IKEA Kallax shelf
Bookcase in Home & kitchen
Sturdy, versatile shelving that people keep for years and even use as desks. Critics call it only okay, not ideal.
Sturdy, versatile shelving that people keep for years and even use as desks. Critics call it only okay, not ideal.
10 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 8
- criticize it
- 2
- approval share
- 80%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 8 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 4 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Sturdy and holds heavy loads
“Sturdy as heck, can take a lot of weight, extremely versatile and durable.”
Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Hacking IKEA Furniture” “it's still plenty strong if you are smart about it”
Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Hacking IKEA Furniture” Durable, lasts for years
“Sturdy as heck, can take a lot of weight, extremely versatile and durable.”
Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Hacking IKEA Furniture” “I have 10 years old bedroom furniture still going strong (Kallax/Malm)”
Comment from 16 Aug 2026 in “Software Engineering fundamentals matter more” Versatile, works as desk
“Sturdy as heck, can take a lot of weight, extremely versatile and durable.”
Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Hacking IKEA Furniture” “My desk at home is a very wide T-shaped desk made of three Kallax”
Comment from 30 Aug 2026 in “Hacking IKEA Furniture”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Only acceptable, not ideal
“I'd love to have the perfect shelves for my game room... but Kallax is ok.”
Comment from 28 Sep 2026 in “Malleable software: Restoring user agency in a world of locked-down apps (2025)”
What people recommend instead
The same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IKEA Billy bookcase | 17 | 8 | 68% | 6 | — | Approved |
| IKEA Kallax shelfThis page | 8 | 2 | 80% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“I'd love to have the perfect shelves for my game room... but Kallax is ok.”
“Yes there are notable exceptions (KALLAX inserts, etc.)”
“it's too tall to fit in 32 cm, but then I don't want to waste space”
“My desk at home is a very wide T-shaped desk made of three Kallax”
“The expedite -> kallax transition still lives rent free in my head”
“Sturdy as heck, can take a lot of weight, extremely versatile and durable.”
“furniture from Ikea, such as Lack and Kallax is fit for purpose and remains a low price despite the cost of wood going up a lot”
“it's still plenty strong if you are smart about it”
“We are both calling our callax callax and hate it the equal amount.”
“I have 10 years old bedroom furniture still going strong (Kallax/Malm)”
“looks like the KALLAX is preferred”
“the Kallax shelving is much preferred”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.