Push-Back Pallet Rack

Push-back racking stores pallets 2 to 6 positions deep on a series of nested carts that ride on inclined rails. When you load a pallet, it pushes the one behind it back. When you remove the front pallet, gravity rolls the next one forward into picking position. This gives you much of the density of drive-in rack with the selectivity of having every SKU accessible from the aisle.

How Push-Back Rack Works

Push-back rack uses a series of nested carts sitting on slightly inclined rails inside the rack structure. The rails slope gently from front to back, with gravity doing the work of moving pallets forward.

When a forklift places a pallet on the front cart, the operator pushes it back, which rolls the cart and any pallets behind it deeper into the lane. Each pallet sits on its own cart, nested inside the one behind it. The system can hold 2 to 6 pallets deep per lane, depending on your configuration.

When the front pallet is removed, the pallet behind it rolls forward on its cart into the picking position automatically. No forklift re-entry needed. No shuffling. The forklift operator works entirely from the aisle, which is faster and safer than driving into a rack structure.

Best Use Cases for Push-Back Rack

• Warehouses with moderate SKU variety (more than drive-in, fewer than selective)
• Operations where forklift speed and throughput matter
• Facilities transitioning from selective rack that need more density without a full redesign
• Food and beverage distribution with medium-volume SKUs
• Any operation that wants drive-in density without LIFO limitations on every lane

Which Rack System Is Right for You?

Push-back rack sits between selective and drive-in in both density and selectivity. If you need access to every individual pallet, go with selective. If you need maximum density and your inventory is mostly one SKU per lane, drive-in is more cost-effective. Push-back is the right call when you need both density and SKU variety. We will help you determine the best mix.