AS 4084 Essentials What the Standard Actually Requires (and What It Doesn’t)

Understanding AS 4084 in Plain Warehouse Language

If you run a warehouse in Australia, you’ve almost certainly heard someone say, “We need to be AS 4084 compliant.”

But what does that actually mean?

AS 4084 is the Australian Standard for steel storage racking. The current framework is built around AS 4084:2012 and the newer AS 4084.1:2023 (Design) and AS 4084.2:2023 (Operation and maintenance). Together, they set minimum requirements for how pallet racking is designed, installed, inspected and used in Australian warehouses.

This article breaks down what the standard really expects from CEOs, warehouse owners and managers – and just as importantly, what it doesn’t say (despite what you might hear on the floor or from suppliers).

What AS 4084 Actually Is (and Where It Applies)

A design and operations rulebook for steel pallet racking

At its core, AS 4084 sets minimum requirements for:

• Structural design and analysis of steel storage racking

• Fabrication and erection tolerances

• Test methods and performance

• Operation, inspection and maintenance in service

The standard applies to:

• Adjustable, static pallet racking made from cold-formed or hot-rolled steel members

• Racking installed inside or outside a building

• Racking that can even form part of the building frame (e.g. rack-supported structures)

It does not primarily cover:

• Drive-in and drive-through racking

• Cantilever racking

• Mobile racking

• Systems made from materials other than steel (these rely on other guidance and engineering standards)

Those systems still need proper engineering, but the detailed rules are found in other documents and manufacturer manuals – not in AS 4084 alone.

The newer split: AS 4084.1 and AS 4084.2

In the latest update, the standard is split into two parts:

• AS 4084.1:2023 – Design

  • Structural modelling and analysis

  • Load combinations, seismic and impact considerations

  • Requirements for components such as frames, beams and bracing

• AS 4084.2:2023 – Operation and maintenance

  • Installation tolerances

  • Clearances and beam deflection limits

  • Inspection regimes, damage assessment and repair rules

  • Use of competent persons for audits and repairs

For a CEO or warehouse manager, Part 2 is where most of your daily responsibilities sit – but you still need the design side done properly at the start.

What AS 4084 Expects from Warehouse Owners and Operators

1. Start with a compliant, engineered design

AS 4084 assumes your racking has been properly engineered – it is not a “DIY and hope for the best” standard. It requires that racking be designed by a competent person using recognised structural methods and that your system is documented

• You should receive layout drawings and load application drawings for each installation.

• The drawings must show the configuration the racking was designed for – upright type, beam sections, bay heights and load limits.

• You should receive a formal certificate or engineering statement confirming the design complies with AS 4084.

Better Storage Systems designs, supplies and installs AS 4084–compliant pallet racking systems across Australia and New Zealand, backed by finite element analysis and long-term project experience. Better Storage

When you invest in new pallet racking systems, you’re also buying the compliance and documentation that goes with them – not just steel in the air.

2. Load ratings that are documented and visible – not “guessed”

AS 4084 requires that the design capacities of the racking are clearly communicated to users. That happens in two places:

1. Engineering documentation (load tables, calculations, drawings)

2. Pallet racking load signs fixed to the racking in the warehouse

Regulator guidance based on AS 4084 is clear that each installation must have permanent, corrosion-resistant load plaques, typically at the end of each run, showing the key capacities and configuration.

A compliant load sign (and its underlying documentation) will typically record:

• Maximum unit load per pallet

• Maximum load per beam level

• Maximum bay load

• Permitted beam heights and configuration

• Designer/supplier details and installation date

What AS 4084 is explicitly not ok with is:

• “Rounding up” capacities because the steel “looks heavy-duty”

• Copying ratings from another site or brand

• Handwritten capacity changes on the sign

Only the racking manufacturer or a qualified engineer can specify new load ratings. If anything changes, the sign and documentation must be updated and re-certified.

Better Storage Systems issues engineered load signs and documentation as part of compliant installations and formal inspections, so what’s on the board matches the racking and the calculations behind it.

