IKEA KALLAX flat-pack shelving assembly in London

IKEA KALLAX Cube Storage Unit Assembly in London

IKEA KALLAX Cube Storage Unit Assembly in London

KALLAX is the cube unit almost everyone owns at some point, and it is deceptively simple. There are no cam locks in the KALLAX frame. The carcass goes together with plain wooden dowels tapped home and long hex-socket bolts driven edge-on with the small Allen key supplied in the box. That means there is no ratcheting, no fitting that tightens to a click, and no second chance: once the dowels are seated and the bolts are pulled up, the orientation, the squareness and the position are all fixed. (The drawer inserts are the one exception — their fittings do include cam locks, covered further down.)

The other thing people miss is that IKEA does not treat KALLAX as a one-person job. The product pages for the 77x41, 77x77, 147x147 and 182x182 all state "Two persons are needed for the assembly of this furniture" — that line applies to the ordinary two-cube-wide unit, not just the 182x182 cm wall. It is not on every page — the small 42x41 cm single cube's page, for one, does not carry it — but we send a team to every KALLAX job regardless, as our own practice. IKEA also prints both a tipping-hazard and a falling-hazard warning on the range, and on the 42x147 product page states that the 13 kg per-shelf load figure refers to the unit standing vertically on the floor and anchored correctly to the wall.

TaskMan of London builds and anchors KALLAX across London within the M25. We are a first-party team, not a marketplace: DBS-checked, insured, with a 12-month workmanship warranty. Send us a WhatsApp photo of the boxes and the wall, and we confirm everything with you before you book.

Part of our IKEA assembly London service.

Which IKEA KALLAX cube storage unit (IKEA UK currently uses both names: listing and category titles read "KALLAX cube storage unit", while the on-page product name still reads "KALLAX Shelving unit"; assembly manuals also say "shelving unit") sizes we build

  • KALLAX cube storage unit 42x41 cm (1x1) — art. 203.015.54 (white). 41.5 W x 39 D x 40.7 H cm. 1 package, 5.35 kg (package weight), 84 cm long. Verified on ikea.com/gb.
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 77x41 cm (2x1) — art. 903.015.55 (white). Verified on ikea.com/gb in white, white stained oak effect, black-brown, grey/wood effect and high-gloss white. Max. load/shelf 13 kg; "This furniture can take a max load of 25 kg on the top."
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 77x77 cm (2x2) — art. 202.758.14 (white). 76.5 W x 39 D x 76.5 H cm. 1 package, 12.05 kg (package weight), 81 cm long. Max. load/shelf 13 kg; "This furniture can take a max load of 25 kg on the top"; Max. load/wall cabinet 20 kg.
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 77x112 cm (2x3) — verified on ikea.com/gb in white, white stained oak effect and black-brown.
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 42x147 cm (1x4) — art. 002.758.48 (white). 41.5 W x 39 D x 146.5 H cm. 1 package, 14.00 kg (package weight), 154 cm long. Max. load/shelf 13 kg; Max. load/wall cabinet 30 kg. This is the page carrying IKEA's orientation caveat.
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 77x147 cm (2x4) — art. 802.758.87 (white). 76.5 W x 39 D x 146.5 H cm. 1 package, 20.65 kg (package weight), 150 cm long. Max. load/shelf 13 kg; max load 25 kg on the top. No wall-cabinet rating published.
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 112x147 cm (3x4) — verified on ikea.com/gb in white, white stained oak effect, black-brown and grey/wood effect.
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 147x147 cm (4x4) — art. 302.758.61 (white). 147 W x 39 D x 146.5 H cm. 2 packages (package weights): 18.00 kg / 151 cm and 19.36 kg / 144 cm. Only "Max. load/shelf 13 kg" is published — no top-load and no wall-cabinet figure. "Two persons are needed for the assembly of this furniture."
  • KALLAX cube storage unit 182x182 cm (5x5) — art. 703.015.37 (white). 182 W x 39 D x 182 H cm. 4 packages totalling 53.6 kg (package weights): 10.85 kg and 11.10 kg at 186 cm long, 15.75 kg and 15.90 kg at 178 cm long. Only "Max. load/shelf 13 kg" is published.
  • KALLAX with underframe — verified on ikea.com/gb in the 147x94 cm size in white/white and black-brown/black. Other underframe combinations currently listed include 77x94, 147x59, 77x164, 147x129 and 147x164 cm.
  • Pre-configured variants currently listed on ikea.com/gb include: KALLAX with doors (77x77), with 4 drawers (77x77), with 2 doors and 2 shelf inserts (77x77), with 4 inserts (147x77, 147x112 and 147x147), with 6 inserts (112x147) and with 10 inserts (182x182). This list is not exhaustive of every combination IKEA sells.
  • Finishes currently listed across the range include white, black-brown, white stained oak effect, grey/wood effect and high-gloss white, plus brown-red and dark green (art. 405.620.79) finishes on 147x77 cm listings. This finish list is not exhaustive, and not every finish is offered in every size — high-gloss white, for example, is listed for 77x41, 77x77, 77x147 and 147x147 but not for 42x147 or 112x147.
  • Inserts, verified on ikea.com/gb: KALLAX insert with door 33x33 cm; insert with 2 drawers 33x33 cm; insert with 1 shelf 33x33 cm; insert with glass door 33x33 cm. KALLAX GLASS SHELF is 33x38 cm, not 33x33 cm.
  • Cube fillers currently listed: DRÖNA fabric box 33x38x33 cm (multiple colours and patterns); BRANÄS basket 32x34x32 cm, which IKEA describes as hand-woven rattan; and KVARNVIK storage box with lid 32x35x32 cm, of which IKEA's own copy states "The box fits perfectly in KALLAX shelf." The smaller KVARNVIK sizes (18x25x15 cm and 25x35x20 cm) are not cube-sized.

