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Stop Paying to Ship "Air" in Your Return LogisticsFor glass distributors and fabricators, the return trip kills margins. Traditional A-frames monopolize trailer space even when empty. Our L-Shape Glass Holding Racks feature a nesting design that compresses volume by 70%—turning a logistics nightmare into a lean, profitable loop for your Tempered and IGU shipments. Talk With An Expert |
If you are managing a fleet for a glass wholesaler or a busy fabrication shop, you know the drill: You deliver a truckload of IGUs or heavy tempered panels to a jobsite, and the driver returns with a truck full of empty steel racks. With standard A-frames, you are essentially shipping air.
This is where the engineering behind our Collapsible glass racks changes the equation. Unlike static A-frames that require significant floor space regardless of load status, our L-Shape racks are designed with a specific geometric offset at the base.
Figure 1: Empty L-racks nesting like shopping carts, saving 70% of warehouse and truck space.
As shown above, empty racks slide into one another—much like shopping carts. This Nesting capability allows you to stack up to 7 empty racks in the space of 2 full ones. For a 53-foot trailer or a 40HQ container, this means you can fit nearly 100 empty units on a return leg, drastically reducing your freight cost per unit.
Space saving is useless if the glass arrives chipped. In the glass transport rack industry, the most common failure point is the rubber padding. Cheap racks use glue to attach rubber strips. Under the heat of a California summer or the friction of a 2,000 lb load of float glass, that glue fails. The rubber peels off, exposing your premium Low-E coating or polished edges to bare steel.
Figure 2: Steel-core rubber profile secured with self-tapping screws ensures zero contact between glass and metal.
Our solution is the Steel-Core Rubber Profile. We don't use glue. The rubber profile contains an internal steel plate and is mechanically fastened to the rack frame with self-tapping screws. This ensures the protection layer stays in place, whether you are hauling heavy granite slabs or delicate 1/4 inch tempered glass. The 3-5° tilt angle further ensures that sheets lean naturally against the back support, preventing "chatter" and surface abrasion during transit.
In a busy glass fabrication plant, racks aren't just for storage; they are part of the production line. They need to endure forklift abuse, overhead crane loading, and the weight of jumbo sheets. Flimsy racks made of thin-wall steel will flex under load. When a rack flexes, the glass takes the stress, leading to mysterious spontaneous breakage or "runs" in the glass.
Figure 3: Reinforced base with 4-way forklift channels and Q235 steel construction for maximum rigidity.
We utilize Q235 Carbon Structural Steel with full seam welding (no spot welds). The base features reinforced forklift channels (100x50mm rectangular tubes) designed to handle dynamic loads of up to 4,000 lbs. Whether you are moving WIP (Work In Progress) from the cutting table to the tempering furnace, or staging finished orders for shipping, these racks maintain their geometric rigidity to protect your inventory.
Q1: Can these racks handle both loose lites and crated glass?
Yes. The L-shape design with the 90-degree ledge is ideal for loose lites (tempered, laminated, or IGU). For crated glass, we recommend verifying the depth of the bottom ledge (usually 748mm or custom) to ensure the crate sits securely.
Q2: How many empty L-racks can fit in a 40HQ container?
Thanks to the nesting design, you can fit approximately 98 to 112 units of our standard size (1600x950x1600mm) racks in a 40HQ container. This maximizes your import efficiency.
Q3: Will the rubber pads mark or stain the glass coating?
No. We use high-quality EPDM or non-marking rubber compounds specifically formulated for the glass industry. They are designed to be weather-resistant and will not leave residue on Low-E or soft-coat glass.
Q4: Can I mix these racks with my existing A-frames?
While they serve similar purposes, L-racks are single-sided and designed for nesting. They can be used alongside A-frames in your warehouse, but they cannot "nest" into a standard A-frame. They are best deployed as a dedicated fleet for specific transport routes.
Q5: What is the load capacity of a standard L-Shape rack?
Our standard heavy-duty model is rated for 1.5 tons (3,300 lbs) to 3 tons (6,600 lbs) depending on the configuration and tube thickness chosen. Custom heavy-duty versions for stone or thick glass packs can go higher.
