APC by Schneider Electric AR3387B2 48U NetShelter SX Gen 2 Server Rack Enclosure
Overview
The AR3387B2 is APC's NetShelter SX Gen 2 48U freestanding rack enclosure built to the 800 mm × 1200 mm footprint that has become the de-facto standard for high-density server and networking deployments. At 2258 mm tall with a true 19" (48.3 cm) mounting rail, it accommodates everything from 1U switches to full-depth blade chassis without adapter hardware. Black anodised finish, side panels included — this is a fully dressed enclosure ready for production floor deployment, not a skeleton frame that ships accessories separately.
If you're sizing a new equipment room or expanding an existing row, the APC by Schneider Electric rack and enclosure line covers the full range from open-frame two-posts to sealed SX Gen 2 cabinets in multiple depth and height configurations.
Key Features
- 48U Usable Capacity: Forty-eight rack units in a single 2258 mm cabinet gives you room to consolidate what would otherwise span two shallower enclosures. For a typical server-plus-patch deployment, that's four blade chassis plus structured cabling without reaching the weight limit.
- 1814 kg Static Load Rating: The structural frame is rated to 1814 kg static — sufficient for the heaviest enterprise UPS, storage arrays, or stacked blade systems. For mobile deployment or raised-floor repositioning, the rolling load rating drops to 1020 kg, so plan lifts accordingly before rolling loaded hardware across cable cutouts.
- 800 mm Width × 1200 mm Depth: The 800 mm width is the wider of the two common SX footprints and accommodates side-by-side cable management arms and high-density PDU runs without cramping. At 1200 mm deep, mounting depth adjusts from 286 mm to 1048 mm — nearly the full internal depth — so you can fit shallow patch panels at the front and full-depth 1000 mm servers at the rear in the same column.
- 270° Door Swing: A full 270-degree door opening angle means doors fold back flush against the cabinet side rather than projecting into the hot or cold aisle. In tight row deployments where aisle width is constrained, this eliminates the clearance conflict that 180° doors create during servicing.
- Side Panels with Independent Key Lock: Side panels ship with the enclosure and include their own keyed lock separate from the front/rear door locks. This matters in colocation and shared-space environments where individual cabinet accountability is required — side access can be restricted independently of door access for partial-access credentials.
- Adjustable Feet + Leveling: Four adjustable leveling feet compensate for uneven raised-floor tiles or concrete imperfections without shimming. Combined with the rolling casters, the enclosure can be positioned precisely under overhead cable trays before leveling into its final footprint.
- 28.6–104.8 cm Adjustable Mounting Depth: The rail-to-rail depth range accommodates legacy shallow equipment at the minimum and full 1000 mm deep servers at the maximum. This range is critical when mixing generations of hardware — older 600 mm telecoms gear and current 1000 mm compute nodes can coexist in the same enclosure without custom rail kits.
Integration & Compatibility
The AR3387B2 is compatible with APC's full ecosystem of server rack enclosure accessories including NetShelter SX blanking panels, vertical and horizontal cable managers, PDU mounting hardware, and side-panel cable access kits. The standard 19" EIA-310 rail spacing ensures compatibility with all major server, storage, and networking vendors. For power distribution inside the cabinet, pair with APC's rack-mount PDU lineup. For structured cabling overhead, this depth is sized to accept dual in-row airflow containment systems on 1200 mm-depth rows.
When planning your data centre power infrastructure, review the rack PDU selection guide to match branch circuit amperage to the static load this enclosure can carry. For high-density deployments, consider pairing with in-row cooling solutions — the 800 mm footprint aligns with standard 600 mm cold-aisle containment panels when two units are placed back-to-back.
Teams integrating physical security into the same equipment room should reference managed PoE switch options for powering IP cameras and access control readers mounted within or adjacent to the enclosure row.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the maximum static weight capacity of the AR3387B2?
A: The AR3387B2 is rated to 1814 kg static load. If you need to roll the fully loaded cabinet — for example across raised-floor panels during a room reconfiguration — the rolling capacity is 1020 kg, so you would need to partially unload before moving.
Q: Does the AR3387B2 include side panels?
A: Yes. Side panels are included with the enclosure and feature an independent key lock, separate from the front and rear door locks.
Q: What is the usable mounting depth range inside the AR3387B2?
A: The adjustable mounting rails support equipment from 286 mm to 1048 mm deep, covering everything from shallow patch panels to full-depth 1000 mm servers without additional rail adapters.
Q: What is the overall height and rack unit count of the AR3387B2?
A: The enclosure stands 2258 mm tall and provides 48U of rack space on standard 19" (48.3 cm / EIA-310) rails.
Q: How wide does the door open on the AR3387B2?
A: The front and rear doors swing to 270°, folding back flat against the cabinet sides. This is a significant aisle-clearance advantage in tight row deployments compared to standard 180° door designs.
Q: What is the external width and depth of the AR3387B2?
A: The enclosure is 800 mm wide and 1200 mm deep externally. Shipping/package width is 948 mm, so verify door clearance and elevator dimensions before delivery to upper floors or basement data halls.
The AR3387B2 is the enclosure I'd specify first for any medium-to-large equipment room build where you need a proven physical platform with room to grow. The 1814 kg static load rating isn't just a headline number — at 48U with a 1200 mm depth, you can actually approach that ceiling with high-density storage arrays and blade systems, and the frame holds without flex or door-alignment drift over time.
Technical Highlights:
- 1814 kg Static / 1020 kg Rolling: The delta between static and rolling capacity (794 kg) means you should plan your installation sequence carefully — load equipment after the cabinet is in its final position, not before. Attempting to roll a fully populated enclosure risks exceeding the 1020 kg caster rating.
- 286–1048 mm Mounting Depth Range: This 762 mm adjustment range is one of the widest in the NetShelter family. Mixed-depth deployments — say, a 150 mm deep patch panel at the front and a 900 mm deep server at the rear — are achievable without secondary mounting adapters.
- 270° Door Swing: In constrained equipment rooms where aisle width is under 900 mm, the 270° door fold is effectively mandatory. Standard 180° doors in those environments require removing the door entirely for servicing, which is a real maintenance burden at scale.
Deployment Considerations:
- Package width is 948 mm — wider than the 800 mm cabinet footprint. Confirm that all doorways, corridors, and freight elevator dimensions clear 948 mm before scheduling delivery, especially in retrofit installations in older buildings.
- The independent side-panel key lock is a legitimate physical security control, but it requires a separate key management process. In colocation environments with multiple tenants in a shared row, document which key controls which access point before commissioning.
The AR3387B2 is best suited to enterprise server rooms and colocation deployments where a full 48U of high-density compute or storage needs to land in a single cabinet footprint — particularly where aisle clearance is tight enough that 270° door access and precise leveling feet make a real operational difference during maintenance cycles.
