APC by Schneider Electric AR3105 45U NetShelter SX Rack Enclosure with Sides
Overview
The AR3105 is a 45U, 600mm-wide by 1070mm-deep rack cabinet from APC by Schneider Electric's NetShelter SX line — a workhorse enclosure built for data centers, server rooms, and high-density network equipment deployments where structural integrity and long-term serviceability are non-negotiable. At 83.6 inches tall and 302 lbs empty, this is a full-height, full-depth cabinet sized for enterprise-class server and storage gear. If you're deploying NVRs, network switches, and compute infrastructure to support a large IP camera or access control system, the AR3105 gives you the headroom and load capacity to consolidate that hardware without compromise.
Key Features
- 45U of Usable Rack Space: Forty-five rack units on a 19-inch EIA-310-E rail standard means you can fill this cabinet with 1U and 2U servers, managed switches, patch panels, and NVRs in a single footprint. That's meaningful when you're trying to consolidate a security operations infrastructure rather than spreading gear across multiple partial-height enclosures.
- 3,000 lb Static / 2,250 lb Dynamic Weight Capacity: The 3,000 lb static load rating means the cabinet can physically support nearly any realistic server and storage combination you'll install. The 2,250 lb dynamic rating — what the enclosure can carry while being moved on casters — is the more operationally relevant figure when you're commissioning or repositioning a fully loaded rack without a full teardown.
- 14-Gauge Steel Vertical Rails: Rail gauge determines long-term thread integrity and resistance to rail flex under load. At 14 gauge, these rails are meaningfully stiffer than the 16- or 18-gauge rails found on lighter-duty enclosures — important when you're mounting dense, front-heavy servers or high-port-count patch panels that apply asymmetric loading.
- 600mm Wide × 1070mm Deep Internal Envelope: The 1070mm depth accommodates full-depth servers (most 1U and 2U platforms run 700–900mm) with room left over for cable management and rear PDU mounting. The 600mm width is the standard narrow footprint — fits a standard 24-inch floor tile grid without forcing aisle-width concessions.
- Sides Included: The AR3105 ships with side panels installed, unlike open-frame variants. That matters for cable management cleanliness, physical security (panels can be locked), and airflow containment — rear-exhausting equipment won't short-circuit recirculated hot air into the front intake when the enclosure is fully enclosed.
- Steel Construction with Graduated Gauge Design: Front door at 16 gauge, rear door and side panels at 18 gauge, vertical rails at 14 gauge. The heavier gauge where structural load is highest (the rails) and lighter gauge on the panels keeps total weight manageable at 302 lbs while maintaining cabinet rigidity. Running data center flooring? Verify your raised-floor tile rating against that combined loaded weight before placing.
- EIA-310-E Compliant Rail Spacing: All rack-mount hardware built to this standard — servers, switches, patch panels, UPS units — installs without adapter hardware. That's the 19-inch rack standard used by virtually every enterprise IT and security hardware vendor.
- UL 60950-1 Listed: UL 60950-1 is the information technology equipment safety standard. This listing confirms the enclosure meets the construction and insulation requirements needed for data center and commercial IT environments. Required by most enterprise facilities teams and AHJs before equipment goes live.
- Black Finish: Standard black finish aligns with most data center and server room aesthetics. Relevant if your facility has mixed-brand rack deployments where visual consistency matters during client or compliance walkthroughs.
- Country of Origin — Thailand: Manufactured in Thailand. If your procurement process requires domestic-origin documentation for government or regulated environments, verify TAA compliance separately for this SKU before committing.
- 5-Year Manufacturer Warranty: APC covers the AR3105 with a 5-year manufacturer warranty — longer than the 1–3 year coverage typical of lighter-duty rack enclosures. For infrastructure that stays in place for a decade or more, that coverage window reduces capital replacement risk during the initial deployment lifecycle.
