Two to six pallets deep from a single aisle. Your forklift never leaves the aisle, and gravity brings the next pallet forward.
Push back is the middle ground. Close to drive-in on density, close to selective on speed, and the forklift never leaves the aisle.
Instead of fixed beams, each lane holds a set of nested carts running on rails that slope gently down toward the aisle. Loading a pallet pushes the one in front of it back up the slope. Remove the front pallet and gravity rolls the next one down to the face.
Because every level is loaded from the same aisle, each level can hold a different SKU. That gives you far more selectivity than drive-in at similar depth, and cycle times closer to selective because the truck never has to reverse into a lane.
The trade is cost and maintenance. Carts and rails are a mechanical system, so it costs more per position than static racking and the rollers need checking periodically. Every system is engineered to your loads and signed off on site before you load it.
Cart and rail assemblies are built to the pallet weight and depth. These are typical ranges, not fixed limits.
| Specification | Typical Range |
|---|---|
| Pallet Access | Front of lane, next pallet rolls forward automatically |
| Storage Density | High. Typically 60 to 90 percent more than selective |
| Lane Depth | 2 to 6 pallets deep, 4 being the most common |
| Stock Rotation | LIFO. Each level can hold a different SKU |
| Cart System | Nested rolling carts on rails inclined toward the aisle |
| Forklift Type | Standard counterbalance or reach truck, stays in the aisle |
| Maintenance | Periodic inspection of rollers, carts and rail alignment |
| Cost | Higher per position than selective, lower cycle time than drive-in |
| Best Suited To | Medium SKU count, several pallets per SKU, high throughput |
Figures are typical, not a specification. Cart capacity is matched to your heaviest pallet, so we confirm weights on site before quoting.
Push back sits between selective and drive-in. It earns its higher price when throughput matters as much as density. If your operation looks like the right column, we will say so.
These are the conditions where it pays back the extra cost quickly.
Sounds like your floor? Book a free site assessment and we will price push back against drive-in and selective side by side.
In these cases you are paying for carts and rails you will not benefit from.
Try pallet flow for FIFO, drive-in for more density, or selective for lower cost.
The forklift never enters the rack. In drive-in the truck reverses into the lane between two frames; in push back it stays in the aisle and the pallets move instead, riding on carts. That makes push back faster to load, far gentler on the steel, and it lets every level hold a different SKU. Drive-in still stores more per lane.
The rails slope gently down toward the aisle. When you load, you push the pallets in front of you back up that slope. When you remove the front pallet, the ones behind roll down to take its place. There is no power and no controls involved, just the incline and the carts.
Two to six pallets, with four the most common. Beyond that the carts nest deeper and the system gets more expensive, and the density advantage over drive-in narrows.
Periodic inspection of the rollers, cart wheels and rail alignment. It is a mechanical system, so it is not fit-and-forget the way selective is. We include it in the same inspection visit as your racking safety check.
Yes, per pallet position. Carts and rails are engineered components. The payback comes from fitting more pallets into the building you already rent, so the sum that matters is cost per position against the cost of more square footage.
The four systems people most often weigh against push back.
