ᐅ KALLAX and Large Printers – Is That Durable in the Long Run?

I find this topic really fascinating! I have a medium-sized printer on a KALLAX myself and haven’t had any issues so far. As already mentioned, it’s important to consider load distribution and whether the shelving unit is properly secured 🙂

Also, I love how versatile the KALLAX is when used cleverly. With a little modification, you almost have a piece of furniture that does it all – brilliant!

KALLAX is not designed to support heavy loads. I would recommend placing a maximum of 10-12 kg (22-26 lbs) on it; otherwise, you might experience sagging or even cracks.

It is best to use wooden runners or a sturdy plywood board to distribute the load across multiple compartments. This significantly reduces the strain on the piece of furniture.

I agree with @GUSTAVO56 and @Gilbert. Anyone referring to the 13 kg per compartment should understand why that is the case. At much higher loads, abrasion and mechanical durability are significantly reduced.

It is also important to consider how long the printer operates each day. Continuous vibrations could affect the lifespan of the shelf more than static weight alone.

Thanks for the initial assessments!

My printer is positioned in the center of a single shelf. Vibrations are quite low since it is an inkjet printer, not a laser machine with a lot of moving parts.

The printer weighs exactly 22 kg (49 lbs), and I have been considering whether adding a plywood board as a base would be a good idea – it sounds like a solid solution.

Could someone explain in more detail how to best distribute the load using such a board? Would that then affect multiple shelves?

And one more question: Are there any experiences regarding how quickly or within what time frame sagging can occur? My shelving unit is only three months old.

Jerefi schrieb:
Can someone explain in more detail how to best distribute the load using such a board? Would it affect multiple compartments?

Certainly! If you place a plywood board (for example, 18 mm (0.7 inches) thick) on the KALLAX unit, you can distribute the weight of the printer more effectively due to the rigidity of the board. The key concept here is surface load, not point load!

Instead of concentrating the weight on a single shelf panel, the plywood spreads the forces across multiple supports/compartments.

To ensure this works properly:
1. The board should cover at least the area of two KALLAX compartments (width and depth).
2. The board should be flush with or evenly spaced from the edges to avoid lever effects.
3. Ideally, you can place thin rubber pads under the board to prevent the printer from pressing directly on the wood and to avoid slipping.

Regarding sagging: with constant one-sided load, visible deformations can appear after 6 to 12 months, depending on the load, material quality, and humidity.

Usually, the first sign is slight bending, which may later develop into surface cracking.