The KALLAX unit range itself is current and broadly stocked on ikea.com/gb as at August 2026 — every size checked here, from the 42x41 cm single cube to the 182x182 cm wall, was listed at the time of writing, though the list above is not exhaustive of every size, finish and combination IKEA sells. On accessories: KVARNVIK is currently sold in three sizes; the 32x35x32 cm box is a KALLAX cube filler by IKEA's own description ("The box fits perfectly in KALLAX shelf."), while the 18x25x15 cm and 25x35x20 cm sizes are not cube-sized and should not be recommended as fillers. DRÖNA (33x38x33 cm) and BRANÄS (32x34x32 cm) remain current cube-sized options. On naming: IKEA UK currently uses both names for the same product — listing and category titles read "cube storage unit", while the on-page product name still reads "KALLAX Shelving unit", and assembly manuals also use the older "shelving unit" name.

How long IKEA KALLAX cube storage unit (IKEA UK currently uses both names: listing and category titles read "KALLAX cube storage unit", while the on-page product name still reads "KALLAX Shelving unit"; assembly manuals also say "shelving unit") assembly takes

All bands are two-person times. IKEA's product pages state "Two persons are needed for the assembly of this furniture" on sizes including the 77x41, 77x77, 147x147 and 182x182 (the 42x41 single cube's page does not carry the line), and TaskMan of London sends a team to every KALLAX job as its own practice. 42x41, 77x41 and 77x77: 20-30 min. 77x112 and 42x147: 25-40 min. 77x147: 30-45 min. 112x147 and 147x94 with underframe: 45-70 min. 147x147 (2 packages): 60-90 min. 182x182 (4 packages): 100-150 min. Add 15-25 min for wall anchoring, longer on dot-and-dab or metal stud, and 8-12 min per door or drawer insert fitted. These are our own trade estimates, not IKEA figures.

Difficulty: moderate. Long builds are exactly what we are set up for — message us and we will confirm everything before you book.

