1U–4U Rack Chassis & 19″ Rack-Mount Enclosures
Precision sheet metal chassis for servers, storage, network appliances, industrial PCs and test equipment: 1U through 4U and taller, built to your drawing with rack ears, perforated panels, board mounting and cooling features.
Chassis Dimensions That Your Assembly Line Can Depend On
A rack chassis is judged by whether unit ten fits like unit one. That means panel flatness, ear height, hole position and bending repeatability — the boring consistency that keeps an assembly line moving without shimming or rework.
We build the chassis enclosure and the mechanical parts inside it. Your board, power supply, connectors and the electrical compliance of the finished appliance remain yours. Send the drawing and we will flag anything in it that will not form cleanly before we cut metal.
Closer Look at This Enclosure Type
Representative photographs of the construction, interfaces and installation context for this product family.
Specifications at a Glance
| Parameter | Typical Specification |
|---|---|
| Typical unit | Server chassis, storage enclosure, network appliance case, industrial PC housing, test instrument case |
| Heights | 1U (44.45 mm), 2U, 3U, 4U, up to 10U; custom heights available |
| Width | Standard 19-inch rack (482.6 mm) or custom desktop and wall-mount widths |
| Materials | SPCC 0.8-1.5 mm, galvanized SECC, aluminum 5052 for weight-sensitive builds |
| Panels | Perforated, honeycomb, mesh, slotted, EMI-shielded or closed panels |
| Hardware | Rack ears, handles, rails, card guides, standoffs, captive screws, thumbscrews |
| Finish | Powder coat, zinc plating, brushing or anodizing for aluminum, optional silk-screen |
| Tolerance | ±0.1 mm cutting, ±0.15 mm bending on critical dimensions, hole position ±0.1 mm |
| Representative lead time | Prototype 7-12 days; serial production 18-30 days depending on scope |
The parameters above are representative of typical projects in this category. Your drawing defines the final specification, and every quotation states the scope it covers.
Popular Configurations We Manufacture
Every size and option is customised to your drawing. Use a configuration below as a starting point for your enquiry.
1U & 2U Appliance Chassis
Low-profile rack cases for network appliances, firewalls, edge servers and monitoring units.
| Depth range | 200-600 mm typical |
| Airflow | Front-to-rear perforated or honeycomb pattern |
| Features | Rack ears, card guides, PSU bay, I/O cut-outs |
3U & 4U Chassis with Expansion
Taller chassis with room for expansion cards, drive bays and larger cooling hardware.
| Depth range | 400-800 mm typical |
| Panels | Slotted PCIe openings, drive bay cut-outs |
| Features | Rails, handles, mid-plane mounting bosses |
Non-Standard & Desktop Housings
Desktop and bench housings, instrument cases and wall-mount chassis outside the 19-inch standard.
| Width | Custom, typically 200-450 mm |
| Form | Clamshell, folded box, sliding cover |
| Finish | Powder coat, anodized, brushed |
Materials, Finishes & Customisation
Chassis material
| Cold-rolled steel SPCC | 0.8-1.5 mm — the standard for strength and shielding at a workable weight |
| Galvanized steel SECC | 0.8-1.2 mm — inherently corrosion resistant for long-service equipment |
| Aluminum 5052 / 6061 | 1.0-3.0 mm — lighter chassis, better heat spreading, clean anodized finish |
Panels & shielding
| Perforated & honeycomb | Pressed patterns that open large areas without losing rigidity |
| EMI provision | Where shielding is specified we manufacture the gasket channels and contact surfaces — performance testing stays with your lab |
| Card guides & rails | Pressed or fitted guides at your board pitch |
Customisation
| Board mounting | Standoffs, bosses and threaded inserts positioned from your PCB drawing |
| Branding | Silk-screen, engraved or label plates to your artwork |
| Cooling | Fan apertures, finger guards, duct flanges, heat-sink interfaces |
How This Product Moves Through the Workshop
A rack chassis starts as a flat pattern with every hole, slot, louvre and relief laser cut in one operation, which is what makes unit-to-unit repeatability possible. Bending forms the box, welding or riveting closes the corners, then inserts, rivnuts and hardware follow before finishing. Batch sampling checks ear height, hole position and panel flatness.
- Drawing review with DFM feedback before production release
- Fiber laser cutting of the complete flat pattern in one set-up
- CNC press-brake forming, welding and grinding
- Coating applied before gaskets, hardware and glass are fitted
- First-article and sample inspection recorded for each batch
Common Questions About This Product
Yes. Send a 2D board layout or a mechanical envelope and we will build the chassis around it, returning a drawing for confirmation before production. For early-stage projects we can also supply an unpainted first-off unit so you can check fit before committing to a batch.
Rack ear geometry is cut and formed in the same operation as the rest of the panel set, and we verify ear height and hole position against the drawing on a sample from each batch. For repeat orders we keep the tooling and set-up so the position does not drift between builds.
We manufacture the mechanical features shielding designs need — gasket channels, contact surfaces, cover screw pitch, panel overlap. The shielding effectiveness of the finished assembly is verified by you with your own test lab, since it depends on the coating, gasket and assembly as a system.
Powder coating is the usual choice for steel chassis because it is durable and available in any colour. For aluminum, clear or black anodizing gives a clean appearance and natural corrosion resistance. Where electrical bonding between parts matters, we can mask the contact areas so the coating does not interrupt the ground path.
Yes. Most customers take a prototype or small pilot batch first to validate fit and finish, then release serial production once the design is frozen. The pilot tooling and fixtures carry over to the production builds.
Guides for This Application
1U-4U Rack Chassis Fabrication: A Practical Guide for OEMs
Dimensions, panels, structure and rail interfaces
Read guideRack Chassis Cooling and EMI Shielding: A Specification Guide
Airflow and shielding specified as one problem
Read guideEIA-310 Rack Chassis Dimensions and Tolerances Explained
Hole patterns, rack units and tolerance stack-up
Read guideSend Us Your Drawing
Tell us the enclosure you need, the environment it works in and the quantity — we will return engineering feedback and a quotation, typically within 24 hours on working days.