Dimensions / Furniture / Bookshelves / Cube
A cube bookshelf is a grid of equal square cubes. Every IKEA KALLAX cube is 33.6 × 33.6 cm inside and every unit is 39 cm (15.4 in) deep, from a 1 × 4 at 42 × 147 cm to a 5 × 5 at 182 × 182 cm. The 2 × 4 is 77 × 147 cm (30.4 × 57.9 in).
| Cube, inside | Depth | 2 × 4 unit |
|---|---|---|
| 33.6 × 33.6cm13.2 × 13.2 in | 39cm15.4 in | 77 × 147cm30.4 × 57.9 in |
Sources: IKEA (KALLAX), IKEA (KALLAX compartments). Checked October 2026.
Enter the unit, your room and your biggest book. Each check uses the numbers in the tables on this page.
All in centimetres. 1 in = 2.54 cm.
As you raise it from the floor, the top corner reaches 152.1 cm. Your ceiling is 240 cm, so there is 87.9 cm to spare.
Built lying down, its top corner sweeps higher than its height as you stand it up.
Carried long side first, it needs an opening of 39 × 77 cm. Your doorway is 76 × 198 cm.
For a bookcase that is already built; flat-packed, it goes through as boxes.
A 28 cm tall, 22 cm wide book stands upright in an opening 33.6 cm high and 38 cm deep.
A cube is as tall as it is wide, so a book too tall to stand may still lie flat in it.
Fitting cube shelves to a wall? Photograph it, mark the space in SizeMarker and count how many cubes fit before you order.
Mark a photoCubes wide × cubes high, the outside size and how IKEA says each can be used.
| Unit | Width × height | Can be used |
|---|---|---|
| 1 × 4 | 42 × 147 cm16.5 × 57.9 in | Upright or on its side, on the wall or the floor |
| 2 × 2 | 77 × 77 cm30.4 × 30.4 in | On the wall or the floor |
| 2 × 4This page | 77 × 147 cm30.4 × 57.9 in | Upright or on its side, on the floor |
| 4 × 4 | 147 × 147 cm57.9 × 57.9 in | As a room divider |
| 5 × 5 | 182 × 182 cm71.6 × 71.6 in | As a room divider |
Sources: IKEA (KALLAX)
| Measurement | Size |
|---|---|
| Cube openingThe same in every KALLAX size | 33.6 × 33.6 cm13.2 × 13.2 in |
| Depth of every unit | 39 cm15.4 in |
| Shelf thickness | 1.6 cm |
| Side wall thickness | 3.7 cm |
| KALLAX insert with doorWidth × depth × height | 33 × 37 × 33 cm13 × 14.6 × 13 in |
| DRÖNA boxFits shelves at least 38 cm deep | 33 × 38 × 33 cm13 × 15 × 13 in |
| Load per shelfStanding on the floor and fixed to the wall | 13 kg29 lb |
| Load on top | 25 kg55 lb |
Sources: IKEA (KALLAX compartments) · IKEA (KALLAX 77 × 147) · IKEA (KALLAX insert) · IKEA (DRÖNA)
Width × depth × height; cube sizes are not shared between brands.
| System | Size | Load per shelf |
|---|---|---|
| Target Brightroom 13 in, 9 cubes | 111 × 37 × 112 cm43.8 × 14.6 × 44 in | 14 kg30 lb |
| Target Brightroom 11 in, 3 cubes | 31 × 30 × 91 cm12.2 × 11.7 × 35.9 in | 7 kg15 lb |
| ClosetMaid Cubeicals, one cube inside | 29 × 30 × 29 cm11.25 × 11.75 × 11.25 in | — |
Sources: Target (Brightroom 9-cube) · Target (Brightroom 3-cube) · ClosetMaid
In IKEA KALLAX, 33.6 × 33.6 cm (13.2 × 13.2 in) inside, whatever the size of the unit, and every unit is 39 cm (15.4 in) deep.
Not always. KALLAX inserts are 33 × 33 cm on the front, Target’s Brightroom comes in 13 in and 11 in cube systems, and a ClosetMaid cube is 11.25 in inside, so buy boxes made for the system you have.
The 1 × 4 and 2 × 4 KALLAX can stand upright or lie on their side; IKEA sells the 4 × 4 and 5 × 5 to use as room dividers.
13 kg (29 lb) per shelf on a KALLAX standing on the floor and fixed to the wall, and 25 kg (55 lb) on top.
Inserts and boxes made for it: a KALLAX insert with a door is 33 × 37 × 33 cm, and a DRÖNA box, 33 × 38 × 33 cm, fits any shelf at least 38 cm deep.
Cube shelving buyers ask for the cube size before the outside size, because their boxes and inserts have to fit. Mark the cube opening and the outside size on your own product photo in SizeMarker, as in the picture at the top, and send one product card for WhatsApp or WeChat.