Integration and Compatibility
The AR3105 integrates directly with APC power distribution and cable management accessories from the NetShelter SX ecosystem — including vertical and horizontal cable managers, blanking panels, and APC rack PDUs — without requiring adapter plates or third-party brackets. The 19-inch EIA-310-E rail standard means it accepts rack-mount hardware from any major vendor. For security infrastructure deployments, this enclosure comfortably houses enterprise NVRs, PoE switch stacks, fiber patch panels, and compute platforms side-by-side in a single cabinet. If you're building out a network video recorder stack or centralizing switch infrastructure for a multi-building camera system, the 45U depth gives you meaningful room to grow without a second cabinet. Pair with an appropriately rated APC Smart-UPS or Symmetra for protected runtime — the enclosure's internal footprint accommodates most standard 2U rackmount UPS units. For structured cabling context and rack-to-switch planning, the PoE switch category covers compatible switching platforms that fit this enclosure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the rack unit count of the AR3105, and will it fit standard 19-inch equipment?
A: The AR3105 provides 45U of usable rack space on 19-inch EIA-310-E compliant rails, which is the universal standard for server, networking, and security hardware. Any rack-mount device built to that standard installs without adapters.
Q: What is the maximum weight the AR3105 can support?
A: The AR3105 carries a 3,000 lb static load rating — the weight it can support while stationary — and a 2,250 lb dynamic load rating for moving the cabinet while loaded. Both figures are sufficient for even the densest server and storage configurations you're likely to deploy.
Q: Does the AR3105 come with side panels, or are those sold separately?
A: Side panels are included with the AR3105 as part of the enclosure. This distinguishes it from open-frame or side-panel-optional variants in the NetShelter line.
Q: What warranty does the AR3105 carry?
A: APC covers the AR3105 with a 5-year manufacturer warranty, which is longer than the 1–3 year terms common on lighter-duty enclosures.
Q: Is the AR3105 suitable for a raised-floor data center environment?
A: The enclosure itself is compatible with raised-floor deployments given its standard 600mm footprint and caster/leveling-foot base. However, at 302 lbs empty and potentially much heavier when loaded, you should verify that your raised-floor tile load rating (static and concentrated load) can support the combined weight before placement.
Q: Does the AR3105 meet any regulatory or safety standards?
A: Yes — the AR3105 is UL 60950-1 listed (information technology equipment safety standard) and conforms to the EIA-310-E rack standard. If TAA compliance is required for your procurement (government or regulated deployments), verify that separately, as the AR3105 is manufactured in Thailand.
When I spec a rack enclosure for a high-density security infrastructure build, the first number I look at is the dynamic load rating — not the static. The AR3105's 2,250 lb dynamic rating means you can reposition a fully loaded cabinet for floor plan changes or facility moves without unracking everything first. That's a real operational advantage during commissioning phases that rarely gets called out in product marketing.
Technical Highlights:
- 14-Gauge Vertical Rails: Two gauges stiffer than typical 16-gauge rails — thread strips and rail flex under asymmetric front-loading (dense patch panels, heavy switch stacks) are where cheaper cabinets fail first. At 14 gauge, that's not a concern across a 45U load.
- 1070mm Depth: Most full-depth 2U servers and enterprise NVR platforms run 700–900mm. The extra 100–200mm of rear clearance is where your vertical cable managers and rear-mounted PDUs live without cramping airflow or forcing cable U-turns.
- 5-Year Manufacturer Warranty: Infrastructure that goes in the wall stays for 10–15 years. A 5-year warranty isn't a checkbox — it's a risk mitigation figure. Cabinet structural failure on a loaded rack is a catastrophic event; that coverage window matters for the first and most critical operational years.
Deployment Considerations:
- The 302 lb empty weight combined with any realistic loaded configuration (servers, switches, PDUs, cabling) will comfortably exceed 800–1,000 lbs in dense deployments. Confirm your concrete slab or raised-floor tile can handle that point load before anchor placement — this is the step most installers skip until the tile cracks.
- The AR3105 is manufactured in Thailand. If your project falls under TAA-compliance requirements (federal contracts, certain DoD or GSA procurement vehicles), verify TAA status for this specific SKU before purchase — don't assume it based on brand alone.
For a central security operations rack housing enterprise NVR platforms, managed PoE switch stacks, and fiber patch infrastructure supporting a 100+ camera deployment, the AR3105 is sized and built to handle the load without the structural compromises you'll find on lower-gauge competitors.
