IKEA HEMNES chest of 3 drawers, white stain, 108×96 cm: interactive 3D assembly guide

All 38 steps

1. 1Screw the cam bolts into the legs

   Lay the four legs on a rug, L1 and L2 for the left side and R1 and R2 for the right. With a cross-head screwdriver, screw 3 cam bolts (118331) into the holes on the face of each leg that meets the side panel: 12 in all, not too deep, as the box on the page shows.

2. 2Lay the side panels between the legs

   Push 2 dowels (101350, the long ones) into the same face of each leg. Lay each side panel between its two legs, onto the dowels and the cam bolts.

3. 3Lock the side panels

   Put a cam lock (110630) into each of the 6 round holes inside each side panel, arrow to the bolt, and turn it clockwise with a flat screwdriver until the joint is tight.

4. 4Press the feet into the legs

   Press a foot (191064) into the hole in the bottom end of each leg.

5. 5Push the small dowels into the inner panels

   Lay the two thin inner panels flat and push 4 small dowels (101343) into each. Not the long dowels: the box on the page shows which is which.

6. 6Lay the inner panels on the side panels

   Turn the inner panels over and lay each on the inside of a side panel, its dowels into the small holes.

7. 7Screw the runners to the left frame

   Lay a runner (156500, marked L) across the left frame from leg to leg, its wheel at the front, and fix it with a screw (100349) into each leg. Three runners, one under each drawer.

8. 8Screw the runners to the right frame

   Do the same on the right frame with the three runners marked R, their wheels at the front.

9. 9Screw in the cam bolts for the rails

   Screw 5 cam bolts (118331) into the inside of each frame: 4 along the front leg for the front rails and 1 into the back leg for the back rail.

10. 10Stand the front rails on the right frame common mistake

    Push a dowel (101350) into one end of each of the four front rails. Stand them on the right frame’s front leg, each over its cam bolt: the foot rail at the bottom end, the two thin rails between the drawers, and the deep top rail at the top end, under where the top will go. Common mistake: The four front rails look alike, but the top one is nearly twice as deep as the two between the drawers. Stood in the wrong places, the openings for the drawers come out the wrong sizes: the top drawer gap is too tall, the one below too short, and the drawers will not fit or close evenly. The deep rail goes at the top end, under the top, as the manual’s pointing hand shows.

11. 11Lock the front rails

    Put a cam lock (110630) into the round hole near the bottom of each rail, arrow to the bolt, and turn it clockwise until it is tight.

12. 12Stand the back rail on the right frame

    Push a dowel into one end of the back rail and stand it on the right frame’s back leg, over its cam bolt.

13. 13Lock the back rail

    Put a cam lock into the round hole near its bottom, arrow to the bolt, and turn it clockwise until it is tight.

14. 14Lay the left frame on top

    Push a dowel into the free end of each rail. With two people, turn the left frame over and lay it on top, so the rails’ ends go onto its cam bolts and its holes onto the dowels.

15. 15Lock the rails to the left frame

    Put a cam lock into the round hole near the top of each rail, arrow to the bolt, and turn each clockwise until it is tight.

16. 16Screw the cam bolts into the top

    Lay the top upside down on the rug and screw 6 cam bolts (118331) into the holes along its ends, three at each end.

17. 17Stand it up and lay on the top

    With two people, stand the frame up. Push 6 dowels (101350) into the tops of the sides, then lay the top on so its cam bolts and the dowels go into their holes.

18. 18Screw the top down through the top rail

    Drive 4 long screws (100214) up through the top rail into the top with the hex key (100001).

19. 19Lock the top

    Put a cam lock into each of the 6 round holes just under the top, inside the side panels, arrow to the bolt, and turn each clockwise until it is tight.

20. 20Lay it down and put on the first back half

    With two people, lay the chest on its front on something soft. Lay one half of the back panel on, push it into its top corner and hammer in a nail (101221) there.

21. 21Put on the second back half

    Lay the other half beside it, push it into its top corner and hammer in a nail there.

22. 22Nail on the back panel

    Hammer in 16 more nails: along the top, down the legs and along the back rail.

23. 23Stand it against the wall and mark the wall

    With two people, stand the chest up and set it against the wall where it will stay. Draw a line on the wall level with the top of the chest, in the middle.

24. 24Mark and drill the hole

    Move the chest away. Mark a cross 4 cm below the line and drill a hole there: in a solid wall 8 mm across and 70 mm deep. The plug and screw in the box suit most walls; in solid wood use the screw without the plug.

