What RackCity Does
RackCity is an AI-assisted pallet rack layout and quoting tool that runs entirely in your browser. You enter a building footprint, place racking zones, configure the rack specs, and get three professional outputs: a Floor Plan PDF, an Elevation PDF, and a Bill of Materials with a Quote PDF.
Most rack layout tools are either overbuilt (AutoCAD, Revit) or underbuilt (graph paper, Excel). RackCity sits in the middle — fast enough to sketch on a customer call, accurate enough to hand to a contractor or permit engineer. There's no software to install and no account required to start.
Who It's For
RackCity is built for anyone who needs a racking layout fast — not just engineers:
- Warehouse managers evaluating how many pallet positions fit before signing a lease
- Rack dealers and material handling salespeople generating same-day quotes for customers
- Facility planners and industrial engineers sketching options for a fit-out or expansion
- Small business owners setting up their first warehouse and trying to understand what they need
- Commercial real estate developers assessing tenant fit-out feasibility
If you've ever had to wait two days for a rack proposal or tried to count positions on a hand-sketched drawing, RackCity is for you.
Step 1: Enter Your Building Dimensions
Start by entering your building's width and length in feet. RackCity draws the building outline on the canvas as your working footprint. You can also set the clear height, which affects upright sizing and is shown on the elevation drawing.
If your building has an interior office, mezzanine, or demising wall, you can add those as obstructions directly on the canvas. Rack zones won't overlap them.
Have a PDF marketing flyer for the building? Drop it into the AI flyer upload area and RackCity will read the dimensions, dock count, and column grid from the document — then draft a complete racking layout automatically. This is the fastest path from "customer sent me a flyer" to "I have a quote ready."
Step 2: Add Racking Zones
Draw a rectangular zone on the canvas by clicking and dragging, then choose a rack type:
- Single-deep selective — standard drive-in aisle access from one side
- Back-to-back (B2B) — two rows of single-deep sharing a common back, maximizing density
- Double-deep — two pallets deep per bay, requires reach truck
You can place multiple zones with different rack types and configurations in the same building. Each zone calculates independently.
Instead of drawing zones manually, describe what you want: "400×250 ft warehouse, 28 ft clear height, three B2B rows running north-south with 12 ft aisles, 42 in beams." RackCity's AI generates the full layout from that description — positions, beam specs, and all. You can then refine it by hand.
Step 3: Configure Rack Parameters
Each zone has its own rack configuration. The key settings:
- Beam length — determines bay width and pallets per bay (e.g., 8 ft = 2 pallets, 12 ft = 3 pallets at 40 in pallet width)
- Beam levels — number of load levels per bay, including floor level
- Upright height — overall column height; drives the elevation drawing and footplate sizing
- Pallet height — loaded pallet height, used to verify each beam level fits
RackCity shows a live pallet position count as you change settings — useful for quickly modeling "what if I go from 4 levels to 5?" without redrawing anything.
Step 4: Refine the Layout
Once you have a layout you like, you can fine-tune it:
- Drag zones to reposition them within the building footprint
- Remove individual bays — click a bay to select it, then delete it. Useful for working around columns, dock doors, or corners
- Bay Controls — select any bay to override its beam count or pallet height independently of the rest of the zone. Handy when one end of a row needs to accommodate a different pallet type
All changes update the pallet count and BOM quantities in real time.
Step 5: Export Your Three Outputs
When the layout looks right, RackCity generates three exports from the toolbar.
Floor Plan PDF
A top-down drawing of the warehouse with all rack zones, pallet position counts per zone and total, bay dimensions, and aisle widths labeled. Use this for:
- Landlord and tenant approval packages
- General contractor coordination drawings
- Permit pre-application submittals
- Internal planning and stakeholder reviews
Elevation PDF
A front-face rack drawing for each distinct rack configuration in the project. Shows upright columns with keystone punch patterns, beam levels with endplate connectors, pallet loads at each level, and height dimensions. Use this for:
- Rack shop drawings
- Load sign reference (combine with your engineer's capacity calcs)
- Permit drawings packages
- Installation crew reference
BOM and Quote PDF
Click the BOM button in the toolbar to open the Bill of Materials editor. RackCity automatically calculates quantities for:
- Upright frames (by height and footplate size)
- Beams (by level count per bay)
- Wire decks (by beam length)
- Row spacers and anchor bolts
Add your unit costs, enter fee line items (freight, installation, engineering/permitting), then download a CSV for procurement or generate a client-ready Quote PDF with your grand total and $/pallet position.
If you know your target price per pallet position (say, $85/position all-in), enter that number in the $/pallet fill field and RackCity will back-calculate unit costs proportionally across all material line items. Great for quick ballpark quotes before you have detailed pricing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is pallet rack layout software?
Pallet rack layout software lets you design a warehouse racking configuration on a digital canvas, count pallet positions, and export drawings and quotes — without needing AutoCAD or a structural engineer at the design stage. It's used by warehouse managers, rack dealers, and facility planners to quickly evaluate options and generate professional deliverables.
How long does it take to design a warehouse racking layout?
With RackCity, a basic layout takes 5–10 minutes from blank canvas to exported floor plan. Using the AI generation feature with a text description or building flyer PDF can cut that to under 2 minutes for the initial draft, with another few minutes to refine and adjust.
Can I export my warehouse design to PDF?
Yes. RackCity generates three exports: a Floor Plan PDF (top-down layout with dimensions and pallet counts), an Elevation PDF (front-face rack drawing per configuration type), and a Quote PDF (priced material list with fee line items, grand total, and $/pallet position). All exports include RackCity branding and a disclaimer that measurements must be field-verified.
Does RackCity work without CAD experience?
Yes. RackCity is designed for warehouse managers, rack dealers, and business owners — not engineers. The interface uses familiar drag-and-drop interaction and the AI can generate an entire layout from a plain-English description or a PDF building flyer. No prior CAD experience is needed.
How accurate are the pallet counts?
Pallet counts are calculated from your exact beam length, pallet width, and clearance settings. The tool computes positions per bay and sums across all zones. Field measurements, column locations, and obstructions should always be verified on-site before placing an order — RackCity's Quote PDF includes an explicit disclaimer to this effect.
Can RackCity generate a warehouse layout from a PDF or with AI?
Yes. RackCity's AI can generate a complete warehouse layout from a plain-English description, or read a PDF building flyer and draft the racking automatically — building outline, zones, and pallet positions. You then refine it by hand. It is the fastest way to turn a building flyer into a pallet position count.