Pallet Rack / Pallet Rack Safety Netting

Pallet Rack Safety Netting

Back-of-rack, flue-space and pick-face netting that keeps cartons and pallet loads from falling into aisles, walkways and work areas. Extruded polypropylene grid, knotted nylon panels, modular clip-in netting and engineered rack net systems — supplied and installed nationwide from Salt Lake City.

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Orange pallet rack safety netting installed between rows of loaded pallet racking

1,300

lb/ft tensile, heavy-duty grid

2,500

lb load rating, nylon net panels

4

Netting materials stocked

0°F

Cold-storage rated grid

What Pallet Rack Safety Netting Does

Installer on a lift attaching black safety netting to the back of pallet racking at a Salt Lake City distribution warehouse — Netting a loaded rack run from a lift on the back aisle — a Salt Lake City healthcare distribution warehouse

Almost everything that falls out of a pallet rack falls out the back. A driver sets a pallet a few inches too deep, the load behind it shifts, and a carton goes over the far beam into whatever is on the other side — a pick aisle, a walkway, an office wall, a sprinkler riser, or a person. Pallet rack safety netting is the passive control for that failure: a tensioned mesh barrier across the open face of the bay that catches the load instead of the floor.

It is deliberately unglamorous engineering. There is nothing to power, nothing to remember, and no rack modification — roll goods trim with tin snips and hang on cable ties, panels and modules clip to the uprights. That is why netting is usually the lowest-cost meaningful safety upgrade available on an existing rack system, and why it is the first thing we specify when a customer tells us product has come off the back of a run.

What netting is not is a fall-protection system or a structural repair. It contains stored goods vertically. It does not stop pallet push-through on its own, it will not hold a rack up, and it must never be used as a horizontal catch net. Where impact and push-through are the real problem, steel is the answer — see pallet rack backing and rack guards and column protectors.

Catches cartons and loads pushed off the back of a bay before they reach a walkway
Installs on loaded rack, bay by bay, with no beam or upright modification
Available in rolls, made-to-size panels, or tool-free clip-in modules
Rated by tensile strength per foot (grid) or total load rating (net panels)
Trims around sprinkler drops, lights and flue spaces without losing strength

What the Standards Actually Say

There is no code line that reads “pallet rack shall be netted.” What the regulations require is that stored material not create a hazard, and that people be protected from objects falling from higher levels. Netting is how most warehouses meet that on a rack run they cannot barricade.

Reference	Subject	What it requires
OSHA 29 CFR 1910.176(b)	Secure storage	Storage of material shall not create a hazard; material stored in tiers must be stacked, blocked, interlocked and limited in height so it is stable and secure against sliding or collapse. This is the general-industry hook inspectors reach for on falling-product hazards in racking.
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.501(c)	Protection from falling objects	Requires toeboards, screens or guardrail systems, a canopy, or a barricaded exclusion zone to keep objects from falling to lower levels. Netting is the practical screen in a rack aisle where you cannot barricade the floor.
OSHA 29 CFR 1926.555(a)(5)	Conveyors over work areas	Where a conveyor passes over work areas, aisles or thoroughfares, suitable guards must protect employees working below — the reason conveyor guard netting is specified on pick modules.
ANSI A10.11	Personnel and debris nets	Traffic and workers are not permitted beneath a work area unless protected from falling objects; where personnel nets are used they must be lined with debris netting of a mesh size and strength sufficient to contain tools and materials.
NFPA 13 / sprinkler design	Flue space and obstruction	In-rack storage arrangements depend on clear transverse and longitudinal flue spaces. Any netting in or near a flue must be installed so it does not obstruct sprinkler discharge — which is why offset brackets, not a net stretched through the flue, are the normal specification.

We do not sell compliance — we sell guarding

No netting product certifies you as OSHA compliant, and nobody can promise that on your behalf. What netting does is give you a documented engineering control for a recognized hazard, which is a far better position in an inspection or an incident review than a barricade tape and a policy. Your authority having jurisdiction and your sprinkler design have the final say on what goes in a given aisle, and we build the guarding layout around both.

