What is Galvanized Cantilever Racking?
Galvanized cantilever racking is an industrial steel storage system that has undergone hot-dip galvanization – the process of coating steel in protective zinc to prevent rust and corrosion. Due to their strength and rust resistance, galvanized cantilever racks are popular in outdoor lumber yards or other corrosive storage environments where long and bulky items are stored.
If you want to purchase galvanized cantilever racking, call 888-680-2256 or complete an online quote form today!
Galvanizing Process
Galvanization is a fascinating process and something to be aware of when considering long-term storage solutions. Hot-dip galvanization requires specialized equipment and materials to transform standard racking into a robust, rust-resistant solution for sanitary or outdoor storage. Here is how the galvanizing process works:
- Preparation: The steel cantilever rack components, including uprights and bases, arms, braces, and other exposed components, are gathered and prepped for galvanization.
- Surface cleaning: The parts are thoroughly cleaned to remove dirt, grease, rust, or other contaminants. Anything left on the surface of the racking can interfere with the galvanizing process.
- Pickling: After thoroughly cleaning, the components are immersed in an acid bath to remove any remaining oxides or mill scale.
- Fluxing: The cleaned cantilever components are then dipped into a binding compound to promote the adhesion of the zinc coating.
- Galvanizing: Next, the pieces are immersed in molten zinc at a high temperature (850-860 degrees F). The zinc mixture chemically bonds to the surface of the racking.
- Quenching: Cantilever components are removed from the zinc bath and dipped in a water-filled quenching tank for rapid cooling and solidification.
- Inspection: Galvanized components undergo a quality control inspection, which ensures a uniform coating thickness, proper adhesion, and the absence of defects.
- Finishing: Finally, the galvanized racks may undergo final procedures, such as passivation or chromating, to ensure corrosion resistance before being packaged and shipped to their new home.
Galvanized Cantilever Rack Applications
Galvanized cantilever racks are the perfect storage solution for outdoor lumber yards or applications in humidity-prone or otherwise corrosive environments. Typical galvanized cantilever applications include:
- Outdoor cantilever racking applications
- Lumber yards
- Shipyards
- Marine/offshore applications
- Construction environments
- Cold storage and freezer applications
- Tropical storage environments
- Cleanroom or sanitary storage environments
- Food and beverage storage
- Medical storage environments
- Aerospace industry
Cost of Galvanized Cantilever Racking
Galvanization is an involved process that takes time, energy, and resources that traditional cantilever racking does not require. For this reason, galvanized cantilever racking costs more than conventional carbon steel cantilever racks.
On average, galvanized cantilever racks cost 1.5 times more than traditional ones. Businesses should expect to pay 40-50% more for galvanized cantilever racking than carbon steel cantilever racks. However, this may be the desired solution to prevent damage and extend the storage rack’s lifespan.
If you want galvanized cantilever racking for your warehouse or storage application, call 888-680-2256 today to speak with a cantilever rack specialist!
