Abstract | Industrial storage operators use not only new pallet racking systems, but also old ones for which certification documents possibly do not exist. In order to check the carrying capacity of such racks, in addition to component tests, full‐scale experimental tests were carried out on complete structures to help the development of reliable numerical models. The racks were subjected to vertical and pushover loads in the laboratory using an improved version of the base plates to achieve fixed support conditions. Vertical loading was imposed by filling tanks with water, an operation that was activated and controlled through an innovative hydraulic network specifically designed for this purpose. During the vertical loading tests, a moderate earthquake took place near the experimental facility and this influenced the rack behaviour positively. The spine brace was too flexible in the out‐of‐plane direction and did not participate in the resistance to lateral forces. Distortional buckling of the columns was observed at high lateral loads. The experimental tests allowed the calculation of conservative values for the behaviour factor q.