What is the maximum plate size Herochu can store? Standard frames cover up to 6000 × 2000 mm at 5,000 kg per level. Widths beyond that, including 6000 × 2500 mm, are engineered as custom builds with additional drawer support lines and recalculated arm sections.
How much does a 6000 × 2500 mm plate weigh? Steel plate at that size weighs about 118 kg per millimetre of thickness, so 6 mm is roughly 0.7 tonnes, 12 mm about 1.4 tonnes, and 25 mm close to 2.9 tonnes. The drawer rating and the crane capacity are both set from that number.
Can the rack be loaded with a forklift instead of a crane? Yes, on forklift-loading configurations where the drawer face stays clear and the forks reach the load centre. Herochu checks truck capacity, fork length and the resulting load chart before confirming the design.
How many tiers fit under a 6 m crane? Usually five to six, depending on plate thickness. Tier pitch grows with the material, so a bay storing 25 mm plate serves fewer levels than one storing 3 mm sheet at the same building height.
Does the rack need a special foundation? It needs a checked one. A fully loaded bay can put 25–30 tonnes on a small footprint, so Herochu provides base plate loads for the structural engineer to verify against the slab design.
Can one rack store steel, stainless and aluminium? Yes. The frame is common and each drawer is allocated to one material. What matters is that the grades never share a drawer, and that stainless drawers are specified with liner decks and clean, painted frames.
Does stainless need a different rack from mild steel? It needs a different drawer. Carbon steel dust and rust particles damage the passive layer on stainless, so the practical rule is a dedicated drawer, a non-marking deck and no shared storage with raw steel.
How much does aluminium sheet weigh compared with steel? Aluminium is about 2.7 kg/dm³ against 7.85 kg/dm³ for steel, roughly a third. A drawer rated at 3,000 kg holds a far taller stack of aluminium than of steel, which is why clear space is set from bundle height.
Can the rack handle offcuts as well as full sheets? Yes, and that is where drawer allocation earns its keep. Assign one or two drawers to remnant stock by grade, and the offcuts stop migrating into the full-sheet bays.
Is a crane needed for non-ferrous plate? A crane or vacuum lifter is usually preferred, because magnets do not work on aluminium or stainless. Forklift loading is available on configurations with clear drawer faces, provided the forks reach the load centre.
