Choosing the Right Pallet Support: Double-Flanged vs Top-Hat
When your warehouse racking system is in heavy use, whether for deep rack aisles, high forklift traffic, or wide-span beams, even small vulnerabilities matter. One often overlooked component is pallet support.
These supports sit between the rack beams and provide a better platform under the pallet, reducing pallet sag, improving stability, and helping protect against mis-loads or dropped pallets.
Although pallet supports do not increase the official load-rating provided by the rack manufacturer, they do strengthen overall stability by adding rigidity and catching misaligned pallets. Using pallet supports along with structural wire mesh strengthens the rack in multiple ways. Together, they deliver a more stable and adaptable setup for everyday warehouse use.
Because pallet supports impact how weight is carried and how stable each rack bay is, many municipalities treat them as part of the structural system and require a permit before installation. The permit package ensures that every part of the rack, including the supports beneath the pallets, meets code for capacity, stability and fire safety.
J&L Wire offers two primary styles: the Double-Flanged style and the Top-Hat style. Each has distinct design features, advantages, and best-use cases.
Understanding the Two Styles
Double-Flanged Style
The Double-Flanged pallet support is built with four corners folded inward, forming a box-like shape. The ends wrap around the front and rear rack beams (creating “flanges” that overlap the beams) and include holes for Tek-screws to anchor the support to the beams.
Key design features:
- Overlaps the beams, making it mechanically secured in two directions.
- The wrap-around design gives higher rigidity under pallet loads and in high-traffic aisles.
- Because it sits on/over the beams, correct alignment and clearance are vital.
Top-Hat Style
The Top-Hat style is designed with a bottom edge folded outward (rather than inward) and is intended to rest on the inside step of a roll-formed beam. The bottom flared edge includes holes for Tek-screws and once installed, the top of the support sits flush with the front and rear beams.
Key design features:
- Intended especially for roll-formed step beams (though can work other beam types with proper fit).
- Flush top surface means pallets are less likely to catch on edges; installation can be simpler in certain beam geometries.
- The outward fold, rather than wrap, may reduce installation labor in certain settings.
Double-Flanged vs. Top-Hat Comparison Table
Here is a decision-chart comparing the two styles across key dimensions:
| Feature | Double-Flanged Style | Top-Hat Style |
| Design / Construction | Box-shape support with flanges wrapping around front & rear beams; holes for Tek-screws in the flanges. | Bottom edge folded outward; rests on inside step of beam; Tek-screw holes in bottom flange. |
| Beam Compatibility | Often preferred when you have structural beams or want extra mechanical anchor via wrap-around. | Especially suited for roll-formed step beams where the support can rest on the internal step. |
| Installation Effort & Cost | May require more precise alignment/clearance because the support overlaps beams and is anchored on both ends. Might incur slightly higher labor cost in constrained spaces. | May install more quickly in compatible beams; lower labor cost when beam geometry is suited. |
| Best Fit Use Case | Heavy loads, high throughput, deep racking, high forklift traffic, or where you want maximum support and safety margin. | Lighter to moderate traffic zones, roll-formed beams, tighter clearance, faster installation or retrofit-friendly. |
How to Choose: Step-by-Step Evaluation
Here’s a practical workflow you (or your warehouse planner) can follow to decide which style will serve you best:
- Identify your beam type and shape
- Are your rack beams structural (I-beam, H-beam style) or roll-formed step-beams?
- Do the beams have a visible inside step where a Top-Hat style could rest cleanly?
- Is there adequate clearance around the beam to allow the wrap of a Double-Flanged style?
- Assess your operational environment
- How heavy are your pallets and how often are they loaded/unloaded?
- Are you dealing with mis-aligned pallets, deep rack bays where visibility is limited, or high forklift traffic?
- Are you performing a retrofit in an existing rack with limited downtime or difficult access?
- Installation logistics & cost
- What is the labor cost, access, time-window for installation?
- Will installation require beam reconfiguration or clearance changes?
- Is there a preference (or requirement) for minimal disruption or faster install?
- Future flexibility and scaling
- Do you anticipate changing pallet sizes, reconfiguring bay depths, or different beam profiles in the future?
- If yes, a simpler installation (Top-Hat) may offer more flexibility; if no, maximize support (Double-Flanged).
- Safety and performance margin
- Where safety, load drop risk, pallet mis-alignment or forklift-operation risk are highest, opt for the more secure style (Double-Flanged) even if it costs more or installs a bit slower.
- For standard moderate use zones, the Top-Hat style gives good support with lower cost/time.
When You Might Consider Both
In some operations, you don’t have one homogeneous rack environment. Some bays are high-traffic and heavy‐load; others are lighter or accessed less often. It can make sense to use a mixed approach:
- Deploy Double-Flanged supports in the “priority” lanes: most frequently used bays, heavy loads, critical inventory.
- Use Top-Hat supports in the less demanding or lighter-use bays, retrofitted later if demand increases.
- This hybrid strategy optimizes cost vs performance across your warehouse.
Recommendations Regarding Top Hat vs Double Flange
Selecting the right pallet support style is more than a checkbox-task; it requires reviewing your rack geometry, load profile, traffic intensity and retrofit constraints. With the right fit:
- You’ll reduce pallet sag, decrease risk of dropped loads and load damage.
- Improve forklift operator confidence and reduce loading/unloading incidents.
- Increase the longevity and stability of your rack system.
For most thorough safety and performance zones, the Double-Flanged style offers the highest margin. For retrofit-friendly, roll-formed beam systems and moderate traffic zones, the Top-Hat style offers excellent value and simplicity.
Remember: Your choice is not about capacity upgrade, but about system stability and operational risk mitigation.
Not sure which you need? Our knowledgeable sales associates are ready to help. We stock select standard sizes of wire decking and pallet supports at our Walterboro location, and we also have a broad network of distributors throughout the U.S. and Canada.