25. 25Tap in the wall plug

    Tap the wall plug (121714) into the hole with a hammer until its collar is flush with the wall. In solid wood, leave the plug out: the screw goes straight into the wood.

26. 26Screw the strap to the wall

    Hold one end of the wall strap (107967) over the plug and drive the wall screw (109048), with a washer (100823) under its head, through the strap into the plug.

27. 27Push it back against the wall

    Move the chest back against the wall, the strap coming in through the notch at the top of the back panel.

28. 28Screw the strap under the top

    Reach in through the top drawer’s opening and screw the strap’s free end under the top with a screw (109049) and a washer.

29. 29Drawers: push the dowels into the sides

    Now the three drawers, one step at a time for all three, as the drawers’ booklet shows: two of the same size and a deeper one for the bottom. Lay the drawer sides flat and push 2 dowels (101345) into the front end of each.

30. 30Drawers: screw the cam bolts into the fronts

    Lay each drawer front face down and screw 4 cam bolts (123492) into the holes in its back.

31. 31Drawers: stand the sides on the fronts

    Stand the sides on the fronts, over the cam bolts, their grooves facing in. The top drawer’s left side has the warning label inside.

32. 32Drawers: lock the sides

    Put a cam lock (110630) into each of the 4 round holes inside the sides of each drawer, arrow to the bolt, and turn it clockwise until it is tight.

33. 33Drawers: slide in the bottoms

    Slide a bottom into the grooves of each drawer, white side in, until it reaches the front.

34. 34Drawers: put on the backs

    Lay a back on each drawer, between the sides and over the bottom, and hammer plastic fasteners (110519) through the sides into it: 3 at each corner of the deep drawer, 2 at each corner of the others.

35. 35Drawers: fit the supports

    Turn each drawer upside down. Drive a screw (105344) into the back of the front, under the bottom, leaving its head out. Hook a drawer support (131294) over it and fix its other end to the back with another screw.

36. 36Drawers: screw on the runners

    Push a runner (156500) onto the bottom edge of each side, its wheel at the back, and fix it with 2 screws (100347) through its flange into the side.

37. 37Drawers: fit the knobs

    Turn each drawer the right way up. Hold a knob (117615) on the face of the front over its hole and screw a bolt (100413) into it from inside: two knobs to each drawer.

38. 38Put the drawers in common mistake

    Set each drawer’s wheels into the runners in the frame, front tilted up, and push it in: the deep drawer at the bottom first. Done. Common mistake: A chest of drawers that is not fixed to the wall tips forward easily: with two drawers pulled out and a child climbing on them, or something heavy in them, it falls. That is why IKEA puts the strap in the box and the label in the top drawer: screw it to the wall with the plug and screw that suit your wall.

Parts and hardware checklist

Tools you need

• Hammer · Taps in the back panel’s 18 nails, the wall plug and the drawers’ 14 plastic fasteners.
• Cross-head screwdriver · Screws in the cam bolts, the runners’ screws, the wall screw, the strap’s screw and the drawers’ supports, runners and knobs.
• Flat screwdriver · Turns the 41 cam locks.
• Hex key · In the box (100001): drives the four long screws up through the top rail into the top.
• Pencil · Marks the wall: a line level with the top, then a cross 4 cm below it.
• Drill · Not in the box. Drills the hole in the wall for the plug: 8 mm across and 70 mm deep in a solid wall.

Questions

Safety

Furniture that tips over can cause serious or fatal crushing injuries. IKEA says this chest of drawers must be fixed to the wall with the strap in the box. Use a plug and screw that suit your wall, and ask a professional if you are not sure. Never let children climb on the drawers.

About this guide

The steps, the part numbers, the counts and the order come from IKEA's assembly manuals AA-2129457-9 (2025-12-04) and, for the drawers, AA-1974620-4 (2018-11-30). The outer size, 108 × 50 × 96 cm, is IKEA's published size. The overall size, the gaps between the legs and the drawers’ insides are IKEA’s; the legs, rails and panels’ thicknesses and the hole positions are read off the manual’s drawings, so they are close, not measured. The 3D runs faster than real hands do.

IKEA gives the drawers as 85 × 43 cm inside, 16 and 20 cm high, pulling out 29.4 cm: 190 litres in all.

The manufacturer's instructions are on IKEA's product page (PDF, drawers 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 HEMNES are named only to say which product this guide is for.