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Drive-in racking cost in Australia
Drive-in racking lets forklifts drive into the rack to store pallets several deep. You give up access to every pallet in exchange for density, and you pay more per position for it.
The short answer. Published drive-in figures range from A$150–A$300 per pallet position (one supplier blog, scope not stated) to A$200–A$350 (Dec 2024, supply and install, basic spec) and A$360–A$680 (2026, QLD/NSW metro, fully engineered and certified). Every one of these comes from a single source. Treat them as unconfirmed.
Published ranges per pallet position
| Item | Published range (A$) | Evidence | Public sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drive-in racking, supplier blog price (scope not stated) The page says "$150 to $300+" and does not say what is included. | A$150–A$300 per pallet position | 1 source, unconfirmed | Steel Power Shelving source notes: drive-in racking, supplier blog price (scope not stated) |
| Drive-in racking, supply and install (basic spec) Dec 2024 market data. | A$200–A$350 per pallet position | 1 source, unconfirmed | Pallet Racking & More source notes: drive-in racking, supply and install (basic spec) |
| Drive-in racking, supply and install (fully engineered and certified) 2026, QLD/NSW metro. | A$360–A$680 per pallet position | 1 source, unconfirmed | Pallet Racking Maintenance source notes: drive-in racking, supply and install (fully engineered and certified) |
The three figures are not comparable: they differ in year, region and what is included. The 2026 installer guide gives a typical project size of 200 to 2,000+ positions for drive-in, against 50 to 500+ for selective, and says cold-store installs add about 15% to 25% (Pallet Racking Maintenance). Compare with A$280–A$520 per position for selective on the same guide.
A worked range
Our arithmetic for a 200-position drive-in system, which is the bottom of that guide's typical project size: basic spec A$40,000–A$70,000; fully engineered A$72,000–A$136,000. For a 500-position system: A$100,000–A$175,000 and A$180,000–A$340,000. These are illustrations of two single-source ranges, not quotes.
Used drive-in racking
One used drive-in listing publishes a price: an APC-type system (listing title 9L x 6D) at A$135 including GST per pallet space, with delivery and installation extra (Display and Rack Australia). It is one listing, so it shows only that used drive-in can be listed well below the new ranges above; it is not an average. See Used racking for sale.
Figures we did not use
Gold Coast Racking publishes an "average total cost" range of A$150–A$500 for drive-in but does not say whether it is per position, per bay or per project, so we have not used it.
Is drive-in worth the extra per position?
This is our reasoning, not a sourced finding. Drive-in packs pallets deeper and uses less aisle space, so it can reduce the floor area needed for the same pallet count. That saving does not show up in a per-position price. To compare fairly, ask each supplier to quote the same pallet count in the same footprint, including the lost access to individual pallets (usually last in, first out).
Safety and standards
The scope section of the free preview of AS 4084.2:2023 says it does not cover drive-in racking (Standards Australia). WorkSafe Victoria, SafeWork NSW and SafeWork SA say their racking guidance is for standard selective racking and that additional safety measures may be needed for drive-in and other specialised types (WorkSafe Victoria, SafeWork NSW, SafeWork SA). Ask any drive-in supplier which design standard applies, who engineers and signs it off, and how forklift impact is managed and inspected. This is not engineering or legal advice.
Why the installed prices disagree. Two public guides give very different "installed" prices for standard selective racking: one (December 2024 data) says A$80–A$200 per position for supply, install and basic engineering certification (Pallet Racking & More); another (2026, QLD/NSW metro) says A$280–A$520 per position for a fully engineered, certified install (Pallet Racking Maintenance). Public kit listings and supplier guides put kit or supply-only prices at A$50–A$250 per position.
The older "installed" range overlaps the supply-only ranges. Our reading, which we cannot confirm, is that cheaper quotes often cover little more than kit plus basic labour, while the higher range prices in site survey, engineered design, anchoring, signage and AS 4084 sign-off. Each of those installed figures comes from a single source, so treat both as unconfirmed and ask every supplier to itemise what is included.
The same single-source gap applies to drive-in: the 2024 and 2026 figures differ by close to a factor of two at both ends and we cannot say which is closer to today's market.
Estimate your rangeHow to compare quotes
Related guides
- Racking types comparedSelective, drive-in, push-back and cantilever.
- Push-back racking costPer-position ranges, caveats and how to compare.
- Selective racking guideThe standard system: what it is and what it costs.
- Installation costLabour-only prices, add-ons and what to ask for.
Prices vary, get quotes. Every range on this page comes from public pages we read in Nov 2026 and links to its source. They are indicative, not quotes, and not advice. See drive-in price sources.