14 steps · 11 panels · 82 pieces of hardware
IKEA BILLY bookcase 80×28×202 cm: interactive 3D assembly guide
Every step of IKEA's BILLY 80×28×202 manual, built in 3D. Press play to watch a step, drag to look around, or switch to Drawing to see it in the manual's black-line style.
What is in the box
Two sides, a top, a bottom, a fixed middle shelf, a plinth, four loose shelves and a back panel folded in three. The hardware bag holds 16 dowels, 12 cam bolts, 12 cam locks, 18 nails, 16 shelf supports, 2 wall brackets, 2 screws and 4 washers.
- Build it with two people: it is over 2 metres tall.
- Work on a rug or the flattened carton, so the panels do not get scratched.
All 14 steps
- 1Push in the dowels
Push a dowel (101351) by hand into each hole in the ends of the plinth, the bottom, the fixed shelf and the top: 2 in each end, 16 in all.
- 2Screw the cam bolts into the sides
Lay both sides flat, holes up. With a cross-head screwdriver, screw 12 cam bolts (118331) into the holes at the bottom, the middle and the top of the sides: 6 in each side.
- 3Fit the plinth, bottom and fixed shelf
Push the plinth, the bottom and the fixed shelf, dowels first, onto one side, so the cam bolts go into the holes in their ends. The bare edge of each panel goes to the back, on the same edge as the curved cut at the foot of the side.
- 4Lock the bottom and the fixed shelf
Put a cam lock (119081) into each of the 4 round holes next to the side, its arrow pointing at the cam bolt, and turn it clockwise with a flat screwdriver until it grips the bolt and pulls the joint tight.
- 5Fit the top common mistake
Push the top onto the side, dowels first, with its 4 round holes facing in, towards the shelves. Lock it to the side with 2 cam locks, turned with the flat screwdriver. Common mistake: The top has 4 round holes in one face, for the cam locks. That face goes in, towards the shelves, as the manual shows. Turned over, the top still fits its dowels, but the cam locks would go in from outside, where they show, and its bare back edge ends up at the front.
- 6Add the second side
Turn the second side over and lay it on top, holes down, so its cam bolts go into the holes in the ends of the panels and its holes onto the dowels. Press it down evenly along its length.
- 7Lock the second side
Put a cam lock into each of the 6 round holes next to the second side, arrow towards the cam bolt, and turn each clockwise with the flat screwdriver until it is tight.
- 8Mark where the fixed shelf is
With two people, turn the bookcase over onto its front. On the back edge of each side, mark with a pencil where the middle of the fixed shelf is.
- 9Put on the back panel
Unfold the back panel, which comes folded in three. Lay it on the back of the bookcase at the bottom end and slide it up into place, until it covers the back from the bottom to the top.
- 10Draw the line for the nails
Lay a ruler across the back panel from one pencil mark to the other, and draw a line along it. It shows where the fixed shelf is under the panel.
- 11Nail on the back panel
Hammer 18 nails (101201) through the back panel: 6 along the bottom, 6 along the line and 6 along the top. Keep the long edges of the panel in line with the sides, so the bookcase stays square.
- 12Stand it up and fix it to the wall common mistake
With two people, stand the bookcase up. Screw a wall bracket (106989) onto the top at each back corner, with a washer (100823) and a screw (109041) through the slot. Move the bookcase against the wall and screw each bracket to the wall through its upright slot, with a washer and a screw and plug that suit your wall (not in the box). Common mistake: A bookcase over 2 metres tall and only 28 cm deep tips forward easily: pulled at the top, or climbed on by a child, it falls. That is why IKEA says it must be fixed to the wall: screw both brackets to the wall, with screws and plugs that suit your wall.
- 13Push in the shelf supports
Push 16 shelf supports (131372) by hand into the holes in the sides, 4 for each shelf: one in the front row and one in the back row of each side, all at the same height.
- 14Put in the shelves
Slide each of the 4 shelves in from the front and lay it on its 4 supports. Done.
Parts and hardware checklist
| 2× | Side | about 202×27.7×1.5 cm |
| 1× | Plinth | about 77×10×1.5 cm |
| 1× | Bottom | about 77×27.7×1.5 cm |
| 1× | Fixed shelf | about 77×27.7×1.5 cm |
| 1× | Top | about 77×27.7×1.5 cm |
| 1× | Back panel | about 191.9×79×0.3 cm |
| 4× | Shelf | about 76×26×2 cm |
| 16× | Dowel | #101351 · 8 × 35 mm |
| 12× | Cam bolt | #118331 · 41 mm long |
| 12× | Cam lock | #119081 · 15 mm across |
| 18× | Nail | #101201 · 20 × 1.9 mm, 5.7 mm head |
| 16× | Shelf support | #131372 · 3.5 mm pin, 9.2 mm head |
| 2× | Wall bracket | #106989 |
| 2× | Screw | #109041 |
| 4× | Washer | #100823 |
Tools you need
- Hammer · Taps the 18 nails through the back panel into the bottom, the fixed shelf and the top.
- Cross-head screwdriver · Screws the 12 cam bolts into the sides, and the 2 screws that hold the wall brackets on the top.
- Flat screwdriver · Turns the 12 cam locks, then drives the 2 wall screws.
- Pencil · Marks where the fixed shelf is on the sides, then draws the line across the back panel.
- Ruler · Laid across the back panel from mark to mark, to draw the line the middle row of nails follows.
Not in the box: 2 wall screws and 2 wall plugs that suit your wall.
Questions
How many cam locks does the BILLY 80×28×202 use?
Twelve cam locks, part 119081, and twelve cam bolts, part 118331. The bolts screw into the sides; the locks go into the top, the bottom and the fixed shelf and turn onto the bolts’ heads.
Which way round do the panels go?
The bare edge of the top, the bottom and the fixed shelf goes to the back, on the same edge as the curved cut at the foot of each side. The top’s round holes face in, towards the shelves.
Why is the back panel folded?
It comes folded in three along its length so that it fits in the box. Unfold it flat, lay it on at the bottom end and slide it up into place.
Do I have to fix BILLY to the wall?
Yes. IKEA says it must be fixed to the wall with the two brackets in the box, so it cannot tip over. The wall screws and plugs are not included: use ones that suit your wall.
What tools do I need?
A flat screwdriver, a cross-head screwdriver, a pencil, a hammer and a ruler, as the manual shows.
Safety
Furniture that tips over can cause serious or fatal crushing injuries. IKEA says this bookcase must be fixed to the wall with the brackets in the box. Wall screws and plugs are not included: use ones that suit your wall, and ask a professional if you are not sure.
About this guide
The steps, the part numbers, the counts and the order come from IKEA's assembly manual AA-1823127-9 (2024-03-25). The outer size, 80 × 28 × 202 cm, is IKEA's published size. Panel thicknesses, hole positions, the shelf heights and the brackets are read off the drawings, so they are close, not measured. The 3D runs faster than real hands do.
Each shelf holds up to 30 kg, according to IKEA.
The manufacturer's instructions are on IKEA's product page (PDF). If something here differs from the manual in your box, follow the manual.
The 3D models, drawings and text are our own. IKEA and BILLY are named only to say which product this guide is for.