Vertiv GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC 42U Rack Shock Crate Enclosure
Overview
The Vertiv GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC is a 42U shock crate enclosure purpose-built for transporting fully populated rack equipment without the risk of vibration or impact damage during shipping, staging, or relocation. Part of the Vertiv EX Series, this floor-standing enclosure measures 800mm wide by 1600mm deep and is finished in black — a configuration sized to accommodate a wide range of standard enterprise rack deployments. If you're moving populated racks between data centers, staging equipment off-site before installation, or shipping configured systems to a remote facility, GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC is the correct tool for that job.
Conventional rack enclosures are designed for static installation. The moment you introduce shipping vibration, forklift movement, or air freight, the risk profile changes entirely. A shock crate enclosure like the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC is engineered to absorb and dissipate those dynamic loads, protecting servers, switches, UPS units, and other sensitive rack-mounted equipment inside. Explore the full Vertiv rack and infrastructure catalog for compatible enclosures and accessories.
Key Features
- 42U Rack Height: accommodates a full 42U rack payload — enough for a densely populated enterprise server stack, storage arrays, or a fully configured network cabinet. You're not forced to split a large deployment across multiple crates or leave gear behind.
- 800mm Width: the 800mm footprint supports wider-format rack equipment that won't fit in a 600mm enclosure — relevant for blade chassis, high-density storage, and equipment with side-mounted cable management or airflow baffles. Verify your internal rack equipment dimensions before shipping; the 800mm width gives you margin most standard racks need.
- 1600mm Depth: at 1600mm, this crate handles deep rack configurations — servers with rear cable managers, full-depth UPS units, or back-to-back patch panel setups. Shallow crates force compromises on rear cabling; this depth eliminates that constraint entirely.
- Floor Rack Form Factor: ships and stores upright in standard floor-rack orientation, which means your equipment stays in its installed position throughout transit rather than being reoriented into an unfamiliar load path. This matters for hard drives, optical components, and anything with gravity-sensitive seating.
- EX Series Construction: the EX Series designation from Vertiv signals enclosures designed for demanding transit environments. The shock crate format is specific to protecting populated racks — not an empty shell transport — meaning the structural design accounts for populated rack weight and the dynamic stresses of real-world freight handling.
- Black Finish: the black finish is standard across most enterprise rack ecosystems, keeping the crate visually consistent with the equipment it carries and simplifying identification during staging at busy loading docks or logistics hubs.
Integration and Compatibility
The GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC is sized for standard 42U rack enclosures and populated racks in the 800mm-wide format. Before specifying this crate, confirm the outer dimensions of your populated rack against the crate's internal clearances — the 800mm width and 1600mm depth are the crate's external reference; internal usable dimensions should be verified with Vertiv's engineering documentation for precise fit. This enclosure is designed for the Vertiv EX Series ecosystem and is intended to work with Vertiv's rack infrastructure line, though compatibility with third-party rack enclosures should be confirmed against actual equipment measurements. For large-scale infrastructure moves or data center deployments requiring data center infrastructure planning, this crate is a standard component in protected transit workflows.
If you're coordinating a staged rollout — configuring racks at a central facility and deploying to distributed locations — the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC fits that logistics model directly. It's also applicable to equipment loan programs, temporary deployments, and disaster recovery pre-positioning where populated racks need to move on short notice without teardown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What rack size does the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC accommodate?
A: The GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC is a 42U shock crate with an 800mm width and 1600mm depth profile, designed to accommodate a fully populated 42U floor rack of corresponding dimensions.
Q: Is the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC designed for an empty rack or a populated one?
A: The GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC is a shock crate specifically designed to protect populated rack equipment during transit — not just empty rack shell transport. The shock crate format is engineered for the added weight and sensitivity of installed servers, switches, and other active rack gear.
Q: What is the EX Series designation on the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC?
A: The EX Series is Vertiv's designation for this line of rack enclosures and transit solutions. The GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC belongs to this family, indicating it meets Vertiv's construction standards for enterprise rack transport and enclosure use cases.
Q: Can the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC be used for air freight shipments?
A: The shock crate design is intended for protecting equipment during transit including freight scenarios, but specific air freight certifications (such as IATA compliance) should be confirmed with Vertiv's technical documentation or your freight carrier's requirements before use.
Q: Does the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC ship with mounting hardware or internal rack rails?
A: Package contents are not specified in the available evidence. Contact Vertiv or your reseller for confirmed package contents before ordering.
I recommend the GL42UEX-80160B-MM-SC specifically when a team is moving a fully populated 42U rack — not stripping it down, boxing gear individually, then rebuilding at the destination. The 1600mm depth is the spec I'd focus on first: it's the difference between a crate that fits real enterprise racks with rear cable managers and UPS units still installed versus a crate that forces you to disconnect and repack before shipping.
Technical Highlights:
- 42U Height Capacity: a full 42U payload means you can ship an entire populated rack as a unit — no partial disassembly, no re-racking at the remote end. That's the primary time and labor justification for a shock crate over conventional packing.
- 800mm Width: wider than the 600mm baseline — accommodates blade chassis, high-density storage, and equipment with side-mounted accessories that would be physically incompatible with a narrower crate profile.
- 1600mm Depth: the deep footprint handles full-depth rack configurations including rear-mounted cable management and full-depth UPS units without requiring their removal prior to transit.
Deployment Considerations:
- Verify internal usable dimensions against your specific populated rack's outer dimensions — the 800mm x 1600mm figures are the crate's external reference, and internal clearances will be tighter. Confirm with Vertiv's engineering spec sheet before loading a populated rack.
- Hard drive arrays and optical components are sensitive to reorientation; the floor-rack upright orientation of this crate keeps equipment in its normal load path during transit, but secure all drive trays and cable connections before shipment regardless.
This crate fits best in data center relocation projects and staged remote deployments where a fully configured 42U rack needs to arrive at a remote facility intact and ready to power on — not a disassembled pile of components to rebuild on site.
