Pallet racking system in Malaysia: what a Klang or Port Klang warehouse must take before you buy one

Why the warehouse sets the limits, not the racking catalogue

Racking suppliers sell many systems, but the building you rent decides which of them will work. The Ministry of Transport warehousing guidebook, published by the National Logistics Task Force in May 2021, says storage and distribution usually take 70% to 80% of a warehouse's built-up area. Before you choose racks, it asks you to weigh the storing method, the weight limit of each storage unit, how easily goods move in and out, the space available against the volume to be stored, and order volume against the speed needed for receiving and shipping.

DOSH describes the common types in its 2015 guidelines for the courier services industry. Adjustable pallet racking uses upright frames joined by horizontal beams, and each pallet position can be reached on its own. Drive-in and drive-through racking let the lift truck drive into the storage lane. Mobile racking runs on rails, cantilever racking carries goods on arms, and live storage and push-back systems hold pallets in depth. The same guidelines say safe working loads, heights, widths and equipment tolerances should be set by the designers and manufacturers of the whole system.

So before any quotation, a tenant needs three facts from the building: the floor loading, the clear height under the roof structure and the fire protection already approved. The sections below take them in turn, using warehouses on Ms Teh's list around Northport, Westport and Meru as worked examples.

Floor loading: what 1.5, 3 and 5 t/m² mean for a rack

Her warehouse listings state floor loading in tonnes per square metre (t/m²). One t/m² is about 9.8 kN/m², the unit structural engineers use. A rack concentrates weight: FactoryHub's floor loading calculator for racking works through a common case of five loaded levels with two 1-tonne pallets per level on a 2.7 m by 1.1 m bay. With the rack's own weight that is about 10.2 tonnes on about 3 m², or about 3.4 t/m² before any safety margin, and the calculator suggests looking for a floor of at least 5 t/m².

Units on her list show the spread. A 57,447 sq ft warehouse in Bandar Sultan Suleiman states 1.5 t/m². A 63,773 sq ft warehouse in Pulau Indah and a 19,840 sq ft semi-D in Meru state 3 t/m². A 254,729 sq ft warehouse at Westport and a 117,345 sq ft factory in Pandamaran state 5 t/m². The five-level example is more than twice the 1.5 t/m² figure, slightly above 3 t/m² and within 5 t/m².

An average figure is only half the check. DOSH says racking should stand on sound, level floors able to withstand the point loading at each base plate, and that floors should carry both the general load and any point load from stock, with or without racking. The Ministry of Transport guidebook asks for a floor of no less than 15 cm of reinforced concrete, thicker where heavier loads are expected, and for aisle floors designed to the required strength where high automated racks are used. Ask the landlord for the structural drawings or an engineer's letter on the slab, and give that figure to the racking supplier's engineer before the layout is fixed. For the Northport side, FactoryHub keeps warehouse specifications for Perdana Industrial Park, where floor loading is listed unit by unit.

Clear height: plan from the eave, not the apex

A pitched roof gives two heights on a listing: the eave, where the roof meets the side wall, and the apex at the ridge. Racks along the side walls sit under the lowest part of the roof, so a layout that fills the hall has to be planned from the eave. The extra height towards the apex helps only the bays in the middle.

The Ministry of Transport guidebook says the operating height of a general warehouse usually does not exceed 7.5 m from the floor to the lowest point of the ceiling structure. It can be raised for a storage system, with at least 0.5 m between the top of the storage system and the lowest point of the ceiling structure. In its fire section the guidebook asks for at least 1 m between the top of the highest pallet on a rack and the lowest roof structure, and for an automatic sprinkler system at the underside of the roof.

On her units: the Bandar Sultan Suleiman warehouse has a 25 ft eave (about 7.6 m) and a 38 ft apex, so near the walls the top pallet should stay at about 6.6 m or lower. The Pulau Indah warehouse has a 37 ft eave (about 11.3 m), leaving about 10.3 m. The Westport warehouse has a 49 ft eave (about 14.9 m) and a 59 ft apex, about 13.9 m to the top pallet near the walls. Sprinkler pipes, lights and roof beams can hang below the eave line, so measure the lowest structure on site before the racking drawing is final.