Where IKEA KALLAX cube storage unit (IKEA UK currently uses both names: listing and category titles read "KALLAX cube storage unit", while the on-page product name still reads "KALLAX Shelving unit"; assembly manuals also say "shelving unit") builds go wrong

The parts of this build that cost people an afternoon:

  • Orientation is decided before the first bolt is pulled up and cannot be changed afterwards without a full strip-back. It also changes what IKEA will stand behind: the 42x147 product page states that "The information about maximum load per shelf refers to when the product is used vertically standing on the floor and anchored correctly to the wall." Lay a KALLAX on its side as a sideboard and the published 13 kg per-shelf figure no longer applies — there is no published rating for that configuration at all. For cushions, baskets and a TV it is a perfectly normal use and IKEA sells it that way. For records or books it is the wrong choice.
  • The supplied wall brackets fix to the TOP REAR of the unit — two brackets with mounting plates, screwed into the board across the top back edge, then the wall is marked through the bracket. Stood vertically, those two fixing points are spread across the top of the unit, which is what makes the restraint work. Lay the same unit on its side and the two fixing points stack vertically at one end of a 147 cm-wide object, which is not a restraint. If the unit is going horizontal, plan the restraint separately before assembly starts, not after.
  • There are no cam locks in the KALLAX carcass. The frame joints are plain wooden dowels tapped home, then long hex-socket bolts driven edge-on with the Allen key that comes in the box. Anyone reaching for a drill or impact driver on those bolts will strip the bolt's seat in the particleboard edge, and once a bolt seat has stripped, that corner is finished — there is nothing to bite into. Hand pressure on the supplied key only, and stop when it goes firm. Do not carry the no-cams rule over to the drawer inserts, though: IKEA's insert manual does use cam-lock fittings, which turn a quarter to lock rather than pulling up like a bolt.
  • KALLAX has no back panel — it is open on both faces by design, as a room divider. Nothing squares the carcass for you. Measure both diagonals and get them equal before the bolts go up tight. Skip it and the symptom shows up weeks later as a door insert that will not close flush.
  • Dowel holes do not survive being rebuilt. On a unit that has been taken apart and put back together, the holes elongate and the dowels no longer locate the panels tightly, so the whole frame stays slightly loose no matter how hard the bolts are pulled up. This is the most common reason a second-hand or house-move KALLAX never feels solid again.
  • The panels are honeycomb-cored — recycled paper filling, hollow except at the reinforced blocks around the factory fittings. Any screw you add yourself for feet, castors, a bracket or a TV mount only holds if it lands in a solid block or is through-bolted. A screw driven into the hollow middle of a panel feels tight and then pulls straight out under load.
  • Never lift, drag or slide an assembled KALLAX by a cube opening or a shelf. Its stiffness comes entirely from tight joints on a flat floor. Dragging it across carpet racks the frame and works the dowels loose on one diagonal. Build it in, or immediately adjacent to, its final position, and carry it by the outer frame with two people.
  • Insert frames screw straight into the cube's side faces with a Pozidriv driver and no pre-drilled holes. The frame has to be pressed hard against the panel while driving or it rides up the screw and sits proud, leaving the door misaligned. (Our own site practice, not an IKEA instruction: where two inserts go into cubes sharing one divider, we stagger the screw heights slightly so the two sets of fixings are not driving at each other inside the same thin panel.)
  • On the 147x147 and 182x182 the boxes contain several long panels of very similar length — outer frame sides and internal continuous shelves. Sort and lay them all out against the instruction diagram before starting. Get one swapped and the error only reveals itself several steps later, at which point it is a full strip-back. The 182x182 arrives as four separate boxes, so panels for one step can easily still be in an unopened package.
  • Floor flatness matters more than people expect. On original London floorboards, or a springy top-floor conversion floor, the unit rocks, one cube ends up twisted, and a door insert will never sit right. Shim the base and confirm level before the bolts go up tight and before drilling for the restraint.
  • Cube openings are roughly 33 x 33 cm, which is exactly why KALLAX became the default vinyl shelf — but a cube packed solid with LPs comfortably exceeds IKEA's 13 kg per-shelf figure. Spread the collection out, keep it on the lower rows, do not pack every cube, and stand the unit vertically and anchored — the configuration IKEA's published caveat, printed on the 42x147 page, describes; no other orientation has a published rating.
  • The finish is a thin foil and acrylic paint over particleboard with plastic edging. It scratches if you build on a bare floor or slide panels face-to-face. Build on the flattened carton, and keep the hardware bag off the panels — a loose bolt underneath a panel leaves a permanent dent in the honeycomb core.

