Price promise
Buy from us safe in the knowledge you've paid a great price.
If you find the same item online at a cheaper price, we'll match it. Just get in touch with a link to the item you've found.
Cadaver Rack Planning Guide™
Body storage racks are the structural backbone of any walk-in morgue cooler or large refrigerated storage facility. Properly designed and installed cadaver rack systems maximize your storage density, protect staff from ergonomic injury, maintain the dignity of decedents, and make the most of every square foot of your refrigerated space. The Cadaver Rack Planning Guide™ by American Mortuary Coolers provides the framework for selecting, configuring, and installing the right rack system for your facility.
Understanding Your Cadaver Rack Needs
The right cadaver rack configuration depends on your walk-in cooler dimensions, your typical case mix, the weight range of decedents you serve, the workflow your staff uses to load and retrieve bodies, and the number of storage positions you need to achieve within your available floor plan. A well-planned rack system can often increase the effective storage capacity of an existing walk-in cooler by 50–100% compared to a floor-only or single-tier configuration.
Types of Cadaver Storage Rack Systems
Cantilever Body Racks
Cantilever racks are the most common configuration for walk-in morgue coolers. They mount to the wall or to a freestanding frame, with each tier supporting a body tray that slides in and out independently. Cantilever designs eliminate the need for a central support column, maximizing accessible floor space and allowing staff to access any position without moving other stored decedents.
Side-Loading Rack Systems
Side-loading racks allow body trays to be loaded from the side of the rack unit rather than the end, which can be advantageous in walk-in coolers with limited depth or unusual floor plans. American Mortuary Coolers manufactures side-loading systems in multiple configurations.
Bariatric Cadaver Racks
Standard cadaver rack positions are typically 24–26 inches wide. Bariatric positions range from 30 to 36 inches wide and are reinforced for higher weight ratings. Every rack system we design includes dedicated bariatric positions appropriate to your expected case mix.
Combination Systems
Many facilities benefit from a combination of standard and bariatric positions within the same walk-in cooler, with optimal layout determined by their specific case volume ratios and available floor plan.
Planning Cadaver Rack Capacity
To calculate how many rack positions you can fit in your walk-in cooler: measure your interior dimensions, subtract clearance requirements for the door swing and staff access aisle, and calculate how many rack tiers you can safely stack given your ceiling height and the ergonomic reach limits of your staff. Our planning team performs this calculation as part of every walk-in cooler design project.
Cadaver Rack Design Considerations
Beyond position count, effective rack planning addresses: body tray material and surface finish, load ratings appropriate to your case mix, aisle width for safe staff access, rack height relative to staff ergonomics and ceiling clearance, drainage from body trays, ease of cleaning between uses, and anchoring requirements for wall-mounted systems.
Common Cadaver Rack Planning Mistakes
- Maximizing position count at the expense of access aisle width — creating staff injury risk
- Specifying standard-width positions only — failing to plan for bariatric cases
- Undersized load ratings — rack systems must be rated for the weight ranges your facility encounters
- Poor tray drainage design — creating sanitation and odor management challenges
- No consideration for future rack additions — leaving walls unanchored or floor drains in conflict with future rack positions
Frequently Asked Questions — Cadaver Rack Planning
How many cadaver rack positions fit in a walk-in cooler?
Positions per square foot depend on rack configuration and ceiling height. A 10x12 walk-in cooler can typically accommodate 8–12 positions with proper rack design. Our team will calculate the exact configuration for your space.
What weight rating do cadaver racks need?
Standard positions should be rated for at least 500 lbs. Bariatric positions should be rated for 1,000 lbs or more depending on your case mix.
What material are body storage trays made from?
American Mortuary Coolers body trays are constructed from stainless steel or ABS polymer, both of which are durable, cleanable, and appropriate for decedent storage environments.
Can racks be added to an existing walk-in cooler?
Yes. We retrofit rack systems into existing walk-in coolers. Contact us with your interior dimensions and we’ll design a configuration that maximizes your current space.
Do you offer bariatric cadaver rack positions?
Yes. All of our walk-in cooler rack designs include bariatric-capable positions sized and rated for higher weight decedents.
Why Facilities Choose American Mortuary Coolers for Rack Systems
American Mortuary Coolers designs, manufactures, and installs cadaver rack systems for walk-in morgue coolers of all sizes — from small funeral home installations to large hospital and medical examiner facilities. Our rack systems are built to last, designed for real-world morgue workflows, and backed by the same factory-direct pricing and nationwide support that our refrigeration customers rely on.
Request Your Custom Cadaver Rack Plan
Send us your walk-in cooler dimensions and case volume details and we’ll design a cadaver rack configuration optimized for your space, workflow, and storage requirements.
Call: 1-888-792-9315 | MyMortuaryCooler.com | sales@funeralsourceone.com
