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Stop Shipping "Air" Back to Your Glass Plant. For glass distributors and fabricators, the return trip costs just as much as the delivery. Traditional wood A-frames or static welded racks clutter your glazing contractor's job site and waste 80% of your truck space on the return leg. Switch to the L-Rack system designed for high-volume float glass and IGU logistics—where structural rigidity meets space-saving intelligence. |
In the architectural glass industry, your profit margin is often eaten up by logistics. Whether you are moving wholesale tempered glass to a window manufacturer or delivering IGUs to a commercial install, the problem remains the same: Static Racks.
Once the glaziers unload the lites, you are left with a bulky steel skeleton that demands the same floor space empty as it did full. This forces you to run more trucks for retrieval or clogs up your warehouse WIP (Work-In-Progress) areas. The industry solution is the Nesting L-Rack.
Figure 1: Empty L-racks nesting efficiently, reducing storage footprint by up to 70%.
Unlike A-frames which require disassembly or massive storage footprints, our glass transport racks feature a calculated geometric base offset. This allows empty racks to slide into one another—similar to shopping carts—compressing 7 racks into the space of 2. This capability alone can triple your reverse logistics efficiency.
Glass is unforgiving. A single point of metal-to-glass contact during transport creates stress risers that lead to catastrophic failure—often delayed until the glass is on the cutting table or being installed. The "industry standard" of gluing rubber strips to steel is a failure point; heat and humidity in the warehouse cause glue to fail, stripping the rack of protection.
We engineered the Steel-Core Rubber Profile to solve this. We do not use glue. Our EPDM rubber profiles are reinforced with an internal steel plate and mechanically fastened to the Q235 steel frame with self-tapping screws.
Figure 2: Steel-core rubber profiles mechanically fastened to protect IGU edges from chipping.
This design ensures that even under the crushing weight of 4,000 lbs of plate glass, the rubber will not shear off or compress to the point of failure. This protects the delicate edges of your tempered glass and preserves the pristine surface of soft-coat Low-E layers.
A "warehouse rack" is different from a "transport rack." You need a hybrid that can handle both. Our racks are built from Q235 carbon structural steel, utilizing full seam welding rather than spot welding. This rigidity is critical when moving heavy duty glass racks loaded with Jumbo sheets via forklift or overhead crane.
For facility managers dealing with mixed inventory—from small shower door panels to large curtain wall units—the L-shape design allows for single-sided loading. This enables you to place racks against walls to open up forklift lanes, maximizing your square footage usage.
Figure 3: Heavy-duty loads of jumbo glass sheets supported by full-seam welded Q235 steel frames.
If you are procuring racks for a large distribution center, freight cost is a major factor. The standard dimensions of our L-racks (1600x950x1600mm) are mathematically optimized for 40HQ containers. By utilizing the nesting and flip-stacking method, we can load up to 98 units in a single container.
Figure 4: High-density stacking logic designed for 40HQ container optimization, drastically reducing per-unit freight cost.
This efficiency allows you to scale your logistics fleet rapidly without paying to ship empty space across the ocean. Whether you are handling raw float glass or sensitive IGUs, upgrading to a nestable steel system is an investment in lower breakage rates and higher operational velocity.
1. Will the rubber pads damage the soft-coat Low-E on my glass?
No. We use high-quality EPDM or Polyurethane rubber (Shore A 70-80 hardness) specifically designed for the glass industry. It provides sufficient grip to prevent slippage without marring sensitive coatings, provided the glass is loaded correctly.
2. Can these racks be lifted by an overhead crane?
Yes. The racks are equipped with four welded lifting eyelets (lifting pins) at the top corners. However, you must use a spreader bar or ensure a 4-point lift to prevent inward crushing forces on the glass pack.
3. What is the weight capacity of a standard L-Rack?
Our standard L-rack is rated for 1.5 tons (approx. 3,300 lbs). For specific applications involving granite slabs or extra-thick laminated glass blocks, we can upgrade the material to support up to 4 tons.
4. How do I secure the glass during truck transport?
The racks feature integrated anchor hooks on the steel frame. You should use professional ratchet straps. We recommend utilizing the 3-5° designed tilt of the rack and ensuring the pack is strapped tight to the back frame to prevent "chattering" or movement during braking.
5. Can I mix different glass sizes on one rack?
Yes, but load distribution is key. Always load the largest sheets against the backrest first, followed by smaller sheets. Ensure the center of gravity remains low and centered. For small loose pieces, we recommend our "Lmrack" trolley version with added retention bars.
