What Does the Added Letter P Mean in the Frame Designations of Stow, Still and Jungheinrich

Manufacturers of pallet racking have a wide range of different frames available to offer the user the best frame at the lowest cost. Each frame has its own specifications in terms of width, depth, material thickness, and steel grade. Each frame therefore also has a specific load capacity depending on those specifications. If we look at manufacturer Stow, there are a large number of styles available:

These different styles all differ in dimensions, material thickness and steel grade. Type 12 is the lightest frame with the lowest load capacities. Type 32 is the heaviest still somewhat common frame.

Frame strength is also determined by the bracing

As is known, the frame is made up of 2 uprights of, for example, one of the types mentioned above, with bracing in between. The bracing also largely determines the load capacity of the entire frame. Stow has standard horizontal braces and 2 different diagonal braces. A short and a long diagonal brace.

• The short diagonal brace is for 500 mm height
• The long diagonal brace is for 750 mm height

The distribution of horizontal braces, short diagonal braces and long diagonal braces in a frame is called the bracing pattern. The bracing pattern in a frame is prescribed by the manufacturer, and extensively tested. Correctly applying the bracing pattern in a frame is part of the commissioning inspection.

Standard bracing pattern and bracing pattern for frames with a P in the designation

It sometimes happens that the customer has a set of requirements for which, for example, Stow frame type 18 does not offer enough load capacity, but the heavier frame (type 29, for example) is too heavy, or does not fit the dimensions for an optimal layout. In that case, the load capacity of a frame can be improved by applying a different bracing pattern. This reinforced bracing pattern consists of extra short diagonal braces at the bottom of the frame compared to a standard bracing pattern. See the image below where the short diagonal braces are colored purple. On the left is a standard bracing pattern. On the right a reinforced bracing pattern

The right-hand version with extra short diagonal braces has more load capacity than the left-hand version. This right-hand version is indicated on the load plates with the letter P after the frame type

So 16P instead of 16, 18P instead of 18 and so on.

Examples of load plates where Still, Stow and Jungheinrich add the P to the frame type