Safety and wall fixing

This item must be secured to the wall. We fit the restraint as part of the job and will not leave it standing loose.

  • IKEA prints two warnings on the KALLAX product pages, both verified verbatim on ikea.com/gb: "WARNING! Tipping hazard – this product must be securely anchored. Use suitable screws and plugs for your home. If you are uncertain, seek professional advice." and "WARNING! Falling hazard – to reduce the risk of this product falling down, it must be securely anchored. Use suitable screws and plugs for your home. If you are uncertain, seek professional advice."
  • IKEA states on the 42x147 product page: "The information about maximum load per shelf refers to when the product is used vertically standing on the floor and anchored correctly to the wall." An unanchored KALLAX, or one laid on its side, has no published load rating.
  • IKEA specifies two people for assembly on most sizes, not just the large ones: the 77x41, 77x77, 147x147 and 182x182 product pages all state "Two persons are needed for the assembly of this furniture." The line is not on every page — the 42x41 cm single cube's page does not carry it — so sending a team to every KALLAX build, whatever the size, is TaskMan of London's own practice on top of IKEA's stated requirement.
  • IKEA supplies the wall-attachment brackets, mounting plates and the screws that fix them to the furniture. IKEA does not supply the wall screws or plugs — those must be chosen to suit your wall, and the assortment in a generic fixings pack is usually not adequate for a tip-over restraint.
  • Anchor into structure, not plaster. In a dot-and-dab wall the plasterboard sits well clear of the brick, so a plug gripping only the board will pull out under a tipping load. TaskMan of London uses a through-fixing that reaches the masonry, a proper woodscrew into a timber stud, or a toggle rated for the load in metal stud — chosen after we have identified the wall.
  • The tall variants (42x147, 77x147, 112x147, 147x147, 182x182) all stand around 1.5 m or more. The 42x147 is the worst geometry: 146.5 cm tall on a footprint only 41.5 cm wide and 39 cm deep. A child climbing it, or hanging on an open drawer insert, will bring it over.
  • Published load figures differ by size, so do not assume. "Max. load/shelf 13 kg" appears across the range. A 25 kg top-load figure is published for several sizes, including the 77x41, 77x77 and 77x147; the 147x147 and 182x182 pages publish no top-load figure at all, so any TV or heavy object on those sizes is outside anything IKEA has stated.
  • Numeric wall-cabinet ratings exist only for two sizes: 20 kg for the 77x77 and 30 kg for the 42x147. IKEA also notes on some pages that "The max load for a wall-hung frame depends on the wall material." IKEA publishes no wall-cabinet rating for the 77x147, 147x147 or 182x182, so TaskMan of London will not hang those sizes on a wall.
  • Load heavy items in the bottom row and light items high. This lowers the centre of gravity and is the single cheapest thing you can do to reduce tip-over risk.
  • Standing free in the middle of a room as a divider removes the wall, not the risk. TaskMan of London bolts back-to-back pairs to each other so they act as one wider object, and ties the pair to a floor, ceiling or adjacent structure wherever the layout allows.
  • Always scan for cables and pipes before drilling. The restraint goes at the top rear of the unit, often in the zone above sockets and switches where cables run vertically.
  • If a unit was bought second-hand and arrived without the brackets, do not leave it unrestrained. TaskMan of London will fit an equivalent restraint and the correct wall fixings as part of the visit.