Types of Pallet Rack Safety Netting

Standard polypropylene netting, heavy-duty debris netting and fire-retardant netting panels side by side — Standard poly grid, heavy-duty debris mesh and fire-retardant netting compared

Four materials cover essentially every rack guarding job, and they are not interchangeable. The question is always the same: what is the heaviest thing that could come off this bay, what is the smallest thing that could come off it, and does anyone need to reach through the guarded face?

Loose cartons and mixed cases in a reserve bay are a job for extruded polypropylene grid. Full pallet loads over a pedestrian route are a job for a load-rated net panel or an engineered rack net. A pick face somebody works at all day wants modular netting that lifts out, or steel mesh that can take the abuse. Colors are practical too: high-visibility orange and yellow mark a guarded zone clearly, while black recedes in a customer-facing space.

Black extruded polypropylene rack guard netting cable-tied across the back of an orange pallet rack bay

Extruded Polypropylene Grid (RackGuard)The most common choice for back-of-rack containment. The extruded joint structure holds its aperture instead of sagging, is UV stabilized, and will not unravel if a strand or joint is cut. Standard duty carries 850 lb per foot tensile strength and heavy duty 1,300 lb per foot, both in a nominal 1-1/2″ × 1-1/8″ mesh. It is trimmed on site with tin snips or wire cutters and hung with cable ties — no rack modification.

Knotted nylon rack guard net cable-tied to a yellow pallet rack beam in front of stacked cartons

Knotted Nylon Net PanelsPre-sized net panels made from 100% nylon mesh with a 5/16″ poly rope binding on all four edges, flame resistant, and rated to a 2,500 lb load in the 4″ square mesh version. Stock panels cover a single or double bay (8′ × 8′3″ and 8′ × 12′3″) and ship with the zip ties needed to hang them. Best where full pallet loads — not loose cartons — are the falling hazard.

Cargo-style safety net holding a stack of cartons on a pallet rack bay

Modular Polyester Netting & Rack StrapsBay-width net modules in 100% polyester (240 g/m², 5 cm × 5 cm knotless mesh, 1,600 lb burst strength for the netting-plus-hardware assembly) that clip to teardrop or slotted uprights with no tools. They tile vertically and horizontally, so a bay can be guarded level by level and a single module can be removed for access instead of cutting a net.

Welded wire mesh rack backing panels bolted to the rear of tall pallet racking

Welded Wire Mesh Rack BackingNot netting, but the same job in steel. Bolt-on woven or welded mesh panels resist forklift and pallet impact, take repeated pallet push-through, and are the right answer where the back of the rack faces a public aisle, a fire-rated wall or a pick module people work in all day. See pallet rack backing for panel options.

Not sure which netting your rack needs?

Send us the bay dimensions, what is stored in the bay, and what is on the other side of the rack. We will come back with the material, the mounting hardware and an installed price — or lay the whole rack system out with you in our free 3D designer.

Request a Netting Quote Open the Pallet Rack Designer Call (800) 326-4403

Netting Specifications & Stock Sizes

Representative stocked products and engineered systems. Grid goods are rated by tensile strength per foot of material; net panels and engineered systems carry a total load or burst rating. Custom-cut sizes are available on all of the roll goods and are usually worth it — factory cutting removes most of the on-site labor.

Product	Material	Mesh	Rating	Stock size	Typical use
Standard-duty plastic grid (OB1101)	Oriented polypropylene, black	1-1/2″ × 1-1/8″	850 lb per foot tensile	Master rolls 10′, 13′ or 16′ wide × 225′	General back-of-rack containment for cartons and loose goods
Heavy-duty plastic grid (OB1201)	Oriented polypropylene, black	1-1/2″ × 1-1/8″	1,300 lb per foot tensile	Master roll 12.9′ × 164′	Heavier cartons, high-throughput bays, taller rack
Fine security barrier (XB1132)	Diamond polyethylene	1/2″ diamond	360 lb per foot tensile	Rolls up to 4′ wide	Shelf and bin dividers, small-parts containment, security screens
Nylon net panel, single bay (WB0400)	100% nylon, 5/16″ rope binding	4″ square	2,500 lb load rating	8′ × 8′3″ panel, 34 zip ties included	Full pallet loads on one bay
Nylon net panel, double bay (WB0400)	100% nylon, 5/16″ rope binding	4″ square	2,500 lb load rating	8′ × 12′3″ panel, 42 zip ties included	Full pallet loads across two bays
Modular polyester net module	100% polyester, 240 g/m²	5 cm × 5 cm knotless	1,600 lb burst (assembly)	60″ high modules for 8′–12′ bays	Tool-free, tileable guarding you can remove for access
Engineered rack net system (WebNet)	High-tension synthetic mesh, optional liner	Web straps with optional mesh liner	2,500 lb load rating	Flush-mount or offset, made to your bay	Low-deflection pallet containment and guarded flue spaces
Front-of-rack sliding net	High-strength synthetic mesh on guide cables	Synthetic mesh	1,500 lb containment capacity	Single or multi-bay, horizontally actuating	Pick modules that need the pick face guarded but accessible

