Cold-Aisle Width for 3 kW Racks in Korean Warehouses

Most logistics warehouses in South Korea were built for pallet storage, not 3 kW-per-U heat loads. When we measure aisle widths during site assessments, the question is always the same: how narrow can we go before maintenance becomes impossible or intake temps climb?

The 1.2 Metre Baseline

For rear-exhaust units like the Antminer S19 series, we recommend a minimum 1.2 m cold aisle when containment panels seal the hot aisle. This allows a technician to pass with a replacement PSU while the adjacent bay keeps hashing. Below 1.1 m, you will shut down the facing row for any hardware swap.

Forklift Clearance

If your install workflow uses forklifts to place palletised miners, add 0.3 m to the service aisle on the delivery side. Pattern C (perimeter rows) in our layout gallery exists specifically for buildings where a central forklift path cannot be sacrificed.

Cable Bend Radius

PDU cables on a 32 A three-phase feed need 150 mm bend radius on standard 10 mm² cable. Rack-mounted PDUs with bottom entry require an additional 100 mm below the lowest U for cable loop. We have seen operators lose an entire U position because they measured rack height but not cable loop space.

When to Go Wider

Top-rear exhaust units (Whatsminer M50 class) push heat upward. If your cable trays sit below 3.2 m, widen the hot aisle to 1.3 m and add deflector panels. The extra floor space costs less than relocating overhead trays mid-install.

Measuring Your Building

Do not trust lease drawings. Measure between column centres, note fire door swing paths, and mark sprinkler head positions. We bring a laser distance meter on every site visit because drawings from Korean logistics parks are often off by 100–200 mm — enough to block a containment panel.

See our layout pattern gallery or send your floor dimensions for a preliminary check.