Partner Knowledge hub Seismic Certification

Seismic Certification

NOTE: The information in this article is intended for internal partner training purposes only.

For external use, please refer to the approved materials provided to you — including our live, always up-to-date website, official sales collateral, or reach out to our BDM team for additional resources and demo support.

How to reduce project costs with Pio’s pre-certified solution

Structural bracing for AutoStore systems in seismic zones can be a major cost driver, sometimes up to 60% of the hardware cost for small systems.

This is especially true in medium to high seismic areas, where custom engineering and third-party hardware (such as seismic towers) are required.

Pio has developed standardized seismic certification that significantly reduces complexity and cost, resulting in up to 80% savings on seismic bracing.

The Challenge

Traditional seismic bracing solutions vary widely in cost and complexity, depending on the structural engineer’s interpretation of AutoStore related requirements and integration of non-standardized, third-party seismic towers. This lack of standardization has made permitting, budgeting, and implementation unpredictable and costly. Additionally, the inclusion of seismic towers in the design of smaller systems such as Pio reduces the bin capacity and storage density, which ultimately lowers the value of the system to the end customer.

Pio’s Certified Solution

AutoStore’s grid has been extensively tested for structural integrity over the years. Based on these tests, and in collaboration with structural integrity experts at Pre-Compliance, Pio has:

Completed seismic calculations for the standardized Pio systems.
Pre-certified designs to streamline permitting.
Raised the certification levels (SDS*) of standard Pio grid designs using only AutoStore grid bracers (compared with generic previously published certification by Tru Compliance)

Key Benefits

16-bin-high systems (fixed designs, 330 bins) support up to 1.2 SDS*  with operational grid bracer bracing only, covering ~80% of the market.
12-bin-high systems are pre-certified up to 1.45 SDS* with operational grid bracer bracing only.
Additional grid bracers extend support to 1.75 SDS*  and 2.0 SDS*  for the smallest systems.

See the tables at the end of the article for a full overview of supported SDS* levels and required grid bracers.

* Spectral Response Acceleration at Short Periods

Case Study: California Pilot

We have tested the standardized certification approach with a customer who deployed a P100 grid in California. Their system was approved by the Concorde Building Dept Special Inspection in April 2025.

Savings (P100):  $ 65,000
Reduction:  40% of total upfront cost
Simplified Scope of Work: Plan, elevation drawings, floor rail layout with anchor placement and grid bracer foot anchoring notes, PE stamp, on- site anchor inspection
Bracing solution: 4 AutoStore grid bracers
Site SDS level: 1.40

How to Use the Certification

In most regions and especially seismic regions, a locally licensed professional engineer must prepare and submit structural design calculations and drawings as part of a structural permit. Certification should in many cases reduce the pre-work, design, and calculations required at this stage.

Step-by-Step Process

Share the Pio Seismic Qualification Report, certificate, and system drawing with the permit expeditor / project engineer.
The engineer validates and includes them in the permit application. A PE stamp may be required in some jurisdictions to seal drawings. Note: It is suggested to not include the Appendix items of the Qualification Report at this stage.
During comment rounds with the city plan review officers, there may be requests for supplementary information and documentation (calculations, detailed test reports, appendix items in the Qualification Report). These can be provided at this stage to support the permit application and address comments.

Tip:  Don’t overload the application initially.Submit supporting documents only if requested. It is a sound strategy to expect comments in the permit process and keep some detailed supporting documentation “in reserve”.

Download documents

Certification documents are available in this overview.

Need Help?

For additional documentation or seismic questions, contact the Pio Deployment Team: deployment@pio.com

For project-based seismic support and PE stamping (a chargeable service), reach out to Andy Coughlin at Pre-Compliance: andy@go-pre.com

SDS Level Overview

Table 1. Number of grid bracers needed in 16 -high Pio product s by seismic level

Table 2. Number of grid bracers needed in 12 -high Pio products by seismic level

Table 3 . Number of grid bracers needed in 8 -high Pio products by seismic level