New vs Used Racking A Decision Guide with Hidden Costs Laid Bare

Why “New vs Used Racking” Is Not Just a Price Question

On paper, used racking can look like a no-brainer. The quote is lower, the steel looks “near enough”, and you can get it on a truck this week.

But pallet racking isn’t office furniture. It’s a load-bearing structure that falls under Australian WHS laws and guidance such as SafeWork’s pallet racking fact sheets and AS 4084. Those don’t care whether the steel is new or used – they care whether it’s correctly designed, installed, maintained and documented for the loads you’re putting on it. SafeWork NSW

This decision guide lays out new vs used racking, the real trade-offs, and the hidden costs that don’t show up on the first quote – so you can make a call that stands up to your CFO, your insurer and your safety obligations.

First, What Do We Mean by “New” and “Used” Racking?

Before comparing, it’s worth clarifying the types of racking you actually see in the market.

“New” racking

• Brand-new frames, beams and accessories, supplied through a specialist such as Better Storage Systems

• Designed and installed as a complete AS 4084–compliant pallet racking system for your products, pallets and forklifts

• Comes with engineering data, layout drawings, load signs and a clear path for future expansion

“Used” racking – three very different animals

1. Refurbished used racking from a reputable supplier

   • Decommissioned, inspected, graded and resold with compatible components

   • Integrated into a designed layout and backed by engineering and certification

2. Unverified used racking from auctions or classifieds

   • Unknown history: previous overloading, impact damage, outdoor storage

   • Mixed brands and series, often missing components

3. Hybrid patchwork

   • A mix of new and used components from multiple brands, often assembled on site

   • Very hard to certify and maintain, especially if brands aren’t compatible

The hidden costs sit almost entirely in categories 2 and 3.

New vs Used Pallet Racking: The Headline Trade-Offs

New racking – strengths

• Clean engineering and documentation from day one

• Guaranteed compatibility of frames, beams, clips and accessories

• Full manufacturer support, warranty and spare parts

• Easy to extend, reconfigure and relocate using compatible stock

New racking – compromises

• Higher capital cost up-front

• Slightly longer lead time for design, approvals and installation

Used racking – strengths

• Lower purchase price per bay (on paper)

• Faster to source if you find stock already in your state

• Environmentally attractive (re-use rather than scrap)

Used racking – compromises and risks

• Unknown history: prior overload, unseen corrosion, DIY repairs

• Mixed brands and components that may not be compatible – a direct concern in safety guidance, which stresses using original manufacturer parts for replacements and modifications SafeWork NSW

• Limited or no documentation for load ratings

• Harder to extend or relocate later without starting again

The rest of this guide unpacks those hidden costs so you can decide when new, used, or a blended approach is right for your site.

Hidden Cost 1: Engineering, Compliance and Certification

SafeWork NSW, SafeWork SA and WorkSafe Victoria all repeat the same message:

Racking must be designed for the size, shape and weight of the products being stored, and set up and maintained according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

When you buy new pallet racking through a specialist provider, that engineering work is built in. You get:

• A layout matched to your pallets and forklifts

• Calculated beam, bay and frame capacities

• Correct baseplates and anchors for your slab

• Compliant pallet racking load signs and documentation

With unverified used racking, you often get:

• No brand or model information – so no load tables

• Unknown series (even within the same brand)

• No evidence it was ever installed or used in line with AS 4084

To make that system compliant, you’ll likely need:

• A competent racking engineer to assess the steel, configuration and slab

• New load calculations and load signs

• Replacement components or re-configuration to satisfy current standards

Those engineering and rectification costs can easily erode most of the “saving” from the used racking purchase.

Hidden Cost 2: Damage, Fatigue and Reduced Capacity

Used racking doesn’t come with a logbook of all the forklift hits, overloads or layout changes it’s seen. The risks include:

• Hidden structural damage – micro-cracks or stretching in steel from historical overloads or impacts

• Corrosion, especially where frames or beams were stored outdoors; rust can start inside sections where you can’t see it

• Straightened beams – a common but unsafe practice where bent beams are manually “straightened”, permanently weakening them

The result:

• Reduced capacity compared to the original rating

• Higher chance of failure even when you think you’re within the safe working load

• More red and amber defects at every racking safety audit

Every serious repair, replacement or emergency unload is an extra unplanned cost and downtime that never appeared in the original used racking quote.

Hidden Cost 3: Mixing Brands and Missing Components

SafeWork and WorkSafe guidance is very clear: replacements and modifications should use compatible parts from the original manufacturer, or be verified by engineering. SafeWork NSW

With used racking, it’s common to see:

• One brand of frames with different brands of beams

• Safety clips or locking pins replaced by “near enough” hardware

• Bracing patterns that don’t match manufacturer drawings

Industry guides on mixing new and used racks point out that mismatched connectors and brands can lead to:

• Beams not seating correctly in uprights

• Reduced resistance to impact and load

• Voided load ratings and certifications

Fixing this after installation often means:

• Buying new compatible beams or frames anyway

• Re-installing sections to bring them back into line

• Paying again for engineering sign-off

In other words: the cheap, mixed-brand deal can become a full-price new system plus disposal costs.

