APC by Schneider Electric AR3305B2 NetShelter SX Gen 2 45U Server Rack Enclosure
The APC by Schneider Electric AR3305B2 is a 45U freestanding server rack enclosure in the NetShelter SX Gen 2 family — a 600mm-wide, 1200mm-deep cabinet built for high-density server, storage, and networking deployments where cable management depth and physical security both matter. At 2124mm tall with side panels included, this is a full-height, production-ready enclosure that ships ready to populate without sourcing additional panel kits.
Key Features
- 45U Rack Capacity: 45U of usable mounting space in a single enclosure covers a dense mix of 1U/2U servers, patch panels, and power distribution units without splitting workloads across multiple cabinets — keeps your cabling consolidated and your floor footprint predictable.
- 1200mm Depth: The 1200mm cabinet depth accommodates mounting depths from 191mm up to 1048mm, which means modern high-density blade chassis, deep storage arrays, and rear-mounted cable management arms all fit without forced compromise. Shallow 1U switches mount just as cleanly as a 700mm deep server.
- 600mm Width: The 600mm-wide profile follows standard 19-inch rack convention (48.3cm EIA) and fits neatly in most raised-floor data center layouts or wiring closets. Narrower than 800mm alternatives — useful when floor space is constrained but depth isn't.
- 270° Door Swing: Front and rear doors swing a full 270°, so the door clears the adjacent cabinet face when working in tight rows. In a fully populated row with cabinets shoulder-to-shoulder, that extra swing angle is the difference between pulling a drive tray cleanly or fighting the door the entire time.
- Side Panels Included with Keyed Locks: Side panels ship in the box and lock independently — physical access control extends to the sides, not just the front door. For colocation environments or any multi-tenant space, this matters: side-panel locks prevent neighbors or contractors from accessing your cabling from the aisle.
- Keyed Front/Rear Access: Key locks on all access points mean physical security is enforced at the enclosure level, reducing reliance on cage locks or external access barriers alone. Useful for compliance environments where physical access logging is required.
- Adjustable Leveling Feet: Four adjustable feet compensate for uneven raised-floor tile surfaces or slightly sloped concrete without shimming — the cabinet sits plumb and stable before you load it, not after.
- Factory Black Finish: The uniform black finish matches standard data center aesthetics and the broader NetShelter accessory ecosystem, so blanking panels, cable managers, and power strips sourced separately won't visually clash.
Integration and Compatibility
The AR3305B2 follows EIA-310 19-inch rack standards, so any standard rack-mount equipment — servers, switches, patch panels, KVM drawers, APC PDUs — mounts without adapter rails. The 191mm to 1048mm adjustable mounting depth range covers virtually all current rack-mount form factors from thin network switches to full-depth storage enclosures.
This enclosure is part of the APC NetShelter SX Gen 2 line, which means it accepts the full range of NetShelter-compatible accessories: horizontal and vertical cable managers, blanking panels, roof fans, and side-entry cabling kits. For deployments that require integrated UPS and power distribution, APC rack PDUs and Smart-UPS units mount directly without rail adapters.
For physical security integration projects, this enclosure pairs well with in-rack network video recorders, PoE switches, and network management appliances — all standard 19-inch rack-mount equipment installs cleanly given the 45U capacity and depth clearance.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the usable mounting depth range in the AR3305B2?
A: The AR3305B2 supports adjustable mounting positions from 191mm (19.1cm) minimum to 1048mm (104.8cm) maximum depth, accommodating shallow patch panels through full-depth server and storage chassis.
Q: Does the AR3305B2 include side panels?
A: Yes. Side panels are included and ship with the enclosure. Both panels feature independent key locks.
Q: What is the door opening angle on the AR3305B2?
A: The doors open to 270°, which clears adjacent cabinets in tight row configurations and allows full front and rear access without removing doors.
Q: What are the outer dimensions of the AR3305B2?
A: The enclosure is 600mm wide, 1200mm deep, and 2124mm tall. Packaged dimensions are 748mm wide, 1323mm deep, and 2262mm tall.
Q: Is the AR3305B2 compatible with standard 19-inch rack equipment?
A: Yes. The AR3305B2 is built to EIA-310 19-inch (48.3cm) rack standards and accepts all standard rack-mount equipment without adapter hardware.
Q: Does the AR3305B2 have leveling feet?
A: Yes. Four adjustable leveling feet are included, allowing the cabinet to be leveled on uneven raised-floor tiles or concrete without shimming.
The AR3305B2's 1048mm maximum mounting depth is the spec I always check first when a customer is running mixed-depth equipment — it's the difference between making one cabinet work for a full deployment versus ordering a second enclosure just to handle the deep chassis. This cabinet handles it all in a single 45U column.
Technical Highlights:
- 270° Door Swing: In row deployments where cabinets are installed less than 1200mm apart, a 180° door would block adjacent bay access during maintenance. The 270° swing eliminates that — both front and rear doors clear the cabinet face completely.
- 191mm–1048mm Mounting Depth Adjustment: Standard rack enclosures at 1000mm depth often cap out at 900mm usable. The 1048mm maximum here gives genuine clearance for rear-mounted cable management arms behind full-depth servers — no compromises on airflow baffles or cable routing.
- Independent Side-Panel Key Locks: Most enclosures treat side panels as an afterthought with snap-on clips. Keyed side locks on the AR3305B2 matter in shared colocation cages and multi-contractor environments where physical access accountability is required by security policy.
Deployment Considerations:
- At 2124mm installed height, verify ceiling clearance before committing to a floor plan — raised-floor data centers with 2400mm slab-to-slab heights are fine, but some older wiring closets run tighter; packaged height of 2262mm means delivery logistics also need a clear path.
- The 600mm width is narrower than 800mm alternatives in the same NetShelter line — appropriate for standard-density rows but plan accordingly if you need side-by-side horizontal cable management troughs, which typically require 800mm cabinets.
This enclosure is a straightforward fit for medium-density server rooms, colocation deployments, and security operations center builds where a full-height 45U column, deep equipment clearance, and physical access controls are required without custom infrastructure.
