. A shorter waterfall may be warranted where labels or barcodes are needed on the rack’s beam face. Waterfalls can also be turned up to provide a backstop on a pallet shelf. Front and rear waterfalls can even be mixed so that one is up and the opposite is down.

Flush Decks

The flush fit wiredecks are designed with a flat flush edge where the end wire comes in contact with the inside of the step beam. The face of the beam remains clear for bar-code labeling, making it a popular choice for lower-level hand stacking and order picking applications. The flush deck doesn’t have edges that could catch on an employee’s hands, making it a safe choice. If your racking is 42″ deep (42″ from outside to outside of each beam level) you will still need a 42″ deep deck however the deck’s depth will only be 38.25″ deep – or approximately the depth of the inside of the steps of the beams.

Flared Channel Decks

Wire decking with flared channel supports has a universal fit that works with box beams, structural beams & even standard 1-5/8” step beams! Our wire decking for racks is designed to work with just about any pallet rack beam! Our newly designed flared wire decking has our exclusive flared channels with pressed ridges for added strength and rigidity. Our unique flared channels offer more than 2500 LBS capacity (evenly distributed loads) per shelf level. Our flared channel wire decks come standard with an attractive gray powder coat finish.

Support Channels

On the underside of each wire deck, support channels are welded to the bottom of the mesh surface. These channels give wiredeck buying guides rigidity and load-bearing capacity. Typically, wire decking uses three or four support channels and supports up to 2,500 lbs. Step channels provide more strength than flanged channels, however, each has its own advantages.