FAQs - Server Racks and Cabinets - 42U

The total amount of U-height available in a 42U high server rack is 42 × 1U. This means that the server rack can accommodate a total equipment height of 42 or in server terms 42x 1U high server racks. This is for a fully populated server cabinet and in reality not all the slots are filled and for cooling and air flow purposes space may be left between the servers themselves and other devices in the cabinet such as an uninterruptible power supply or rack mounted fire suppression system. If spaces are left, this can lead front slots being vacant and these should be filled using blanking space to ensure efficient cooling.

The U measurement is that of the internal height available for equipment to be housed. For this size server the internal height is 42U. The overall height of the cabinet (measured in mm or cm or metres) will be bigger than this, to take into account the top and bottom of the rack and any castors or feet fitted to the cabinet. The U-measurement is for height only. The width and depth are typically measured in millimetres (mm).

A typical 42U high cabinet can be 90kg or more. This is the unpopulated weight. The overall weight, measured in kilograms (kg) depends on the width and depth of the selected cabinet, the grade of steel it is made from and the front and rear door options chosen which include toughened glass, steel, perforated and mesh doors. For heavier weights, heavy-duty castors can be supplied in place of the standard castors. Our heavy duty castors can take up to 250kg in weight.