IKEA KALLAX cube storage unit (IKEA UK currently uses both names: listing and category titles read "KALLAX cube storage unit", while the on-page product name still reads "KALLAX Shelving unit"; assembly manuals also say "shelving unit") assembly in London homes

London walls are the real variable on a KALLAX, because the whole safety case rests on one restraint at the top rear of the unit. Victorian and Edwardian stock across Islington, Hackney, Wandsworth and Camden is usually solid brick behind lime or gypsum plaster, where a plug has to sit entirely in the brick rather than the skim. Post-war and 80s-90s blocks are frequently dot-and-dab, where the plasterboard floats clear of the masonry and an ordinary plug grips nothing but board and adhesive; that needs a through-fixing reaching the block behind. Newer conversions and permitted-development flats often have metal stud partitions, which take toggles rather than woodscrews. Getting this wrong is the single most common failure we find on units other people have already "anchored". Access is the other London-specific issue, and it is about length rather than weight: the tall units ship in boxes 150 cm (77x147) and 154 cm (42x147) long, the 147x147 as a 151 cm and a 144 cm box, and the 182x182 as four boxes of which two are 186 cm and two are 178 cm. Boxes that long will not turn on a tight Victorian conversion half-landing and will not go in diagonally in most small block lifts, so they are usually walked up the stairs — and many period flats have no lift at all. Floors are rarely level: original boards and springy top-floor conversion floors both need shimming before the bolts go up tight, or the unit twists and the door inserts never sit right. Leasehold and listed-building restrictions on drilling party walls and chimney breasts come up regularly in conservation areas, and where drilling a particular wall is not permitted we plan an alternative restraint before the visit. We factor in ULEZ, the Congestion Charge and controlled parking bays when scheduling, and we cover everywhere inside the M25.

Before we arrive

  • Decide the final position AND orientation (standing tall, or on its side as a sideboard) before we arrive. The restraint design and the load rating both depend on it, and it cannot be changed afterwards without a full dismantle.
  • Clear the wall and roughly 2 m of floor in front of it. A 147x147 needs about 2 m x 1.5 m of clear flat floor to be built flat and tilted up; a 182x182 needs more.
  • Tell us the wall type if you know it — plasterboard on timber stud, plasterboard on metal stud, dot-and-dab over brick, solid brick or block, or lath and plaster. A WhatsApp photo of the wall with the sockets visible is usually enough for us to bring the right fixings.
  • Have every box already in the room if there is no lift. The 147x147 is two boxes at 18.00 kg and 19.36 kg (package weights), 151 cm and 144 cm long. The 182x182 is four boxes totalling 53.6 kg, two of them 186 cm long and two 178 cm. The 42x147 is a single 14 kg box but 154 cm long; the 77x147 is a single 20.65 kg box at 150 cm.
  • Confirm parking or a loading bay, and book the lift or notify the concierge if your building requires it.
  • Have the inserts, DRÖNA boxes, BRANÄS baskets or KVARNVIK 32x35x32 boxes on site if you want them fitted or placed on the same visit — inserts add time and we would rather confirm them with you up front.
  • Keep the instruction booklet and the small hardware bag. The wall brackets and mounting plates live in that bag and are the parts most often thrown out with the packaging.
  • Tell us if the unit is second-hand or has been built before. Dowel holes elongate on a rebuild, so a previously assembled KALLAX often will not go back up as tight as new, and we will tell you honestly if that is what we are looking at.
  • Let us know if your lease or a listed-building consent restricts drilling into a particular wall, so we can plan an alternative restraint before the visit rather than on the day.

IKEA KALLAX cube storage unit (IKEA UK currently uses both names: listing and category titles read "KALLAX cube storage unit", while the on-page product name still reads "KALLAX Shelving unit"; assembly manuals also say "shelving unit") assembly FAQs

Can a KALLAX be used on its side as a TV bench or sideboard?

Yes — IKEA sells it that way and the 77x147 measures 146.5 cm one way and 76.5 cm the other. Two things to get right. First, the supplied brackets fix across the top rear edge, so standing vertically the two fixing points are spread apart, but laid on its side they stack up at one end of a 147 cm-wide object; we plan a different restraint before we build. Second, IKEA's caveat on the 42x147 product page ties the 13 kg per-shelf figure to the unit standing vertically on the floor and anchored — no rating is published for a unit on its side. Fine for a TV, baskets and cushions; not the configuration to load with records or books.

Does it really need anchoring, even the small 77x77?