For a deeper dive, see their dedicated blog on pallet racking load signs without the guesswork.

3. Regular inspections – including at least one formal audit every 12 months

AS 4084 makes inspection and maintenance a core obligation, not a nice-to-have.

Key expectations include:

• Frequent in-house checks by trained staff (often weekly or monthly walk-throughs)

• Formal, documented inspections at least once every 12 months by a competent person

• Clear processes for classifying and responding to damage (e.g. “green / amber / red” categories in some guidance based on AS 4084)

• Proper records of inspections, actions taken and any repairs

The trend in the 2023 updates is towards:

• Stronger emphasis on the end user’s ongoing responsibility

• Explicit recognition of a “competent person” for formal inspections and repairs

• Greater expectation that the annual audit is independent, not purely self-assessed

Better Storage Systems offers a dedicated pallet racking safety audit and repair service that’s aligned with AS 4084-1993/2012/2023, providing audit reports, on-the-spot repairs where possible and certification.

4. Repairs and modifications only by competent providers

AS 4084 is very clear that pallet racking is a highly engineered, thin-walled structure, and that repairs or alterations are not a job for general maintenance crews.

In practice, this means:

• No cutting, welding, drilling or straightening of damaged uprights or beams on site

• No swapping components between brands (non-OEM parts) unless the system has been specifically engineered for that configuration

• No moving beams, adding levels or changing layouts without checking the design and updating load signs and documentation

• Repairs and modifications must be designed or approved by a competent person in steel storage racking

Many Better Storage load sign templates and maintenance guidelines explicitly remind users not to modify racking without written consent, and to report impact damage immediately so the effect on safety can be assessed.

5. Safe day-to-day operation and clearances

AS 4084.2 ties the standard directly into day-to-day warehouse behaviour:

• Minimum clearances between pallets, beams and uprights

• Requirements for anchoring and floor condition

• Control of impact from forklifts and other mechanical handling equipment

• Prohibition on climbing the structure

• Need for operator training and clear rules for reporting damage

Better Storage Systems reinforces these expectations in its product literature and load sign instructions – including maintaining correct clearances, securing product to pallets, keeping within safe working loads and never climbing the racking structure.

What AS 4084 Does Not Say (Common Myths)

Understanding what the standard doesn’t require is just as helpful as knowing what it does.

Myth 1: “If it’s in a warehouse, AS 4084 covers it.”

Not quite.

AS 4084 was written around adjustable static pallet racking in steel. Drive-in, drive-through, cantilever and some mobile systems fall largely outside its direct scope, even though they still need engineering and safe use.

For those systems, you rely on:

• Manufacturer design manuals

• European standards (e.g. EN standards for tolerances/clearances in some cases)

• Project-specific engineering

From a CEO’s perspective, the simple rule is: every racking system must have its own clear design basis and documentation – but not every system is governed line-by-line by AS 4084.

Myth 2: “Once I’ve got a certificate, I’m done.”

AS 4084 certification is not a one-and-done event.

The standard assumes:

• Your loads, configurations and operating conditions may change over time

• Impact damage will occur

• Layouts will be adjusted, extended or relocated

Any time you move beams, change load types, relocate the racking or suffer significant damage, the original certificate and load signs may no longer be valid. AS 4084.2 expects you to treat these changes as triggers for re-assessment and re-certification, not to carry on as if the original design still applies.

Myth 3: “The standard tells me exactly how often to inspect.”

You’ll often hear, “AS 4084 says inspect every 12 months.” That’s only half the story.

The standard and industry guidance consistently refer to:

• Frequent internal inspections (informal visual checks)

• Formal inspections at intervals not exceeding 12 months by a competent person

For many operations – high traffic, heavy loads, cold storage, or frequent re-slotting – annual formal inspections are the minimum, not the ideal. Six-monthly or even quarterly independent audits are common in higher-risk environments.

Better Storage’s own audit services are built around at least annual independent audits, with scheduled programs that can be tailored to risk.

Myth 4: “AS 4084 chooses my layout, forklift or racking brand.”

It doesn’t.