Choosing Between Netting, Mesh and Straps

Consideration	Netting (grid or panel)	Welded wire mesh backing	Rack safety straps
What it stops	Cartons and loads falling off the open face of a bay	The same, plus repeated pallet and forklift impact	Pallet push-through at each beam level
Installed cost	Lowest	Highest	Low
Retrofit on loaded rack	Easy — ties or clips, no hardware on roll goods	Possible, but panels and brackets need working room	Easy — hooks into the uprights
Access through the guarded face	Modular netting lifts out; roll goods must be cut	Panels unbolt	Straps unhook
Small-parts containment	Yes, with a fine mesh or liner	Yes, with a small mesh opening	No — straps stop pallets, not loose items
Impact durability	Moderate — replace damaged sections	High	Moderate; webbing is replaceable
Where we specify it	Reserve bays, flue spaces, aisles and walkways behind rack	Public-facing aisles, fire-rated walls, pick modules, heavy traffic	Push-through prevention on pick faces and narrow flues

Where Rack Netting Belongs

Walk the back side of every rack run in the building and ask what is on the other side. These four situations account for most of the netting we install.

Safety netting on the back side of a pallet rack bay containing stacked cartons

Back of Single-Row RackThe classic application. When a forklift sets a pallet onto the beams, cartons at the back get pushed off the far side. Netting the full bay height turns that into a caught load instead of a falling one — critical wherever the rear of the rack faces a wall, an office, electrical panels or plumbing.

Worker walking a warehouse aisle beside pallet racking protected by safety netting

Pedestrian Aisles & Work AreasAnywhere people walk, pick or work beside or under elevated storage. Netting is a passive control: it works on the shift when someone forgets, and it keeps a dropped carton from reaching a walkway. Pair it with striped walkway markings and end-of-row column guards.

Safety netting installed across a pallet rack bay next to a warehouse dock

Flue Spaces & Back-to-Back RowsIn back-to-back rack, product pushed through one row lands in the flue space or in the pick aisle on the other side. Offset-mount netting guards the flue while keeping the transverse and longitudinal flue space your sprinkler design requires clear of obstruction.

Worker on a warehouse mezzanine walkway beside a full-height safety net

Mezzanines, Pick Modules & Conveyor LinesOn elevated platforms and pick modules the same netting is used behind rack and along guardrail kick plates to stop small parts from dropping to the level below. Front-of-rack sliding and elevating net systems keep access on the pick face without leaving the bay open.

How Pallet Rack Netting Is Installed

Installer kneeling on a pallet rack beam cable-tying safety netting to the frame — Cable-tying the net to the beam — ties every four to six inches, tensioned by hand as the crew works down the frame

Rolled rack guard is one of the few warehouse safety products a maintenance crew can genuinely install themselves. The tools are tin snips or wire cutters, a bag of cable ties, and safe access to the back of the rack. The two things crews get wrong are tension and tie spacing — a loose net deflects far enough into the aisle to defeat the point, and ties spaced a foot apart let a carton work its way out between them.

A cable-tie tool that tensions and flush-cuts the tie head saves real time on a long run, and UV-stabilized ties are worth the small premium anywhere daylight reaches the rack. In coolers and freezers, switch to stainless steel ties.

