Push Back Pallet Racking
Pallets stored two to six deep on nested carts, every lane loaded and picked from the aisle. Deep-lane density with selective-racking speed - designed, supplied and installed across the South West.
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Push back racking: deep-lane density, aisle-side picking
Push back pallet racking stores pallets two to six deep on nested carts that run on gently inclined rails. Loading the next pallet pushes the lane back; picking the front pallet lets the lane roll forward again. Every lane is loaded and picked from the same aisle - so you get deep-lane density close to drive-in racking, while the forklift never leaves the aisle.
That combination - density plus speed plus safety - makes push back racking the premium choice for operations juggling dozens of SKUs in volume: food and drink, 3PL, manufacturing buffer stock and fast-moving distribution.
We design, supply and install push back systems across Somerset and the South West, from single lanes added to existing runs through to full-height dedicated blocks.
How push back racking works
Each lane contains a set of nested wheeled carts on inclined rails. The first pallet sits on the top cart. Loading the second pallet pushes the first back one position; the third pushes back two, and so on, up to six deep. When the front pallet is removed, gravity rolls the remaining pallets forward to the pick face - controlled, quiet and immediate.
LIFO by lane, FIFO by layout
Each lane works last-in, first-out, so push back racking suits one SKU per lane. Because a single bay stacks several independent lanes vertically, a compact block can still serve a wide SKU range - and where strict date rotation is essential, we'll design pallet-live FIFO lanes alongside.
Why operators rate it
Trucks work entirely from the aisle face, so there's no driving inside the structure, less rack damage and faster cycles than drive-in blocks. Standard counterbalance and reach trucks handle it without modification. Pair the block with column guards and rack-end barriers and it will look after itself for years.
What push back racking does for you
Up to 75% floor utilisation
Lanes up to six deep deliver drive-in-level density while keeping a conventional aisle layout.
Pick speed of selective racking
Every lane presents at the aisle face - no travel inside the rack, no hunting for stock.
One SKU per lane, many lanes per bay
Vertical stacking of independent lanes keeps a broad SKU range live in a compact block.
Standard trucks
Counterbalance and reach trucks work push back lanes without modification or guidance systems.
Less rack damage
Trucks never enter the structure, which means fewer strikes - and the protection package stays modest.
Mix-and-match schemes
Combine push back for fast movers with wide aisle or double deep reserve - we design hybrid layouts daily.
Where push back earns its keep
Push back racking stores pallets two to six deep on nested carts that roll on a gentle gravity incline. Load a pallet and it pushes the ones behind it back; take one out and the next rolls forward to the pick face. Every lane is loaded and unloaded from the same aisle, so unlike drive-in there is no driving into the structure - which means less rack damage, faster cycles and ordinary counterbalance or reach trucks throughout.
The sweet spot is businesses with more product lines than drive-in suits but not enough of any one line to justify full lanes. Because each lane is its own LIFO buffer, you can dedicate lanes per SKU and still achieve two to three times the density of standard racking. Push back carries a higher price per position than drive-in because of the carts and rails, so we will always run the numbers both ways - and against plain double deep - before recommending it. Where budgets are tight, a hybrid of push back for fast movers and standard racking for the long tail often beats a single-system answer. Carts and rails are available new or refurbished, lanes can be added a bay at a time as volumes grow, and the whole system runs on the trucks you already own - which is usually the deciding argument once the spreadsheet is open, since no new fleet means no new training, servicing or capital line.
Push Back Racking FAQs
Standard systems run two to six pallets deep per lane. Beyond six, cart mechanics and lane discipline get harder to manage, and pallet-live (gravity flow) racking usually becomes the better deep-lane answer.
Each lane is last-in, first-out: the most recently loaded pallet is picked first. Operations needing strict first-in, first-out rotation either assign date codes by lane or use pallet-live FIFO lanes, which we can design into the same scheme.
Very little - the carts are passive steel frames on sealed wheels. We recommend keeping lanes clear of debris and including the carts in your routine racking checks; replacement carts and rails are available off the shelf if a lane ever takes a serious knock.
Push back costs more per pallet position because of the cart mechanisms, but it picks faster, suits far more SKUs and takes much less damage. For single-SKU bulk, drive-in wins on price; for multi-SKU volume, push back usually wins on total cost of operation. We'll quote both so you can compare.
Compare your options
Push back sits between drive-in density and wide-aisle selectivity. Compare the neighbours.