Deformed rack decking mesh commonly appears as mesh sag, frame twisting or cracked welds. Causes are mostly overloading, off-center load, fork-tine impact and long-term fatigue; deal with it promptly, or it may fall and injure people.
First grade it: mild sag (mesh dips but frame is straight, no cracked welds) can be used at reduced load or flipped over; moderate deformation (twisted frame, local bulge) must come off the rack and stop service; severe (cracked welds, broken wire) scrap immediately and never reuse.
Handling steps: first empty that layer and place warnings front and back of the rack; second, remove the layer and inspect the deformed range, measuring sag with a level; third, mild deformation can be flattened then used at reduced load, while moderate or worse needs the maker to supply a like-for-like replacement mesh. Tongnuo can resupply decking mesh to the original size, with common clips and bolts.
Prevention beats handling: never stack off-center, keep goods centered; avoid poking the mesh when picking with fork tines; run an annual rack safety inspection, focused on mesh sag and welds. If the same panel deforms repeatedly, the spec was undersized — upgrade the wire diameter and mesh opening.
Safety red lines: a deformed mesh must not be welded up and reused under heavy load; deformed mesh on high racks must come off immediately, not wait for the weekend; after replacement, run a 1.2x load test to confirm sag is within limits.