Lay Out the Roll

Unroll the rack guard on the floor parallel to the rack run and cut it to the bay length plus a wrap allowance. Confirm the guard height against the top of the load, not the top of the upright.

Secure the Top Edge

Lift one end to the top beam of the bay, wrap the net around the beam and tie it off. The top edge carries the load, so this is where ties are placed closest together.

Work Down the Frame

Tension the net by hand as you go and tie it to each beam and upright, placing ties every four to six inches. A slack net deflects into the aisle when it takes a hit.

Tie Off the Verticals

Secure both vertical edges to the uprights so cartons cannot slip out the side of the bay, and close any gap between adjacent net sections.

Trim and Inspect

Trim the excess with tin snips or wire cutters — the extruded grid keeps its integrity when cut — then walk both sides of the run and confirm no sprinkler head, light or flue space is obstructed.

Get the hardware right the first time

Roll goods need nothing but ties. Panels, modules and engineered net systems need the mounting hardware that matches your upright — standard clips for teardrop and slotted frames, J-hooks for some profiles, U-bolts and steel brackets on cable-supported systems, and offset brackets wherever pallets overhang the beam face. Tell us the rack brand and profile and we will confirm the attachment before anything ships.

Measuring and Ordering

Netting is quoted from six numbers. Get these to us and there is nothing else to ask about.

What to measure	How	Why it matters
Bay (beam) length	Face of upright to face of upright, plus the upright width you intend to cover	Nets are ordered by bay: 96″, 102″, 108″, 120″ and 144″ are the common stock widths
Guard height	Beam elevation to the top of the load you need contained	Full-height guarding for back-of-rack; 32-1/2″ or 60″ modules where you only need to stop push-through at each level
Number of bays	How many bays run continuously without a break	Rolled grid runs continuously; panel and modular products are priced per bay
Rack type at the upright	Teardrop, slotted or structural — and which brand	Determines the clip, J-hook or U-bolt hardware; roll goods use cable ties and need no hardware
Clearance behind the load	Overhang of pallets and cartons past the beam face	Flush-mount is fine for square loads; oversized pallets need offset mounting
Environment	Ambient, cooler, freezer, outdoor, wash-down	Polypropylene stays flexible to 0°F, but use stainless steel ties in refrigerated and freezer spaces; UV-stabilized ties outdoors

Two details that catch people out

Strand to strand, not edge to edge. Extruded grid is cut to a minimum outside-strand-to-outside-strand dimension, and custom cutting leaves small “nubs” outside that line. For back-of-rack work that is irrelevant. For shelf and bin dividers that have to drop into a fixed opening, specify the edge-to-edge dimension as a maximum so the nubs are included.

Temperature moves plastic. Custom cuts are made at ambient temperature, and polypropylene mesh can expand or contract by 1% to 2% between 40°F and 120°F. On a long run in a freezer or an unconditioned building, allow for it rather than ordering to the exact opening.

Send us your bay dimensions

Bay length, guard height, number of bays, rack brand and what is stored in the bay. We will quote material only if you want to hang it yourself, or material plus installation if you want it done — usually within one business day.

Request a Pallet Rack Quote Call (800) 326-4403

Inspection, Maintenance & Replacement

Yellow column protectors and end-of-row guards on pallet rack uprights in a warehouse aisle — Netting works alongside column protectors and end-of-row guards, not instead of them

Netting is a wear item on a rack system that already needs regular inspection. Fold it into the same walk you use for uprights and beams — monthly for most operations, and immediately after any forklift strike in that bay.

The extruded grid tolerates a cut strand without unraveling, which is exactly why damage goes unnoticed: the net still looks intact while its effective strength in that panel is gone. Replace damaged sections rather than patching them, and re-tie any run that has gone slack. If the same bay keeps taking hits, the real fix is upstream — guarding the column, correcting the pallet position, or moving to steel mesh backing.

Cut, melted or abraded strands — and ties that have failed or gone brittle
Sag or slack that would let a carton ride over the top edge
Gaps at the uprights or between adjacent net sections
Net pushed into a transverse or longitudinal flue space
Obstructed sprinkler heads, lights or in-rack sprinkler drops
Damaged uprights, beams and safety clips in the same bay — the underlying problem

Netting is one line item in a rack safety program, not the whole program. Pair it with rack inspection and repair, column and end-of-row guarding, wire decking that stops pallets falling through the beams, and seismic anchorage appropriate to your region.

