Types of shelving units: which suits your room?

The main types of shelving units are freestanding units, bracket shelves, floating shelves, track shelving, modular wall systems, and built-in joinery. They differ in what holds them up, whether you can move the shelves later, and how much the wall has to carry.

We go through each type, compare them side by side, and cover how to choose.

What are the different types of shelving units?

1. Freestanding shelving units and bookcases, which stand on the floor.
2. Bracket shelves, a board on brackets screwed to the wall.
3. Floating shelves, a board on a hidden bracket.
4. Track shelving, where brackets hook into metal uprights on the wall.
5. Modular wall systems, where shelves and cabinets hang from rails or uprights and can be added to later.
6. Built-in joinery, shelving made for one room by a joiner and fixed in place.

Freestanding shelving units and bookcases

A freestanding unit stands on the floor and carries its own weight. It is the simplest to buy and the easiest to take with you when you move.

A freestanding unit bought off the shelf comes in set sizes, so it rarely fills a wall or an alcove exactly. Made-to-measure brands such as Tylko build them to the width and height you choose, down to the centimetre. Tall units also need securing: the US Consumer Product Safety Commission advises anchoring top-heavy furniture with anti-tip brackets, because furniture tip-overs kill and seriously injure children.

Bracket shelves

A bracket shelf is a board resting on two or more brackets screwed to the wall. It is the traditional way to put up a shelf, and the brackets show.

The shelf is fixed at one height. How much it can hold depends on the brackets, the fixings, and the wall.

Floating shelves

A floating shelf sits on what Wickes describes as “a hidden internal bracket”, instead of visible brackets. One floating bracket sold by B&Q is screwed to the wall and the shelf slides onto its arms.

Check what a floating bracket is rated for before you load it with books, because the rating depends on the wall. B&Q’s listing for that bracket gives up to 25 kg when it is fitted correctly to solid brick-type walls, and says the maximum rating is reached only on solid walls or when screwed into the studs of a hollow wall. It says the capacity falls for deeper or longer shelves, and that when the bracket is fitted only to plasterboard in a cavity wall, it is limited to the strength of the plasterboard.

Track shelving

Track shelving uses metal uprights screwed to the wall, with slots up their length. Brackets hook into the slots and the shelves sit on the brackets. To keep a shelf level, you hook its brackets into the same slot on each upright.

You can move a shelf to another slot later, and the metal uprights and brackets stay on show.

Modular wall systems

A modular wall system hangs shelves, and often cabinets and drawers, from rails or uprights fixed to the wall.

Ours works this way: birch plywood rails fix to the wall, and shelves and cabinets hang on steel pins every 100 mm. The space between two rails is a bay, and bays sit side by side across the wall. You can add bays and parts later.

See modular shelving units for the parts, and our Vitsoe alternatives guide for how other modular systems compare.

Built-in joinery

Because built-in shelving is made for one room and fixed in place, a joiner can cut it to follow uneven walls, turn a corner, or run to the ceiling.

It is the most tailored option, priced and timed project by project, usually after a visit and drawings. It also stays with the house when you move. Our guide to made-to-measure shelving and bespoke joinery explains when a joiner is the better choice.

How do the types compare?

The table sets the six types side by side: what holds each one up, whether its shelves move later, how closely it fits the wall, and what it suits best.

How do you choose a type of shelving?

• What will it hold? Large books and records are heavy, while display objects are light. The heavier the load, the more the wall and the fixings matter.
• Will you move it? If you rent or expect to move soon, a freestanding unit makes more sense than joinery.
• What is the wall made of? Solid masonry, plasterboard on studs, and dot-and-dab each need different fixings, and they carry different loads: our own planning guide rates solid masonry for heavy loading, stud and dot-and-dab walls for light to medium loading, and lath and plaster as unsuitable for our system.

Scan for pipes and cables before you drill. If you are unsure what a wall is made of or how much it can carry, get professional advice first.

Our guide to wall-mounted and freestanding shelving goes through the trade-offs between floor-standing and wall-hung.

Where does Mestra fit?

Mestra is a modular wall system in birch plywood. You set each bay to any width from 500 mm to 800 mm in 1 mm steps, so it can fill a wall closely, and shelves move on the pins later.

It hangs on the wall, with no freestanding version, and it goes up to 1800 mm tall. We do not scribe bays to uneven walls, so an alcove leaves small gaps at the sides. Where that matters, joinery is the better route.

Next step

Try a layout in our configurator to see how a modular wall system fits your wall, with the price as you design.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a shelving unit and a shelf?

A shelf is a single board. A shelving unit is a set of shelves in one structure, either standing on the floor or hung on the wall as a system.

Which type of shelving is best for books?

Books are a constant load, and large books and records count as heavy, so pick one that suits the weight: short spans between supports, a stiff board, and fixings matched to the wall. Freestanding bookcases can work, and so can modular wall systems and joinery if the wall suits the load; floating shelves suit light loads better.

Sources

• Anchor It! (US Consumer Product Safety Commission): anchoring top-heavy furniture with anti-tip brackets to prevent tip-overs that kill and seriously injure children.
• How to put up a shelf (Wickes): floating shelves using a hidden internal bracket instead of traditional brackets, and scanning the wall for pipes and wires before drilling.
• Floating shelf bracket 48 x 19.4 x 4 cm (B&Q): shelf slides onto arms on a bracket screwed to the wall; up to 25 kg on solid brick-type walls; maximum rating only on solid walls or into studs; less for deeper or longer shelves; limited to the strength of the plasterboard when fitted only to plasterboard on cavity walls.
• Mestra shelving planning guide: loading by wall type, and lath and plaster as unsuitable for our system.
• How to install your twin slot shelving uprights and brackets (Twin Slot Shelving): uprights fixed to the wall, brackets hooked into the slots, and the same slot on each upright to keep a shelf level.
• TOP 5 bookcases you need at your home! (Tylko Journal): bookcase widths and heights customisable down to the centimetre.