Narrow Aisle Pallet Racking
Up to 50% more pallet positions in the same building. Narrow aisle and very narrow aisle (VNA) racking designed, supplied and installed across Somerset and the South West.
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Narrow aisle pallet racking: more pallets, same building
Narrow aisle pallet racking shrinks your aisles from 3 metres or more down to as little as 1.6 metres - and turns the space you save into pallet positions. For most warehouses that's 40-50% more storage in exactly the same footprint, without building an extension or moving site.
The racking itself is the same proven adjustable beam-and-frame system used in standard wide aisle pallet racking. The difference is the handling equipment and the precision of the layout: narrow aisle schemes are designed millimetre-tight around the truck, the pallets and the building columns. That's why narrow aisle racking is a design-led purchase - and why our quotes start with a CAD layout, not a price list.
We design, supply and install narrow aisle systems across Somerset and the South West, from four-aisle regional stores to full distribution centres, including rack-end barriers, guide rails and anti collapse mesh as part of the scheme.
Narrow aisle vs very narrow aisle (VNA)
There are two routes to tighter aisles, and the right one depends on your throughput, your floor and your budget.
Narrow aisle - articulated trucks
Articulated forklifts (Flexi, Bendi, Aisle-Master types) work in aisles of around 1.8-2.2 metres and can also load vehicles outside, so one truck does both jobs. No guidance system is needed, floor tolerances are forgiving, and existing buildings rarely need work. This is the most cost-effective first step into narrow aisle racking.
Very narrow aisle - guided turret trucks
Very narrow aisle pallet racking runs man-up or man-down turret trucks in aisles of 1.6-1.9 metres, steered by floor-mounted guide rails or buried guide wire. VNA gives the highest density and supports the tallest picking heights - but it demands a high-specification floor slab flatness and dedicated trucks. Our surveyors check your slab before we design, not after you've bought.
Either way the storage density gain is dramatic, and because the racking is standard APR underneath, beam levels stay fully adjustable as your pallet profile changes.
What narrow aisle racking does for you
Up to 50% more positions
Halving aisle widths typically adds 40-50% more pallet locations in the same floor area - the cheapest warehouse 'extension' you'll ever buy.
Direct access to every pallet
Unlike drive-in or push back systems, every pallet faces an aisle. 100% selectivity, perfect for multi-SKU operations.
Use your full building height
VNA trucks pick comfortably at 12 metres and beyond, so high-eaves buildings finally earn their rent.
Faster, safer picking
Guided aisles take steering out of the operator's hands - fewer rack strikes, less damage, smoother cycle times.
Scales with your growth
Start with articulated trucks, move to full VNA later - the racking carries over, and we reconfigure beam levels as you go.
Protected from day one
Every scheme includes racking protection - end barriers, column guards and guide rails specified with the layout.
Costs, trucks and the floor question
Narrow aisle racking itself costs much the same per bay as standard adjustable pallet racking - the frames and beams are the same family of components. The real investment sits in the trucks and the floor. VNA trucks running in wire-guided or rail-guided aisles need a floor flat enough to keep a mast steady at height, which is defined in the Concrete Society TR34 standard. On a new slab that is a specification conversation; on an existing one it sometimes means localised grinding along the aisle lines, which we can arrange and price as part of the job.
The value of narrow aisle comes from modelling the real density gain. Reducing aisle widths can release substantial additional pallet capacity, but the result depends on building columns, truck geometry, clearances, pallet dimensions and throughput. New and identifiable used components can be compared where appropriate, with the decision based on the completed layout and whole-project cost rather than a generic percentage claim.
Narrow Aisle Racking FAQs
Articulated truck schemes typically run 1.8-2.2 metre aisles. Guided very narrow aisle pallet racking can run 1.6-1.9 metres depending on truck and pallet size. The exact figure comes out of the CAD design - it's set by your pallet dimensions plus the truck manufacturer's clearances.
For wire- or rail-guided VNA, yes - the slab needs to meet defined flatness tolerances in the aisles, and older floors sometimes need localised grinding. Articulated-truck narrow aisle schemes are far more tolerant and usually run on existing slabs. We measure your floor at the free site survey.
Often, yes. If your frames and beams are in good condition we can re-space the runs, add guidance rails and re-level beams to suit the new trucks - reusing most of the racking you already own. We'll confirm what's reusable when we survey it.
Per pallet position it's usually cheaper than wide aisle, because the same racking stores far more. The investment moves to the trucks and, for VNA, the floor and guidance. We'll model the whole-scheme cost against double deep and standard layouts so you can compare like for like.
Compare your options
Not sure narrow aisle is the right fit? These systems solve the same problem differently.