AS 4084 sets performance and safety requirements, not commercial choices. It does not:

• Tell you which racking brand to use

• Dictate your aisle widths (these come from design practice, other standards and forklift manufacturer guidance)

• Decide whether you should use selective, double-deep, drive-in or shuttle systems

Those decisions sit in warehouse design and commercial planning. The role of AS 4084 is to make sure whatever you choose is structurally sound and operated safely.

Myth 5: “If I meet AS 4084, my WHS obligations are fully covered.”

AS 4084 is one key piece of the puzzle – but it doesn’t replace your broader duties under Australian WHS law.

Work health and safety legislation still requires you to:

• Provide a safe workplace and plant

• Consult with workers

• Manage risks using the hierarchy of controls

• Keep training, supervision and reporting systems up to date

AS 4084 helps you demonstrate that your pallet racking is designed, maintained and used in line with industry standards. It doesn’t remove your obligation to actively manage risk.

How AS 4084 Should Shape Your Decisions

When buying or upgrading pallet racking

Before you sign off on a new installation or major upgrade, make sure you can tick these boxes:

• The proposal clearly states that the system is designed to AS 4084.

• You will receive certified drawings, load tables and load signs as part of the project.

• The supplier can also provide ongoing inspections and repairs, not just a one-off install.

Using a provider like Better Storage Systems for pallet racking design, supply and installation keeps responsibility for design, installation and certification under one roof – and aligned with AS 4084 from day one.

When modifying, relocating or reconfiguring

Any of the following should raise an AS 4084 “red flag” for re-assessment:

• Moving beam levels up or down to create more clearance

• Adding or removing beam levels in a bay

• Changing to heavier or different unit loads

• Relocating racking to a new facility

• Mixing components from different brands

Each of these can change the load path and capacity. Under AS 4084, you must:

• Get a competent person to review the new configuration

• Update drawings, load signs and certification

• Lock out or unload any questionable sections until they’re cleared

This is exactly where a pallet racking safety audit and repair service is designed to step in – combining inspection, engineering and remedial work.

In everyday warehouse operations

AS 4084 compliance lives and dies in daily behaviour. In practical terms, that means:

• Forklift operators understand how to read a load sign and when to question a load

• Supervisors know how to spot obvious damage and escalate it

• No-one moves beams, cuts steel or swaps parts without involving the supplier

• Internal safety walks specifically include pallet racking checks

Better Storage’s brochures and load sign instructions emphasise that operators must report damage immediately, respect posted loads, and treat racking as critical structural equipment – not just shelving.

A Practical AS 4084 Checklist for CEOs and Warehouse Leaders

If you’re responsible for a warehouse, you don’t need to memorise the standard – but you do need a clear view of whether your site is aligned with it.

Use this high-level checklist:

1. Scope

   • Confirm your pallet racking falls within AS 4084 (steel, static, adjustable).

   • For drive-in, cantilever or mobile systems, confirm you have separate engineering and documentation.

2. Design and documentation

   • Do you have current layout drawings, load application drawings and/or engineering certificates for each racking area?

   • Do those documents clearly state design to AS 4084?

3. Load signs and visibility

   • Is every run of pallet racking fitted with a permanent load sign?

   • Do the signs clearly show unit load, level load and bay load, plus configuration and supplier details?

4. Inspection regime

   • Do you have frequent in-house visual checks documented as part of your safety system?

   • Have you had a formal external inspection within the last 12 months (or more often where risk justifies it)?

5. Damage and repair process

   • Is there a clear, enforced process for reporting, tagging out and rectifying damaged racking?

   • Are repairs and modifications only done under the direction of a competent racking specialist?

6. Training and culture

   • Are operators trained to read load signs and understand the consequences of overloading or impact?

   • Do supervisors treat racking as structural plant, not just storage furniture?

If you can’t comfortably tick these boxes, it’s a strong signal that your AS 4084 compliance – and your overall risk profile – needs attention.

Better Storage Systems can help with end-to-end support: from pallet racking design and installation through to regular safety audits, repairs and certification.