Warehouse Plan

Learn about warehouse plans and layouts

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What is a Warehouse Plan?

A warehouse plan is a scaled drawing that shows how a facility's space is organized. It maps out things like walls, docks, aisles, racking, and work zones and explains how goods and people move through the space safely and efficiently. A warehouse plan turns an empty space into an organized system for receiving, storing, packing, and shipping products.

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Packing and shipping warehouse plan
Warehouse layout plan

Why Warehouse Planning Matters

A warehouse plan answers the important questions: how much space is available for storage, where each type of inventory goes, and how workers and equipment get around the facility.

  • Space utilization - An effective warehouse plan squeezes the most storage out of all the available cubic square footage. Inventory can take up vertical space to increase the amount of products a warehouse can hold.
  • Operational efficiency - A well-designed warehouse plan ensures that travel distances are short, places fast-moving inventory near shipping, and routes traffic accordingly to minimize wasted time.
  • Safety and compliance - Things like aisle widths, emergency exits, fire lanes, and sprinklers all have code requirements that must be followed to ensure the safety of the warehouse and its workers.
  • Flexibility and growth - A documented plan makes it easier to make changes to the layout when new inventory arrives.
  • Communication - A warehouse plan gives managers, installers, warehouse staff, and safety inspectors a shared reference so everyone is on the same page.
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Aisle Widths and Safety Guidelines

One of the most important decisions that needs to be made when creating a warehouse plan is figuring out how wide the aisles should be. Wider aisles allow equipment to pass by freely, but limit inventory, and narrower aisles can store more inventory, but limit the flow of equipment.

OSHA's rule (29 CFR 1910.176) states that sufficient safe clearance is required where power equipment operates. It also states that aisles need to be kept clear, in good repair, and appropriately marked. There is not one universal aisle width, the right one depends on the facility's equipment and loads.

A common industry guideline is to make the aisle 3 feet wider than the largest piece of equipment or load. Two-way lanes used by forklifts are usually between 18 and 22 feet wide, and exit routes should stay at least 28 inches clear at all points.

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Equipment clearance in aisles
Workers positioned on assembly line

Warehouse Planning Best Practices

  • Consider Vertical Space: Store inventory upwards to maximize the space you have.
  • Velocity Should Determine Placement: Place fast movers near packing and shipping to minimize travel time.
  • Design for Growth: Leave room for double your current inventory.
  • Minimize Handling: Make sure products only move in one direction and avoid back and forth.
  • Separate People from Equipment: Prevent serious accidents by having dedicated walkways and marked crossings.
  • Keep Exits and Fire Access Clear: Know your local safety codes and design your warehouse plan around compliance.
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Common Warehouse Layout Types

  • U-Shaped: Receiving and shipping are positioned on the same side. Products move through the warehouse in a U-shape with storage in between. This is the most common layout.
  • I-Shaped: Product enters on one side and exits on the other side in a straight line with the storage in the center. This keeps the inbound far from the outbound and results in less backtracking.
  • L-Shaped: Receiving and shipping are positioned on perpendicular walls. Product flows in an L-shape with the storage near the rear.
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Common types of warehouse layouts

How to Design a Warehouse Plan

Warehouse template in SmartDraw's dashboard

Step 1: Start with a Warehouse Layout template

Click New Document from the Dashboard, and select Floor Plans - Commercial and choose the Warehouse Layout template. This template comes with all the tools and symbols needed to create your warehouse plan.

Outline of a warehouse building

Step 2: Create your Warehouse Outline

SmartDraw makes it easy to create a scaled outline of your warehouse plan from scratch. You can draw walls by just clicking and dragging your cursor. Or, you can import an existing floor plan.

Add zones to warehouse plan

Step 3: Define Your Zones and Add Labels

Label your zones for receiving and inspection, storage, packing, shipping, offices, and break areas by using the text tool.

Warehouse plan with storage and racks

Step 4: Design Storage and Racking

Drag and drop symbols for racks and storage systems to fill out your warehouse plan.

Plan for adequate space for equipment

Step 5: Set Aisle Widths and Clearances

Size your aisles to fit your equipment and traffic flow.

Dragging safety symbols into plan

Step 6: Add Safety Details

Add safety details like sprinklers, fire extinguishers, exits, and more.

Team collaborating on warehouse plan

Step 7: Collaborate with Others

Invite team members or clients to collaborate on your warehouse plan in real-time.

Export options menu

Step 8: Share Your Warehouse Plan

Once your warehouse plan is complete, you can insert it directly to any Microsoft Office app like Microsoft Word or PowerPoint, or add it to Google Docs or Google Slides.

SmartDraw also integrates with Confluence and Jira. Your team can share your warehouse plan in Microsoft Teams, or easily export your plan as a PDF.

Warehouse Plan Examples

Click on any of these warehouse plans included in SmartDraw and edit them:

More Warehouse Plan Information

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