ᐅ Adding Additional Shelves to a BILLY Bookcase After Purchase

Hello everyone,

I am planning to add extra shelves to my Billy bookcase and have a few specific questions: Does IKEA officially offer additional shelves that can be easily purchased separately? How about the shelf pin holes in the bookcase—are they standardized so that additional shelves can be added without issues? Or, in the worst case, would I need to drill new holes myself, and if so, what is the best way to do this without compromising stability or appearance?

Besides practical tips, I am also interested in experiences with third-party products or alternative solutions in case the original shelves are hard to find. Thanks in advance for your insights and advice!

ELEONORA schrieb:
Are there officially available additional shelves from IKEA that you can simply reorder?

Yes, definitely! IKEA offers the shelves for BILLY separately – either online or in some stores. Just choose the length and color that match your shelf. The shelves usually come in a standard, affordable size that is really easy to retrofit.

ELEONORA schrieb:
What about the drill holes in the shelf – are they standardized so that you can easily insert additional shelves?

The drill holes in most BILLY models are factory-prepared at the usual shelf heights. That means you can simply insert a new board along with the small metal supports, and you’re done. No drilling needed – IKEA has planned this smartly 🙂

If you know the exact size of your shelf, you should have no problem. Good luck!

Hello ELEONORA,

to go into more detail regarding the technical aspects:

The drill holes on the side panels of BILLY shelves are standardized, usually spaced 3.2 cm (1.25 inches) apart. This allows flexibility to place the shelves at different heights. Factory-prepared holes are also standard in the new shelves.

If you have assembled your shelf from older parts or intentionally skipped some holes, it is certainly possible to drill these holes yourself afterward. I recommend the following procedure:

1. Use a 5 mm (0.2 inch) drill bit to create clean and properly sized holes for the metal shelf supports.
2. Precisely mark the drill holes according to the existing grid, ideally using a drilling template ruler or the original shelf part.
3. Drill slowly to avoid splintering – shelf supports require a stable surface.

The stability of the shelf is not compromised as long as the holes are drilled cleanly and the supports are correctly installed. Additionally, make sure that the extra shelves are not overloaded to keep the weight within the specified limits.

If you could provide more details about your BILLY version (dimensions, year of manufacture, model), I could assist you more precisely.

TEBILO schrieb:
The drill holes on the side panels of the BILLY shelves are standardized, usually spaced 3.2 cm (1.25 inches) apart.

Thank you for the detailed explanation, that sounds quite good. My shelf has the standard width of 80 cm (31.5 inches) and a height of 202 cm (79.5 inches), so a taller model.

PERON schrieb:
In most BILLY models, the drill holes are already factory-prepared at the usual floor clearance heights.

Until now, I have always been perfectly happy using only the originally supplied shelves. But now I would like to add an extra shelf on one level to have more smaller compartments. Would it be possible to simply place this on existing supports without drilling, if I buy the matching shelves? Or are the supports always fixed only at the pre-drilled holes, making intermediate placement impossible?

Thanks for your help!

For retrofitting:
If the shelf already has the holes, you only need the suitable shelf boards and the small metal brackets. Just place the shelf board on, and you’re done. No drilling required.

If there are no holes, you will need to drill. There is no other option.

I think the whole hype around drilling into BILLY shelves is a bit overblown. Of course, if you’re not confident, you can simply use the standard shelves and place them in the pre-drilled holes. But honestly – a sturdy shelf will hold up even if you do some DIY work yourself, as long as you drill carefully and straight.

ELEONORA schrieb:
Would it be possible to simply place this on the existing brackets without drilling?

The brackets without drilling are strictly limited to the existing holes. If you want to improvise here or position the shelves differently, you should either reinforce the shelf or opt for a more flexible system from the start. BILLY is deliberately not as flexible as some other shelving units – you get what you get. 😉 So it’s better to work with the existing holes.