Cantilever Racking for Lumber Storage: Dimensional Lumber, Sheet Goods & Long Stock
Banded dimensional lumber, sheet goods and long trim don’t fit a pallet rack beam. Cantilever arms give a lumber yard open, column-free storage that scales from a single-sided wall run to a full double-sided distribution bay.
No front posts
Open arm face loads lumber packs from either end with a forklift
24″–96″+
Common arm lengths used across lumber and sheet-goods bays
Single or double
Wall-line runs or back-to-back distribution-scale bays
Indoor/outdoor
Galvanized finish available for open lumber yards
Why lumber yards use cantilever racking instead of pallet rack
Dimensional lumber, timbers, moulding and trim come in bundle lengths that rarely match a standard 40″ or
48″ pallet, and stacking loose lumber on a pallet rack beam wastes both height and reach. Cantilever racking
solves this with load-bearing arms cantilevered off a single row of columns and no front uprights to block a
forklift, a crane, or a long board sliding in from the side.
That open face is the whole point for a lumber operation:
- No front columns to clear. A forklift can slide a 16″ bundle straight onto the arms without threading between uprights.
- Any length, any level. Arms support the load along its length rather than only at the ends, so warped or uneven bundles still sit securely.
- Mixed-length storage in one bay. Short trim on one level, full-length dimensional lumber on the next — arm length is set per level, not per bay.
- Fast visual inventory. An open face lets yard staff see what’s on hand at a glance instead of pulling pallets to check.
Built for what a pallet rack beam can’t hold
A cantilever bay is really just a row of columns with structural arms bolted or pinned at each level. Because
there’s nothing bridging the front of the bay, load length is limited only by arm length and by how far a
forklift or crane can reach in — not by a fixed beam span. That’s what lets one bay hold everything from 8″
furring strips to 20″ structural timbers.
For a worked example with real numbers, see our case study on heavy timber cantilever rack at Western Timber Frame in Lehi, Utah, where arm capacity, bay spacing and column sides were all decided by the timber being stored.
Sizing arms and columns for your lumber
Three numbers drive a lumber cantilever layout: your longest common bundle length, your heaviest bundle weight,
and how tall you need to stack. Get those from your own inventory before pricing arms — not from a generic
catalog spec.
| Stock type | Typical arm length | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trim, moulding, furring strips | 24″–36″ | Tighter arm spacing keeps short, light pieces from tipping between levels |
| Dimensional lumber (2×4–2×12) | 36″–48″ | Match arm length to your standard bundle length plus a few inches of clearance |
| Structural timbers, glulam | 60″–96″+ | Heavier-gauge arms and closer column spacing to control deflection |
| Sheet goods (plywood, OSB, MDF) | 42″–48″, flat support | Space arms closely enough that sheets don’t sag between supports |
Get the exact rating for your columns
Arm capacity is de-rated by arm length and by how it’s paired with the column, so the numbers above are planning guides, not load ratings. Confirm the manufacturer’s stamped capacity for your specific column height, arm length and level before loading a bay.
Single-sided vs. double-sided lumber storage
Most retail lumber yards and millwork shops run single-sided cantilever racking along a wall
or building line, which keeps one full staging aisle open for cutting, banding and loading customer orders.
Distribution-scale lumber warehouses more often run double-sided racking — arms on both sides of
a shared column line — down the middle of the building, served by forklift aisles on either face. Double-sided
bays use floor space more efficiently but need aisle clearance on both sides, so they fit best where you’re
moving volume rather than serving walk-in customers.
Keeping sheet goods and banded lumber on the same racking
Sheet goods need continuous, even support across their width or they’ll sag and eventually crack along an arm
line. Many lumber operations reserve the lower one or two arm levels — within easy forklift-tine reach — for
plywood, OSB and MDF, and use closer arm spacing on that level than they do on the banded-lumber levels above.
It’s a small layout decision made once at design time that avoids damaged sheet stock for the life of the
system.
Outdoor and covered lumber yard storage
Cantilever racking is routinely specified for open lumber yards and covered sheds with a galvanized or
rust-resistant coating on the columns and arms. Two things matter more outdoors than in a warehouse: wind loading
on tall, lightly-loaded columns (an engineer should size footings and bracing for your local wind zone), and
drainage at the base plate so standing water doesn’t accelerate corrosion at the anchor bolts.
Planning a lumber yard layout?
See how cantilever racking fits into a full storage plan on the cantilever pallet racking hub, or browse all pallet racking options if you are storing lumber alongside palletized goods.
FAQs About Cantilever Racking for Lumber Storage
What arm length do I need to store lumber on cantilever racking?
Single-sided or double-sided cantilever rack for a lumber yard?
How much weight can a lumber cantilever arm hold?
Can cantilever racking store both lumber and sheet goods together?
Is cantilever racking rated for outdoor lumber storage?
Plan Your Lumber Storage Cantilever Rack
Tell us your longest bundle length, heaviest load and ceiling height — we’ll spec the arms and columns to fit.