Yes, every size, every time. IKEA prints both a tipping-hazard and a falling-hazard warning on the range, and on the 42x147 product page states the per-shelf load figure refers to the unit standing vertically on the floor and anchored to the wall. Unanchored, no configuration has a published rating. We anchor every KALLAX we build as part of the job. IKEA gives you the brackets but not the wall screws and plugs, so we bring fixings matched to your wall. If a lease or listed-building consent genuinely blocks drilling a particular wall, tell us in advance and we will design an alternative — fixing to an adjacent wall or a floor-level restraint — rather than leaving it free-standing.

Will it hold my vinyl collection?

The cube opening is roughly 33 x 33 cm, which is why KALLAX became the standard record shelf. But a cube packed solid with LPs comfortably exceeds IKEA's stated 13 kg per shelf, and IKEA's caveat on the 42x147 page ties that figure to a unit standing vertically and anchored. The practical answer: stand it upright, anchor it, keep the heaviest cubes on the bottom row, and do not pack every cube solid. Built that way it lasts. Laid on its side and packed with records is how they end up sagging, and in that position IKEA publishes no load figure to fall back on.

Can a KALLAX be hung on the wall instead of standing on the floor?

Only the two sizes IKEA gives a numeric wall-cabinet rating: the 77x77 at 20 kg and the 42x147 at 30 kg — and IKEA itself notes that the maximum load for a wall-hung frame depends on the wall material. IKEA publishes no wall-cabinet rating for the 77x147, 147x147 or 182x182, so we will not hang those. Where we do hang one, we fix into timber studs or solid masonry, never into plasterboard alone, and we will talk through what you plan to put in it — 20 kg fills up faster than people expect.

Can you add door or drawer inserts later, or do they have to go in at the same time?

Either works, but same-visit is quicker. The insert frames screw straight into the cube's side faces with a Pozidriv driver and no pre-drilled holes, and the frame has to be held hard against the panel while driving or the door ends up sitting proud. The drawer inserts, unlike the KALLAX frame itself, are built with cam-lock fittings per IKEA's insert manual, so they assemble differently from the carcass. Allow about 8-12 minutes per insert. Note the sizes: the door, glass door, 2-drawer and 1-shelf inserts are all 33x33 cm, but the KALLAX glass shelf is 33x38 cm.

It was built before and now it wobbles. Can it be fixed rather than replaced?

Sometimes. The two normal causes on a KALLAX are a carcass that was locked up out of square, and joints that no longer grip. There are no cam locks in the KALLAX frame — it is dowels plus long hex bolts — so what usually fails is a bolt that has been over-driven and stripped its seat in the particleboard edge, or dowel holes that have elongated from a previous dismantle. We strip it back, square the diagonals properly, and rebuild by hand with the correct key. If several bolt seats have stripped in honeycomb core, the panel itself is the problem and we will tell you straight that a replacement panel or unit is the better spend.

How long will you need, do you need someone home, and will you take the packaging?

Two-person times: a 77x77 is 20-30 minutes, a 77x147 is 30-45, a 147x147 is 60-90, and a 182x182 — which arrives as four boxes totalling 53.6 kg — is 100-150. IKEA's product pages specify two people on sizes including the 77x41, 77x77, 147x147 and 182x182, and we send a team to every KALLAX job as standard, including the small sizes whose pages do not carry that line. Add 15-25 minutes for anchoring and 8-12 per insert. Someone needs to be there to confirm the exact position and orientation before we start, because both are locked in from the first joint. And yes, we flatten the cardboard and take it away with the plastic and polystyrene — just tell us when you book so we allow for it.

Book IKEA KALLAX cube storage unit (IKEA UK currently uses both names: listing and category titles read "KALLAX cube storage unit", while the on-page product name still reads "KALLAX Shelving unit"; assembly manuals also say "shelving unit") assembly in London

Send us a photo of the boxes or the product name, your postcode and when suits you. We will come back with everything confirmed before you book — no obligation, no call-out surprises.

WhatsApp us to get started or call 07700 170 070, 7 days a week.

Every job is done by TaskMan of London's own DBS-checked, insured team and carries our 12-month workmanship warranty.