Heavy Duty Shelves

Each shelf in this collection is a solid board an inch and a half thick on a steel bracket that screws into your studs, and the thick floating shelves hold roughly 45 to 50 pounds per stud, so the longer the shelf, the more studs it spans and the more it carries. The deep shelf on L brackets is rated at about 100 pounds per bracket. Every product page lists its own rating; the only thing that undercuts it is mounting into drywall when a stud was reachable.

Heavy duty wall shelves earn their place wherever the load is real. Over a kitchen counter, the 72 and 84 inch shelves take stacked plates and jars. Over a sofa or a desk, the 60 inch is what we ship most, for a row of hardcovers or a speaker and a cable box on a shelf with a grommet hole. The 30 and 48 inch cuts fit a bathroom or entry wall. In an office, binders and reference books, which weigh more than people expect.

The board and the brackets. Our thin floating shelves are 7/8 of an inch thick, run up to 36 inches long and 8 deep, and ride smaller hidden brackets rated for roughly 30 to 60 pounds on drywall anchors. The thick shelves here are an inch and a half, run to 84 inches long and up to 16 deep, and ride a heavy duty steel bracket in the studs at roughly 45 to 50 pounds per stud. If what you are shelving is paperbacks, plants, and frames, the thin shelf is the better looking answer. If it is dishware or a full row of books, this is the collection.

The hidden bracket is meant for studs, and that is where the rating comes from; drywall anchors add capacity between studs rather than replacing them. The J and L bracket shelves can mount on anchors alone at about 30 to 60 pounds per bracket, which is enough for display but not for a loaded bookshelf. For anything heavy, find the studs first.

Find the studs with a stud finder, mark a level line, and screw the bracket into the studs; the shelf then slides onto it. The J and L bracket shelves bolt through the board instead, with the lag bolts included. You need a drill, a level, and a stud finder; printed instructions come in the box with every shelf.

Yes, and it applies on the product page as you raise the quantity: 12% off for 6 to 8 shelves, 14% for 9 to 11, and 16% for 12 or more. Designers, contractors, and retailers can apply to the trade program for 12% to 50% off volume orders. Any order can be picked up at our Brooklyn woodshop instead of shipped; choose pickup at checkout.