Cabinet Load: Why It Matters and Why It’s Changing

For better use of floor space and decreased operating costs, the goal it have more active gear inside cabinets and enclosures. As a result, they’re getting wider, deeper and taller. In the past, most enclosures offered 42 RUs or 45 RUs of space. Today, many cabinets offer 48 RUs of space – and can offer as many as 52 RUs (or more).

But as cabinets grow in size, they also get heavier. If cabinets get too heavy, the floor may not be able to support the load; the cabinets may also be very difficult to move.

It’s becoming crucial to analyze load ratings (load capacities) when selecting cabinets. Here are the load ratings you need to know:

• Static load rating: How much weight a cabinet can hold when racks are loaded in the data center
• Dynamic load rating: How much weight a cabinet can accommodate when shipped fully loaded (important to note with services like Data Center Ready becoming more popular)
• Rolling load rating: How much weight a cabinet can tolerate as it is moved/rolled across the floor

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