Hidden Cost 4: Layout Inefficiency and Lost Capacity

Used racking usually comes in whatever lengths and depths happen to be available, not what your ideal layout calls for. That can mean:

• Beam lengths that don’t match your pallet pattern, costing you a pallet per level in every second bay

• Frame depths that don’t suit your standard pallet depth, forcing awkward overhang or poor clearances

• Odd bay widths that disrupt aisle spacing and forklift movements

SafeWork and AS 4084-aligned guidance require racking layouts to be compatible with your pallets and handling equipment – not the other way around.

Over a whole warehouse, a “good enough” used layout can quietly erase tens or hundreds of pallet positions, plus add ongoing handling inefficiencies.

Hidden Cost 5: Downtime, Programme Risk and Business Disruption

The direct dollar cost of the steel is only part of the story.

With uncontrolled used racking, you also risk:

• Delays on site when installers discover missing components or incompatible brands

• Sections that have to be dismantled and rebuilt after failing inspection

• Extended shutdowns if a serious defect or collapse occurs and regulators or insurers get involved SafeWork NSW

By contrast, a new installation designed, supplied and installed by a specialist like Better Storage Systems is scoped, engineered and delivered as a single, coordinated project – with fewer surprises and much clearer programme control.

Hidden Cost 6: Future Expansion, Relocation and Resale

Most warehouses don’t stay static. Over the life of your racking, you’re likely to:

• Add new SKUs or change pallet types

• Extend the layout or increase beam levels

• Relocate to a new facility

With a modern, brand-compatible system:

• You can add matching bays, beams and protectors easily

• You can relocate with help from a provider that offers dismantle or relocate services and racking installations across Australia

• Documentation, load signs and spare parts are straightforward

A patchwork of second-hand brands is very hard to extend cleanly. In many cases, the cheapest option later is to scrap and start again – effectively paying for the racking twice over its life.

When Used Racking Does Make Sense

Used racking is not automatically wrong – it’s just often misunderstood. There are scenarios where it can be a smart part of the mix, especially if:

• You’re fitting out a small or secondary warehouse with modest loads

• You have tight capital constraints but still need safe, compliant storage

• You’re expanding an existing system using the same brand and series and can source compatible used components

The key is how you buy and who stands behind it.

Used racking works best when:

• It’s supplied by a reputable, licensed provider that:

  • Identifies brands and series correctly

  • Inspects and grades components

  • Replaces damaged parts

  • Integrates used stock into a properly engineered design

• You still get:

  • Layout drawings and load calculations

  • Updated load signs

  • Installation and inspection by competent people

This is very different from buying a random lot at auction and asking your team to “make it work” with a grinder and a paintbrush.

A Simple New vs Used Racking Decision Framework

When you’re weighing up new vs used racking for your next project, ask these questions:

1. What’s our risk appetite?

   • Are we comfortable taking on unknown structural and compliance risk to save 10–20% on steel?

2. What’s the life of this warehouse?

   • If you’ll be in the building for 5–10 years, investing in a robust, extendable system usually pays back many times over.

3. Do we have the documentation and engineering support we need?

   • If not, factor in the cost of getting used racking assessed, repaired and certified.

4. Will we need to expand or relocate?

   • If yes, standardise on a system that will be easy to add to and move with you.

5. Who is on the hook personally if something fails?

   • WHS law in Australia places duties on PCBUs and officers; “we bought it cheap second-hand” is not a defence. SafeWork NSW

In many cases, the answer is a blend: new racking in high-risk, high-demand zones, with carefully selected and certified used components in lower-risk areas – all designed and signed off as one system.

How Better Storage Systems Can Help You Get the Balance Right

Better Storage Systems works across the full lifecycle of pallet racking:

• New pallet racking solutions for industrial warehouses

• Used racking options where they’re appropriate and can be safely integrated

• Design and quote services to compare scenarios (all-new vs blended vs staged)

• Dismantle or relocate services when you move or reconfigure

• Independent racking safety audit and repair to assess any existing or second-hand systems against AS 4084

That means you don’t have to choose between “cheap but risky” and “safe but unaffordable”. You can:

• See the true whole-of-life cost of new vs used racking

• Decide where used gear makes sense – and where it doesn’t

• Get a single partner to design, supply, install, certify and maintain the system over time

If you’re currently comparing a low used racking quote with a fully engineered new system, it’s worth asking: what aren’t we seeing in those numbers? Getting those hidden costs laid bare now is almost always cheaper than discovering them after the racks are full.