Under 7 ft
below 84âŗ
72âŗ uprights â the shortest setting on any rack here.
Pull-ups unlikely: 72âŗ plus the gap is already 78â80âŗ.
Buying guide
Which rack is right for you?
Four questions, in the order they actually matter â or watch Kaevon walk through the whole range first. Either way, ten minutes here saves a freight return.
Over 60,000 5-star reviews
Free shipping
Excellent warranties
30-day easy returnsQuestion one
Measure the room before you look at a single rack
One measurement, taken once, and it settles how tall a rack you can build. It's also the only question here where getting it wrong means shipping 200 lb of steel back.
Measure floor to ceiling
One number, taken before you look at anything else.
It has to cover the rack, plus 6â8âŗ of clear air above the pull-up bar. Without that gap you can reach the bar, but you can't hang from it properly.
Then find your number in the three bands below.
7 to 8 ft
84â96âŗ
Short to mid uprights, and every shape in the range.
Pull-ups are tight and done all the time â one customer reports a 90âŗ basement clearing both.
8 ft and up
96âŗ or more
The full range, up to 111.25âŗ.
Pull-ups with room to spare.
Your ceiling rarely rules out a shape. Every rack here builds from 72âŗ, so what the ceiling decides is how tall you build and whether the bar clears â not which of the five you can have. What we cannot tell you: each rack lists its own adjustable upright range, not the clearance it needs in a room. Those are different numbers and we hold only the first. If the ceiling is what decides it, call before you order.
Where the 90" comes from
One customer, in a basement, on a Light Commercial Power Rack: "My basement ceiling is 90" and this rack fits perfectly with room for me to do pull-ups still." It is the only clearance figure in this catalogue that comes from someone who actually built it in the room, which is why it is quoted rather than turned into a rule.
Floor space, and whether it has to move
Squat stands take the least room of anything with a barbell on it. Half racks sit against a wall. A 4-post cage wants a permanent footprint, and a 6-post wants more. A folding rack is the only shape here that gives the floor back â it stands like a 4-post while you lift and folds flat the rest of the week.
If the garage still has to hold a car on Sundays, that decision is already made for you.
Question two
Five shapes, and the honest difference
Same four facts for each, in the same order, so you can compare them without holding anything in your head. Every count, price and rating is read from the live catalogue.
Squat Stands
4 racks ¡ from $329.99
â â â â â 4.9 93 reviews for the Squat Stands
- Best for
- Tight spaces, low ceilings
- Footprint
- Smallest
- Ceiling
- 7 ft is fine
- Safety
- Nothing does
What it gives youThe shortest rack that still takes a barbell and a pull-up bar. Nothing catches a failed rep.
What you give upa safety net â nothing catches the bar if a rep fails
Attachments that fit: 26 on a Hydra, 24 on a Manticore
See the 4 squat stands â
Half Racks
4 racks ¡ from $613.89
â â â â â 4.8 5 reviews for the Hydra Half Rack
- Best for
- Most home gyms
- Footprint
- Small
- Ceiling
- 8 ft
- Safety
- Spotter arms, at the height you pinned them
What it gives youThe whole attachment range without training inside a box. Bolt it down or load the base.
What you give upfull-depth safeties â spotter arms only catch the bar where you pinned them
Attachments that fit: 28 on a Hydra, 24 on a Manticore
See the 4 half racks â
4-Post Cages
11 racks ¡ from $399.99
â â â â â 4.9 327 reviews for the Light Commercial Power Rack
- Best for
- Training alone at your limit
- Footprint
- Medium
- Ceiling
- 8 ft
- Safety
- Full-length safeties, wherever it falls
What it gives youFour uprights means full-length safeties. The bar gets caught wherever it falls.
What you give upfloor space in front of the rack â you train inside it, not before it
Attachments that fit: 31 on a Hydra, 27 on a Manticore
See the 11 4-post cages â
6-Post Racks
3 racks ¡ from $2,082.82
â â â â â 4.9 11 reviews for the Manticore Six Post Power Rack
- Best for
- Storage, cables and heavy traffic
- Footprint
- Largest
- Ceiling
- 8â9 ft
- Safety
- Full-length safeties, wherever it falls
What it gives youTwo extra uprights out back carry the plates, the cable stack and everything else you bolt on.
What you give upa lot of room â this is a facility frame in a garage
Attachments that fit: 32 on a Hydra, 27 on a Manticore
See the 3 6-post racks â
Folding Racks
5 racks ¡ from $465.99
â â â â â 4.8 55 reviews for the Folding Rack 2.3" x 2.3"
- Best for
- A room with another job
- Footprint
- Folds to ~6"
- Ceiling
- 8 ft
- Safety
- On the 4-post cage, yes. Not on the 2-post
What it gives youFolds back against the wall when you're done. The only rack that gives the room back.
