Warehouse Design
We measure your facility, then deliver a complete warehouse design with AutoCAD drawings. We revise it until it works. The same drawings feed the permit package and the install crew.
Get the Layout Right Before You Order Steel
Changing a rack layout after the materials are ordered costs real money in labor, freight, and rework. Changing it on the drawing costs a phone call. Clear height, aisle width, flow, and rack type are all set before the first upright is bolted down. That is why the design phase matters. You get a complete warehouse design with AutoCAD drawings, usually as more than one option. We revise it until the layout works.
Request ConsultationHow Our Design Process Works
01
Facility Walkthrough & Measurements
We start from your building drawings if you have them. If not, we visit the facility and measure it ourselves. We record ceiling and clear heights, building columns, the sprinkler system, and any hanging pipes or lights that would block rack. We also note dock door locations and floor condition. Most of this step is measuring around obstructions. Sprinkler heads and columns kill more layouts than budget does.
02
Inventory & Equipment Profile
We look at how many SKUs you carry, how fast inventory turns, item sizes and weights, and how much must be stored. Pallet type matters. Anything other than a standard pallet changes the rack design. Your forklifts matter too: lift height, width, and turning radius. We also work within your equipment budget.
03
CAD Layout & Options
You get a complete warehouse design with AutoCAD drawings, usually as more than one option. Then we revise until the plan works. One regional distribution center design went through several revision stages to meet each department’s needs before anything was ordered.
04
From Design to Permits & Installation
The same drawings feed the high-piled-storage permit package and the install crew’s plans. Structural and electrical engineers and an architect review them. Permit review dates are usually 3–4 weeks out, so we start the paperwork while materials are on order, not after. How permitting works
Three Key Numbers in Every Layout
We check every drawing against the same three numbers. Get any one of them wrong and the layout fails. These problems are cheap to fix on paper and expensive to fix in steel.
Aisle Width
A wide-aisle sit-down counterbalanced truck usually needs 12–13 ft aisles for standard 48″ pallets. Narrow-aisle trucks need 8–10 ft. Very-narrow-aisle trucks can run in 6 ft or less. Rule of thumb: truck head length + load length + 12″ of maneuvering room + 6″ of pallet overhang.
Clear Stack Height
This is the usable storage height. Measure from the concrete pad up to the bottom of ductwork, sprinkler heads, lights, or bar joist, not the roof deck. Local code usually requires 18″–36″ of clearance below sprinkler heads. That clearance comes out of your top beam level.
Flow
Product should move in one direction: receiving to storage to picking to packing to shipping. Put high-volume SKUs near packing and shipping. Cross-traffic and backtracking are what slow fulfillment, not how many aisles you have.
Case Study
35,000 Sq Ft of Storage in a 32,000 Sq Ft Building
A large utility company needed to combine three warehouses (22,000, 8,000, and 5,000 sq ft) into one new 32,000 sq ft building, with room left to grow. We solved it on paper before anything was ordered. The new building had higher ceilings, so we designed pallet rack nearly twice as tall as their existing 12′ rack. Modular drawer cabinets each replaced 2–3 light-duty shelving units. Two free-standing mezzanines doubled small-parts storage in the same footprint. Read the case study
Recent Drawing Samples
Warehouse Design Questions
What do you need from me to start a design?
Building drawings, if you have them. A scaled drawing is ideal. If you don’t have one, we visit the facility and take the measurements ourselves. Beyond that, we need your forklift specs (lift height, width, turning radius) and a basic inventory profile: SKU count, sizes and weights, and how much needs to be stored.
How long does it take to get a design and quote?
It depends on what we’re quoting. Stock items can be quoted right away, often over the phone. Non-inventory items usually take no more than 1–2 days. A turnkey project quote with materials, freight, and installation can take a few days. If a site visit and CAD drawing are needed, allow a week or more for the estimate.
Do I need a permit for my rack layout?
High-piled storage needs a permit. The design drawings become the core of the permit package. Structural and electrical engineers and an architect or CAD designer prepare the construction documents from them. Permit review dates are usually 3–4 weeks out, so we start the paperwork while materials are on order, not after. Learn more about permitting
How wide should my aisles be?
It depends on your truck: roughly 12–13 ft for a wide-aisle sit-down counterbalanced truck with standard 48″ pallets, 8–10 ft for narrow-aisle trucks, and 6 ft or less for very-narrow-aisle equipment. Driver skill and pallet overhang shift those numbers, so treat them as estimates. Send us your forklift model and we’ll run the numbers for your layout.
What if my layout changes after materials are ordered?
It happens. On a recent Fort Mill project, the customer needed one final layout change after the materials were finalized and ordered. Our specialist revised the CAD layout and re-specced the materials with the manufacturer by phone the same day. The general rule holds: the earlier a change lands, the cheaper it is. On paper it’s a revision. On the warehouse floor it’s labor and freight.
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Stein Service & Supply has assisted hundreds of customers in the selection and design of warehouse storage systems.