Height also has to match the trucks. DOSH asks for aisles wide enough for the handling equipment to manoeuvre easily and notes that the width depends on the type of truck, so choose the forklift or reach truck and the rack layout together.

Bomba: the Fire Certificate and changing the layout

Bomba's schedule of designated premises puts storage buildings of more than 7,000 cubic metres, and storage buildings of two storeys and above with more than 1,000 m² of floor, under the Fire Certificate rules. Single-storey factories of 2,001 m² and above with automatic sprinklers are designated too. The 57,447 sq ft Bandar Sultan Suleiman warehouse has about 5,300 m² of floor; counted only to its 7.6 m eave it is over 40,000 m³, far above the line. A Fire Certificate is valid for 12 months and is renewed every year.

The rule that matters for racking: where a designated premises holds a valid Fire Certificate, Bomba says no alterations may be made that would leave the existing fire safety installations inadequate. The proposed plans must go to Bomba before the renovation or alteration starts; Bomba reviews and endorses them, then inspects before it issues a new or amended certificate. Altering a designated premises without prior notification is listed as an offence. Because the sprinklers sit at the underside of the roof, tall racks or different goods can change what they have to cover. Ask a fire engineer, before you order racks, whether your layout and stock stay within the approved design, and who will make the submission if they do not.

The goods matter as well. DOSH's guidelines on storage of hazardous chemicals say packaged chemicals should not be stacked higher than three metres unless racking prevents overloading of the lower tiers and keeps the stack stable. The Ministry of Transport guidebook asks for each type of product to be stored separately so the right fire-fighting method can be used, and for aisles of at least 1 m so people can reach any point. If you store paint, solvents or other flammables, raise it with the landlord and your insurer early; her guide on who insures customers' goods in a Port Klang warehouse covers the insurance side.

Installing and running the racks: what DOSH expects

DOSH's courier industry guidelines set out the basic rules for a safe installation. They apply to any pallet racking, whatever the brand:

Pallets are part of the system. The Ministry of Transport guidebook gives 1 m by 1.2 m as the most common pallet size, and DOSH lists a pallet unsuitable for the racking system among the main sources of pallet accidents; a wing pallet, for example, is not suitable for drive-in or drive-through racking.

The stakes are real. In July 2025 a 17-tier storage rack collapsed at a glove factory in Olak Lempit, Kuala Langat, killing a Bangladeshi worker and injuring five others, the NST reported. DOSH's director-general said the next day that DOSH Selangor was investigating under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and that employers may face a fine of up to RM500,000, up to two years' jail, or both (NST).

• Racking is installed only by competent people, following the manufacturer's instructions.
• It stands on sound, level floors able to take the point load at each base plate, and is fixed to the floor where lift trucks are used; drive-in and drive-through racks are always floor-fixed to the maker's instructions.
• It is tied to the building only at members proved by structural calculations to resist the forces.
• Back-to-back runs are joined with run spacers, and every beam has connector locks so a truck cannot lift it out.
• Each rack carries a clear notice of the maximum load and load configuration, and that limit is never exceeded.
• Nothing is welded, cut or removed without the manufacturer, and moving the first or second beam from the bottom always needs a check of the rated capacity.
• Nobody climbs racking unless it is designed for access.

What to settle with the landlord before you sign

Racking touches the slab, the roof space and the fire system, which all belong to the landlord. Put these points in writing before the tenancy agreement is signed:

Your licence application should match the racking and the goods; see what MBDK checks for a factory or warehouse licence. Ms Teh can help you shortlist warehouses for rent in Klang and Port Klang by floor loading and eave height before the first viewing.

• The rated floor loading of the slab, whether it is an evenly spread figure, and the drawings or engineer's letter behind it.
• Consent to drill the slab for rack anchors, and what reinstatement is expected when you leave.
• A copy of the current Fire Certificate and the approved fire plans, and who pays if Bomba asks for sprinkler changes because of your racking.
• A site measurement of the lowest roof structure, pipes and lights, not only the eave on the listing.
• If the racking will carry a walkway or pick floor, ask the landlord's architect whether it counts as building works needing council approval as well as a Bomba plan.