EN 15512 · STANDARDS LIBRARY

EN 15512 — How Racking Load Capacity Is Actually Determined

By Dan Sun, Marketing Director · Technically reviewed by Yongfeng Jiao, Structural Engineer · JISE Intelligent Storage

Test plus calculation, not calculation alone

EN 15512 ('Steel static storage systems — adjustable pallet racking systems — principles for structural design') is the European standard governing how racking load capacities are established. Its core principle: racking components are cold-formed, thin-walled and connection-dependent — behavior that pure calculation predicts poorly. Capacity claims must therefore rest on a combination of physical component testing and calculation.

The standard defines the required tests: upright section tests, beam bending and deflection tests, beam-to-upright connector tests (shear, moment, looseness), and frame tests. Load tables derived any other way are marketing numbers.

How to read a racking load table

A credible load table is specific: it states the exact upright profile, beam section, connector, bay configuration and load distribution it applies to, and references the test evidence behind it. 'Up to 4,000 kg per level' with no configuration data is a red flag, not a specification.

JISE's product testing spans European, Australian and American regimes — EN 15512/FEM, AS 4084 (report series 24111305) and US RMI MH16.1/MH16.5 component tests — so project load documentation can be issued against the standard your market actually enforces, whether the project is a four-way shuttle racking system or an AS/RS high-bay installation.

Frequently asked questions

How is a racking load capacity actually determined?

By test plus calculation, not catalogue arithmetic. EN 15512 defines the test methods — beam bending, connector moment, upright compression — whose results feed the design model. A load table without traceable test evidence behind it is a claim, not a capacity.

How do I read a racking load table safely?

Check three things: the beam-level spacing the table assumes, the deflection limit applied, and whether capacities are stated per pair of beams or per level. Then confirm the table matches your exact profile and connector — a table for a different beam section is meaningless for your project.

Why does JISE not publish generic load tables?

Because a safe number depends on your pallet weight, span, level spacing and code basis. Publishing one generic table invites misuse. JISE issues project-specific capacities, calculated and stamped for your configuration.