What you give upa free-standing frame â it bolts to your wall, and the timber to do that isn't in the box
Attachments that fit: 25 on a Hydra, 18 on a Manticore
See the 5 folding racks âSide by side
The same five, as a table
The row that decides it for most people is the first one.
| Squat Stands4 racks ¡ from $329.99See them â | Half Racks4 racks ¡ from $613.89See them â | 4-Post Cages11 racks ¡ from $399.99See them â | 6-Post Racks3 racks ¡ from $2,082.82See them â | Folding Racks5 racks ¡ from $465.99See them â | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceiling it needsNot in the catalogue â see flags | 7 ft is fine | 8 ft | 8 ft | 8â9 ft | 8 ft |
| Floor space | Smallest | Small | Medium | Largest | Folds to ~6" |
| Upright heightHow tall the rack itself builds | 72.5" â 111.25" | 72" â 110.25" | 72" â 111.25" | 72" â 108" | 72" â 108" |
| Catches a failed rep | Nothing does | Spotter arms, at the height you pinned them | Full-length safeties, wherever it falls | Full-length safeties, wherever it falls | On the 4-post cage, yes. Not on the 2-post |
| Best for | Tight spaces, low ceilings | Most home gyms | Training alone at your limit | Storage, cables and heavy traffic | A room with another job |
| Attachments that fit | 26 on a Hydra, 24 on a Manticore | 28 on a Hydra, 24 on a Manticore | 31 on a Hydra, 27 on a Manticore | 32 on a Hydra, 27 on a Manticore | 25 on a Hydra, 18 on a Manticore |
| Racks to choose from | 4 racks ¡ 6 SKUs | 4 racks ¡ 8 SKUs | 11 racks ¡ 19 SKUs | 3 racks ¡ 5 SKUs | 5 racks ¡ 9 SKUs |
| Cheapest way in | $329.99 | $613.89 | $399.99 | $2,082.82 | $465.99 |
| What you give up | a safety net â nothing catches the bar if a rep fails | full-depth safeties â spotter arms only catch the bar where you pinned them | floor space in front of the rack â you train inside it, not before it | a lot of room â this is a facility frame in a garage | a free-standing frame â it bolts to your wall, and the timber to do that isn't in the box |
Swipe the chart to compare â
Question three
Which hardware system you're joining
This is the decision that outlives the rack. The frame is the cheap part; what bolts onto it over the next five years is not.
Pick a line to see what it commits you to
| Hole size | â " |
|---|---|
| Who it's for | Home and garage gyms |
| Attachment range | 25â32 fit, depending on shape |
| Cheapest way in | $613.89 |
| Racks in the line | 12 racks |
| Hole size | 1" |
|---|---|
| Who it's for | Light-commercial traffic and premium attachments |
| Attachment range | 18â27 fit, depending on shape |
| Cheapest way in | $730.89 |
| Racks in the line | 10 racks |
| Hole size | â " |
|---|---|
| Who it's for | A first rack, or a tight budget |
| Attachment range | Narrower â these don't take the 3"Ã3" range |
| Cheapest way in | $329.99 |
| Racks in the line | 4 racks |
The one that costs money to get wrong: A â " attachment on a 1" rack is a return shipped both ways. It's the one spec worth getting right before you buy.
Why hole size decides everything
Hydra is 3"Ã3" tubing with â " holes. Manticore is 3"Ã3" with 1" holes. They look near-identical in a photograph, and the difference decides what you can bolt on for as long as you own the rack.
It is not a clean split. Of the 37 attachments whose fit we've confirmed, 25 go on either line. The exceptions are the trap, and they lean one way â 9 are Hydra-only against 3 Manticore-only. Check before you buy: a return travels by freight in both directions.
The 2.3"Ã2.3" range is its own smaller system: lighter, cheaper, a genuinely solid rack with a narrower set of things that bolt on. It's also the range people rate most.
Question four
What people wish they'd known
From 95 reviews across four racks. None of this is on a product page.
A folding rack needs more than the rack
Mounting to a studded drywall wall takes a timber stringer â a 2x6 or 2x8 â and lag bolts. They don't come in the box, and this is the single most common complaint in the set:
"The installation for studded walls with drywall is poor. Additional materials were needed to be purchased (such as 2x8's and Lag Bolts)."
Folding Rack
Budget an afternoon and a trip to the hardware store, or pick a free-standing shape instead.
Assembly wants sockets, not a crescent wrench
"Hardest part was having to do it all with a couple crescent wrenches because I don't have sockets big enough."
Squat Stands
Two people and a socket set turn a long afternoon into an hour. Watch the assembly video first â several reviewers say the same thing about the cabled attachments in particular.
Safety straps are what let people train alone
The most-mentioned attachment, and it's not the one people plan for:
"No worries working out alone now, especially being able to set the straps to guide the weight away."
Light Commercial Power Rack
If you'll be lifting on your own, this is the attachment that changes what you're willing to attempt.
Configuring takes longer than people expect
"This being my first gym rack, I spent a considerable amount of time going back-and-forth, configuring multiple racks, options and packages to find the bestâĻ"
Hydra Half Rack, first rack
Which is fair, and part of why this page exists. If you've been round the loop twice already, call 1-888-718-7997 and describe the room â it's faster than a third pass.
Decided
Then go and look at them
Every route below lands on a collection with the filters and the prices.
All power racks
27 racks, five shapes, filters for line, height and price.Shop the range â
I already own a rack
Tell us which one and the attachments narrow to what bolts on.Find what fits â
Send us your garage
A photo and your ceiling height. We'll tell you exactly what fits.Reply in 1 day â
Talk to a human
1-888-718-7997. They own these racks themselves.MonâFri â
Bells of Steel produces feature-rich, warranty-backed power racks that will last a lifetime in your home or commercial gym. We design our racks in-house and fine-tune them on your feedback â so you get the highest quality-to-price ratio possible.
