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Step 32 of 36 · IKEA manual page 6 of the drawers’ booklet

MALM chest of 3 drawers step 32 of 36: Drawers: slide on the backs

Slide a back in between the sides of each drawer, onto the bottom, until it is flush with the ends of the sides.

3× Drawer back

Tools: none, just your hands

All 36 steps

Parts and hardware checklist

2×	Side	about 75.5×45.2×1.6 cm
1×	Plinth	about 80×6.3×1.6 cm
1×	Front rail	about 76.8×3.4×1.6 cm
2×	Front rail	about 76.8×3.6×1.6 cm
1×	Support rail	about 76.8×40×1.6 cm
1×	Bottom	about 76.8×41.4×1.6 cm
1×	Top	about 80.3×47.7×2 cm
1×	Back panel	about 79.4×77×0.3 cm
3×	Drawer front	about 79.6×20.4×1.8 cm
6×	Drawer side	about 44.2×16×1.4 cm
3×	Drawer bottom	about 72.8×44×0.3 cm
3×	Drawer back	about 72×14.6×1.2 cm
26×	Cam bolt	`#118331` · 41 mm long
30×	Dowel	`#101345` · 30 mm long
26×	Cam lock	`#117434` it may be 117434, 119030 or 120076
6×	Screw	`#155669` the bag holds 8: two are spare
2×	Corner bracket	`#10038685`
6×	Glide	`#153548` it may be 153548 or 158568
30×	Nail	`#101221`
2×	Wall bracket	`#106989`
2×	Screw	`#109049`
4×	Washer	`#100823`
2×	Wall plug	`#121714`
2×	Wall screw	`#109048` · 60 mm long
12×	Plastic fastener	`#110519`
6×	Bumper	`#115339`
6×	Drawer runner	`#118790` 118790 on one side, 148601 on the other
18×	Screw	`#100365`
3×	Drawer support	`#123833` · 440 mm long
6×	Screw	`#105344`

Tools you need

Hammer · Taps in the back panel’s 30 nails, the wall plugs and the drawers’ 12 plastic fasteners.
Cross-head screwdriver · Screws in the 26 cam bolts, the brackets’ screws, the wall screws and the drawers’ runners and supports.
Flat screwdriver · Turns the 26 cam locks.
Pencil · Marks the wall through the slots in the wall brackets.
Drill · Not in the box. Drills the two holes in the wall for the plugs: 8 mm across and 70 mm deep in a solid wall.

Questions

Do I have to fix MALM to the wall?

Yes. IKEA puts a wall fixing kit in the box and says the chest must be fixed to the wall: a chest of drawers that is not can tip over onto a child. The plugs and screws suit most solid and hollow walls; in solid wood, use the screws without the plugs.

How many cam locks does the MALM chest of 3 drawers use?

Twenty-six cam locks and twenty-six cam bolts (118331): 14 of each for the frame and 4 for each of the three drawers.

Why is the back panel folded?

It comes folded in two so it fits in the box. Unfold it, lay it on the back, push it into the top left corner and nail that corner first: the first three nails square the chest, so its drawers run straight.

What tools do I need?

A cross-head screwdriver, a flat screwdriver, a hammer, a pencil and a drill with an 8 mm bit for the wall, as the manual shows.

Which way round does the top go?

With its wall brackets at the back. Its cam bolts and dowels fit either way, so check before you lock it.

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 fixing in the box. Use plugs and screws 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-2022888-8 (2025-12-10) and, for the drawers, AA-1971377-2 (2017-08-16). The outer size, 80 × 48 × 78 cm, is IKEA's published size. Board thicknesses, the drawers’ boxes, the rails, the runners and the hole positions are read off IKEA’s dimension drawing and the manual’s drawings, so they are close, not measured. The 3D runs faster than real hands do.

IKEA gives the drawers as 72 × 43 cm inside, pulling out 27 cm, 148 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 MALM are named only to say which product this guide is for.