Racking
QFM rack positions see more turns and traffic than normal storage positions — spec the rack to the QFM Racking Guidelines and size the openings to your pallets, not to the maximum.
The One Mistake to Avoid
Opening height is a performance parameter, not just a clearance.
Design pitfall — defaulting to the maximum opening height. Set each opening 6 inches taller than the tallest pallet you will actually freeze — do not default to the 83-inch maximum. An oversized opening lets blast air bypass over short pallets, and airflow bypass costs freeze performance on every cycle, forever. Example: export chicken pallets at 68″ (with pallet and spacers between each layer) get a 74″ recommended opening. Keep all units in a room at the same height for operational consistency — one validated multi-room project standardized every opening at 77″.
The corollary: collect real pallet heights — tallest SKU, including the pallet and any spacer sheets — before the racking design is frozen. If AutoSeal is in scope, the seal tarps are built to the opening height and carry roughly a 3-week lead time, so opening-height data is needed at least 3 weeks before installation.
Racking Specifications
Minimum and recommended values per QFM Racking Guidelines MKT-200 (V4).
| Item | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Capacity per pallet position | 2,000 lb | 2,500 lb |
| Configuration | 2-deep with structural beams | Structural “Select Rack,” 2-deep |
| QFM levels | 1 high | 1–7 high |
| Opening height | 55″ min / 83″ max | Tallest blast pallet + 6″ |
| Clear bay (between uprights) | 96″ | 104″ (AutoSeal wants 102″–104″) |
| Beam material | 3″ structural (C3) only if no QFM above; otherwise 4″ | 4″ structural C4 channel |
| Beam above top-level QFM | Required | Required |
| Bottom beam | Wedge-anchored to floor, attached to a bottom beam below the lowest QFM, or adapter | Same |
| Pallet supports (BIPS required) | 29″ between supports | 29″ between supports |
| Upright depth | Rear 36″ / front 42″ | Both 42″ |
| Upright material / width | Steel | Structural steel, 4″ C4 channel |
| Upright-to-upright (flue) | 9″ | 9″ |
| Aisle-side reinforcement | — | Double boxed channel to 96″ from floor; welded bullnose deflector at floor level |
| Height adjustability | — | 1″ vertical adjustability |
Back-to-back depth: the standard double-deep section is 42″ upright + 9″ flue + 42″ upright = 93″ overall. The design intent is the front of the pallet flush with the aisle beam. Get the unit placement on the beam wrong and the pallet hangs nearly 6 inches into the aisle — a configuration that simply does not work with QFM. A tighter validated alternative exists (7.5″ back-to-back ties with a 40″ rear upright, 92.5″ overall), but treat 93″ as the planning number. Both single-deep selective and double-deep back-to-back placements are acceptable.
Design pitfall — the 96″ bay. 96″ clear bays are the published minimum and the QFMs will fit, but it is an operational issue: blast pallets are usually the least stable and can lean left or right, which makes putaways harder, and maintenance access gets tight. The tightest bay ever fielded was 92″ — and the operators hated it. Recommend 104″; hold 102″–104″ wherever AutoSeal is planned.
Sample Elevation
The dimensioned example from MKT-200, page 2 — a 104″ bay, 62″ loads.
| Dimension | Value | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Clear bay | 104″ | Two 40″-wide loads per bay, 7.5″ clearance each side, 9″ between loads |
| Load height | 62″ | Pallet + product |
| Lift clearance | 6″ | 62″ load + 6″ lift = 68″ minimum clear between beams |
| Beam | 4″ | C4 structural channel |
| Top-of-beam to top-of-beam | 72″ | = 62″ load + 6″ lift + 4″ beam |
| First beam top | 12″ | Subsequent beam tops at 84″, 156″, 228″, 300″ — 4 levels in a 300″ upright |
| BIPS clear under each position | 29″ | Pallet support spacing |
| Section depth | 93″ | 42″ + 9″ flue + 42″; 48″ load depth |
What the Rack Has to Carry: the QFM Interface
Unit geometry and mounting, from the QFM Spec Sheet (MKT-199).
