How much floor space does drive-in rack actually save?

Trading aisles for lanes typically shrinks the footprint for the same pallet count by roughly a third, sometimes more in a taller building. We give you the side-by-side numbers in the layout rather than a rule of thumb.

What's the difference between drive-in and drive-through rack?

Drive-in is open at one end and runs LIFO - highest density. Drive-through is open at both ends and allows FIFO, at the cost of some positions and a second access aisle.

Does drive-in slow down put-away?

It can, since the truck has to travel into the lane for every pallet. It works best for bulk moves rather than piece picking - pairing it with a selective pick face keeps daily order fulfillment from bogging down.

How do you keep lift trucks from damaging the rack?

Floor-mounted guide rails steer the truck through the lane, and column guards plus rail-end protection absorb the contact that still happens. Both get specified with the system up front, not bolted on after the first repair.

Do you sell used drive-in rack, or only new?

We focus on new components so load ratings and capacity tags are documented from day one. If used steel makes sense for a short-term need we will say so, but for anything carrying real weight day after day, new is usually the better call.

How do you handle a seasonal peak when we need more positions for a few months?

We size the base system for normal operations and can price temporary or add-on positions separately for peak season, so you are not carrying idle steel the other nine months of the year.

Drive-In Rack system inside a Ohio warehouse

Mason, Ohio

Drive-In Rack for Mason, Ohio Warehouses

Name: Cincinnati Pallet Racks - Mason
Address: 2345 Ashland Ave., Cincinnati, OH, 45206, US
Telephone: (513) 957-3017
Price range: $$

A lot of the calls we get from Mason start with the same SKU stored in five different places because the rack is only one deep. Drive-in pallet rack usually fixes it, because it changes how much of a Kings Island area business parks floor plate is actually available to store product without moving a wall.

Given the value of lane dimensions drawn around your specific lift truck, we model this against a second configuration on the same Mason floor plan so density and access are numbers you can compare. Free to see, no obligation to order, and the drive-in rack numbers are yours either way. Call (513) 957-3017 about your Mason-Montgomery Road corridor building.

(513) 957-3017

Why Mason Warehouses Work With Us

The industrial stock near the Mason-Montgomery Road corridor ranges from older infill space to newer construction, and each one limits a racking plan differently. Height, columns, and floor condition all move the answer in Mason.

Drive-In Rack suits Mason buildings for one reason — bulk SKUs held deep while the pick face stays selective — which matters more here than in a newer big-box facility built around one uniform layout. We walk through that fit during a free design consult before you commit to steel for Mason.

One number reaches the people who did the work, whether that is a drive-in rack revision during design or a replacement upright for a Western Row site three years out.

Free warehouse consultation

CAD layout with position counts

Installation by trusted installation partners

Operations We Rack Around Here

Nearby areas we work in regularly include the Mason-Montgomery Road corridor, Kings Island area business parks, Western Row.

Medical devices

Consumer packaged goods

E-commerce fulfillment

Light assembly

Drive-in pallet rack lanes fitted with continuous rails

Drive-in warehouse racking loaded with bulk pallets

How Drive-In Rack Works

No aisles. The forklift enters the structure, and the floor holds more pallets per square foot than any other system.

Continuous rails, not beams

Pallets rest on rails carried by upright frames rather than individual beam levels, so a lane accepts pallet after pallet at the same elevation.

The truck enters the lane

The driver travels inside the bay to place or retrieve each load. Lane width, rail height, and mast clearance get dimensioned to that specific truck, not a generic one.

One open end or two

One open end gives LIFO and the highest density available. Two open ends give FIFO with slightly fewer positions, since each lane now needs clearance from both sides.

Guarding built into the design

Guide rails, column guards, and rail-end protection are part of the spec from the start, because a lane that takes daily contact from forklifts is a lane that will eventually need repair.

What a Drive-In Rack Project Includes

We start by understanding the medical devices side of your operation — pallet profile, equipment, clear height, SKU count, throughput — because those inputs decide drive-in rack capacity in a Mason-Montgomery Road corridor building long before steel is quoted.

Then you get the drive-in rack drawing for your Mason-Montgomery Road corridor building: pallet positions, beam or rail elevations, aisle centerlines, and total capacity, priced line by line with beam capacity noted at every level. We often show two versions of the same Mason floor plan — bulk SKUs held deep while the pick face stays selective — so you compare storage against throughput before choosing.

Drive-In Rack delivery into Mason is coordinated around your schedule, and installation partners build to the approved drawing, anchor every frame, and confirm the system performs loaded before turning it over. The job is phased so your Mason operation keeps running, and teardown, reconfiguration, or adding a lane later is handled by the same team.

High volume of a small number of SKUs

Seasonal or buffer inventory held in bulk

Cold storage and freezer rooms where cube matters most

Product too fragile to floor-stack more than two high

Buildings where floor space, not height, is the binding constraint

Call (513) 957-3017

Recent Installations

Racking projects completed for warehouses across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.

View More Projects

Get a Drive-In Rack Quote for Your Mason Warehouse

Send the basics and we will follow up with a layout and pricing. Prefer to talk it through? Call (513) 957-3017.

Cincinnati Pallet Racks

2345 Ashland Ave.

Unit #584

Cincinnati, OH 45206

(513) 957-3017

Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM - 6:00 PM

Name *

Company *

Email *

Phone *

Where are you located? *

Approximate warehouse size *

Expected timeframe *

Additional Information

I consent to receive SMS and email communications from Cincinnati Pallet Racks regarding my quote request. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.

We respect your privacy. Your information will never be shared.