Pallet Rack Safety Netting FAQs

Is pallet rack safety netting required by OSHA?

There is no OSHA standard that says “install netting.” What OSHA does require is that stored material not create a hazard — 29 CFR 1910.176(b) — and that employees be protected from falling objects by screens, toeboards, guardrails, a canopy or a barricaded area (1926.501(c)). Netting is the most practical of those controls inside a rack aisle you cannot close off, and it is normally accepted as the engineering control for a recognized falling-product hazard. Your local fire marshal or authority having jurisdiction may also call for guarding where rack backs onto an occupied space.

What is the difference between plastic rack guard netting and nylon net panels?

Plastic rack guard is an extruded polypropylene grid supplied in rolls; it holds its aperture, will not unravel if a strand is cut, is rated by tensile strength per foot (850 lb standard duty, 1,300 lb heavy duty) and is the economical answer for loose cartons and general containment. Nylon net panels are made-to-size knotted nets with a 5/16″ rope binding and a 2,500 lb load rating in 4″ mesh — the choice when a full pallet load, not a carton, is what could come off the back.

What mesh size should I use?

Match the mesh to the smallest item you need to catch. A 4″ square nylon mesh will hold a pallet load but pass a small box; the 1-1/2″ extruded grid contains cartons; a 1/2″ diamond barrier is used for shelf dividers and small-parts containment. Where a heavy net has to catch small items too, add a fine mesh liner behind it rather than downsizing the whole net.

Can safety netting be installed on a rack that is already loaded?

Yes. Roll goods and net panels attach with cable ties or clips and need no rack modification, so a run can be guarded bay by bay while the rack stays in service — usually working from a lift on the back side. Modular clip-in netting is the easiest retrofit because each module installs without tools and can be lifted out later for access.

Does netting interfere with sprinklers or flue space?

It must not. Netting is installed so transverse and longitudinal flue spaces stay clear and no sprinkler head is obstructed — that is why offset brackets exist, and why the grid is trimmed around sprinkler drops and light fixtures rather than stretched over them. We review guarding layouts against your existing sprinkler design and, where needed, with your fire protection contractor before installation.

Can rack netting be used as a horizontal catch net?

No. Rack guard netting is a vertical containment product, and manufacturers explicitly exclude horizontal use — it is not a personnel or debris catch net and must never be substituted for engineered fall protection. If you need a horizontal net, that is a separate engineered system with its own load rating and anchorage.

Does netting work in cold storage and freezers?

Yes. The polypropylene grid is designed to stay flexible down to 0°F without becoming brittle. Use stainless steel cable ties instead of nylon ties in refrigerated and freezer spaces, and remember the plastic mesh can move 1% to 2% dimensionally between 40°F and 120°F, so allow for that when ordering custom-cut sizes.

How often should safety netting be inspected?

Add it to the same walk you use for rack damage — monthly is typical, and always after a forklift strike in that bay. Look for cut or abraded strands, ties that have failed or gone brittle, sagging that lets a carton ride over the top edge, gaps at the uprights, and net that has been pushed into a flue space. Damaged sections are replaced, not patched.

Do you install pallet rack netting, or is it a DIY product?

Both. Roll goods with cable ties are genuinely installable by a warehouse crew, and plenty of customers buy the material and hang it themselves. We install as well — usually as part of a rack project, a rack repair, or a safety upgrade across a whole aisle — and our crews are set up to work at height on the back side of loaded rack.

How much does pallet rack safety netting cost?

It is one of the least expensive things you can add to a rack system, and it is priced by coverage: bay length, guard height, number of bays, material and mounting hardware. Send us the bay dimensions and how many bays you need guarded and we will price the material, the hardware and installation together.

Guard Your Rack Before Something Falls

Send us the bay dimensions and what is on the other side of the rack. We will specify the netting, the mounting hardware and the installation — and flag anything your sprinkler design or fire marshal will want reviewed first.

Request a Quote Call (800) 326-4403