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Unit width | 36″ |
| Unit depth | 46″ — front of swing seal to back of fan |
| Top attachment | QFM-009 BAC (Beam Attachment Clamp) block onto the 4″ structural beam above; retractable clamps + bolts |
| Bottom attachment | Straddles the beam below; locking screws both sides (adapter where no bottom beam exists) |
| Swing seal | 20″ automatic height-adjusting swing seal plus vertical seals |
| Pallet height envelope | Seal fully extended: 57″–77″ pallet; fully collapsed: 29″–49″ pallet |
| Beam-to-beam height | 55″ min, 83″ max — with plenum extensions there is no maximum: any beam height, any pallet height |
Plenum extensions are the answer when product runs taller than the standard 77″ pallet maximum — they remove the beam-to-beam height limitation at additional cost. During installation the crew removes the front beam section, places the unit, and re-installs; this is part of the standard QuickFreeze install scope.
Documents
Permanent URLs — always the current revision.
QFM Racking Guidelines
The full racking spec for new construction, including the dimensioned sample views reproduced above. Design guide for NEW racking.
Existing Racking Form
Fill-in measurement form for racking already in the building — clear heights, beam heights, bay widths, obstructions, photos.
Racking FAQ
The questions PEs and rack vendors ask most.
Will QFMs work in our existing 96″ bays?
They fit — 96″ is the published minimum — but it affects operations: blast pallets lean, putaways get harder, and maintenance access is tight. It has been done, and so has 92″ (the operators hated it). If you are designing new, use 104″; if AutoSeal is in the plan, hold 102″–104″.
Our pallets are taller than the 83″ maximum opening. Are we stuck?
No. Plenum extensions remove the maximum beam-to-beam height limitation entirely — any beam height, any pallet height — at additional cost. The 55″ minimum still applies, and the +6″ opening rule still governs: size the opening to the pallet, even with extensions.
We have roll-formed rack. Do we have to replace it?
Not automatically, but the guidelines call for structural rack because QFM positions see more turns and traffic than storage positions, and beam strength matters (4″ channel where a QFM mounts above; 3″ C3 only when nothing mounts above). Document what you have on the existing-racking form with photos, and QuickFreeze engineering will evaluate it position by position — the formal submittal then states which positions need adapters and which beams need to change.
When do you need our racking measurements?
Before the submittal can be produced, and — if AutoSeal is in scope — at least 3 weeks before installation, because the seal tarps are built to your opening heights and carry about a 3-week lead time. The field measurement form is a data-collection tool, not a submittal; the submittal that comes back indicates pallet position, adapter requirements with part numbers, and AutoSeal heights.
Single-deep or double-deep?
Both are acceptable: single-deep selective and double-deep back-to-back QFM placements are each field-standard. For double-deep, hold the 93″ overall section depth (42″ + 9″ + 42″) with the front of the pallet flush to the aisle beam — misplacing the unit on the beam puts the pallet ~6″ into the aisle, which does not work.
Planning for AutoSeal
If AutoSeal is in scope, plan the rack for it from the start — it drives bay width, opening height, and lead time.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Clear bay width | AutoSeal needs the wider 102″–104″ clear bay (between uprights), not the 96″ published minimum. Hold 102″–104″ on every bay where AutoSeal is planned. |
| Opening height | The seal tarps are built to the rack opening height (tallest blast pallet + 6″). Lock opening heights before the seals are ordered, and keep all openings in a room at one height so a single tarp spec covers the room. |
| Lead time | AutoSeal seal tarps carry roughly a 3-week manufacturing lead time, so opening-height data is needed at least 3 weeks before installation. |
Decide AutoSeal early. Bay width and opening height are far cheaper to get right on the racking drawing than to retrofit later. If AutoSeal is even a possibility, plan the rack to the 102″–104″ bay now.
Racking Questions? Send the Measurements
Fill in the existing-racking form, or send your rack drawings — engineering reviews them position by position.