Pallet Racking Clearance — Dismantled, Bought Back, Removed
Redundant racking is a liability with a deadline attached — a dilapidations clause, a lease end, or a new line that cannot go in until the bays come out. UM Storage Systems clears warehouses nationwide: controlled dismantling by SEIRS-registered fitters, buy-back on saleable steel, floor made good, and the paperwork your landlord will ask for.
Clearance is a dismantling job, not a demolition job
Pallet racking is designed to be taken apart in the reverse order it went up, and the value in a clearance lives or dies on whether that is respected. Beams are unclipped level by level from the top down with the safety pins removed by hand; frames are unbolted from the slab and lowered, never pulled over. Pulling a run with a forklift — still common on cheap clearances — bends uprights, tears connector lugs and turns resaleable Grade B steel into scrap metal at £150-odd a tonne.
That is why we survey before we quote. We identify the system (Dexion Speedlock or P90, Link 51 XL, Redirack, Apex, Stow, Mecalux, PSS, HiLo, Planned Storage, Esmena), record beam lengths, frame heights and depths, count bays and grade the damage. A 400-bay run of matched 2,700mm Speedlock in sound condition has real resale value; the same 400 bays in four unmatched profiles with impact damage does not, and the honest answer to you is different in each case.
Height changes the method too. Anything above about 6m needs MEWPs and a lift plan; runs over 10m need a sequenced strip with temporary stability considered as levels come off. All of that goes in the method statement you receive before we set foot on site.
Clearances we handle every week
Lease end and dilapidations
Landlord wants the unit back as an empty shell. We strip the racking, remove floor anchors, grind studs flush and provide written removal confirmation for the surveyor — the evidence that usually closes out a dilapidations claim.
Relocation
You are moving and the racking is going with you. We label and photograph every run, dismantle in sequence, transport, then re-install to the same specification in the new unit with fresh floor fixings and load notices.
System replacement
Switching from wide aisle to VNA, or replacing a mixed-brand legacy system. We phase the strip-out area by area so picking continues, and buy back the removed steel to offset the new install.
Insolvency and asset recovery
Working for administrators and agents to convert redundant racking into realisable value quickly, with valuation, removal and settlement inside the disposal timetable.
Dilapidated or damaged racking
Where racking is red-tagged or has been sitting in a leaking unit, it is not safe to leave and not safe to load. We dismantle it under a controlled sequence and recycle what cannot be resold.
Partial clearance
Freeing floor space for a new production line or a bigger goods-in area. We take out the bays you specify, close down the run ends properly and re-issue load notices for what remains.
Our five-stage clearance process
Free site visit and valuation
We count bays, identify the brand and profile, assess damage, and check access and height. You get a written figure for the removal cost and the value of the steel.
RAMS and programme
Risk assessment, method statement, exclusion zones, MEWP requirements and a day-by-day programme agreed with your site manager or landlord.
Controlled dismantle
Top down, level by level, never by pulling frames. SEIRS-registered fitters, correct PPE, MEWPs for high runs, banksmen where traffic continues around us.
Load out and removal
Steel bundled and loaded to flatbeds or curtainsiders. Beams, frames, decks and accessories separated so resaleable stock is not damaged in transit.
Floor made good, paperwork issued
Anchors removed, studs ground flush, floor swept, photographic record, waste transfer notes and confirmation of removal supplied.
What affects the value of your racking
- Brand and profile — matched sets of a mainstream UK system are worth materially more than mixed or obsolete profiles
- Quantity — 200 identical bays sell far more easily than 20 bays across five specifications
- Damage — bent bracing, splayed base plates and torn connector lugs move steel from resale to scrap
- Beam length and frame height — 2,700mm and 3,300mm beams with 3m–8m frames are the fastest-moving sizes
- Accessories — mesh and timber decks, row spacers, barriers and column guards all add to the total
- Access — a clear floor with good vehicle access reduces labour, which increases your net position
Safety, insurance and compliance
Dismantling is the highest-risk activity in the racking world and your site remains your responsibility while we are on it. Every UM Storage Systems clearance runs with a site-specific risk assessment and method statement, SEIRS-registered fitters, £10m public liability cover, DBS-checked engineers, and IPAF-certified operators where MEWPs are used.
We segregate the work area, agree pedestrian and MHE routing with your site manager, and stop and re-plan rather than improvise if we find something the survey missed — a load-bearing run tied into a mezzanine, for example, or sprinkler pipework clipped to the uprights.
- Site-specific RAMS issued before mobilisation
- SEIRS-registered fitters, IPAF and CSCS carded
- £10m public liability insurance
- Waste transfer notes and recycling documentation
PALLET RACKING CLEARANCE FAQs
Bay count and a few photos is all we need
Send photos of a beam end, an upright and the full run, plus your postcode and deadline. We will come back with a removal price and what the steel is worth.