22 steps · 20 parts · 82 pieces of hardware
IKEA VITTSJÖ shelving unit, black-brown/glass, 100×175 cm: interactive 3D assembly guide
Every step of IKEA's VITTSJÖ shelving unit 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 ladders, eight rails, two middle posts and the top’s frame, all square steel tube; two corner plates; the top and bottom panels; three glass shelves. The bag holds six feet, 36 screws for the frame, 12 for the panels, eight brackets and nine sheets of clear pads. Wall screws are not included: use ones that suit your wall.
- Build it on a rug or the flattened carton: the frame lies on its side until the end.
- Handle the glass shelves with care: a knock on an edge can break tempered glass.
All 22 steps
- 1Screw the feet into the left ladder
Lay one ladder flat on the floor. Screw a foot (122158) by hand into the end of each of its posts.
- 2Stand the first two rails on the ladder
Stand two rails on the lugs at the ladder’s feet end, one on each post. Turn each so its hook points the way the manual’s pointing hand shows.
- 3Screw the first rails on
Fix each rail to its lug with a screw (116654).
- 4Stand the next rail on
Stand a rail on the next lug, its hook the right way, as the manual shows.
- 5Stand on its partner and screw it
Stand the other rail on at the same level and fix the first one with a screw.
- 6Stand the other rails on and screw them
Stand the last four rails on their lugs, the hooks as the pointing hand shows, and fix the five loose rails with a screw each.
- 7Screw the feet into the right ladder
Screw a foot by hand into each post of the second ladder, lying on the floor.
- 8Lay the right ladder on the rails
With two people, lay the second ladder on the rails’ upper ends, its lugs into the rails and its feet at the same end as the first ladder’s.
- 9Screw the rails to the right ladder
Fix the eight rails to the second ladder’s lugs with a screw each.
- 10Screw the feet into the middle posts
Screw a foot by hand into the end of each middle post.
- 11Hook on the front middle post
Hook a middle post onto the four hooks in the middle of the front rails, its foot at the feet end, and push it down onto them.
- 12Fit the bottom front bracket
Screw a bracket (150982, the one with the hole in its lower leg) inside the middle post at the bottom, with a screw (116654).
- 13Fit the other front brackets
Screw a bracket (150985) inside the middle post at each of the three other levels: not 150982.
- 14Hook on the back middle post
Hook the other middle post onto the four hooks in the middle of the back rails and push it down.
- 15Fit the bottom back bracket
Fit a bracket (150982) inside the back middle post at the bottom, with a screw (107615).
- 16Fit the other back brackets
Fit a bracket (150985) inside the back middle post at each of the three other levels.
- 17Screw on the corner plates
Screw a corner plate across each back corner where a side post meets the rail under the lowest glass shelf: three screws (116654) each.
- 18Screw the top panel to its frame
Lay the top panel face down on the rug. Lay the top frame on it, its lugs up, and fix it with six screws (123723) through its tabs.
- 19Push the top onto the posts
Push the top onto the top end of the frame, its lugs over the six posts’ ends, and fix each lug with a screw (116654).
- 20Screw in the bottom panel
Lower the bottom panel in onto the bottom brackets and screw it to the frame from below: six screws (123723) through the tabs and the brackets.
- 21Stand it up and fix it to the wall
With two people, stand the unit up and set it against the wall. Fix it with two screws through the back posts near the top, ones that suit your wall: they are not included. Level it by turning the feet.
- 22Stick on the pads and put in the glass common mistake
Stick six clear pads (123741) where each glass shelf rests: two on each end rung and one on each middle bracket. Slide each glass shelf in from the side and lower it onto its pads. Done. Common mistake: The pads are small and easy to leave on the sheet, but they are what the glass is meant to sit on. Laid straight on the rungs and brackets, tempered glass rests on a few hard points of steel: its edges chip, it rattles and slides when things are put on it, and a chipped edge can make the whole shelf shatter. Stick on all six pads for each shelf before the glass goes in.
Parts and hardware checklist
| 2× | Ladder | about 169.8×32.4×1.8 cm |
| 8× | Rail | about 96.4×1.8×1.8 cm |
| 2× | Middle post | about 169.8×1.8×1.8 cm |
| 2× | Corner plate | about 7.4×6.6×0.1 cm |
| 1× | Top panel | about 100×36×1.9 cm |
| 1× | Top frame | about 100×32.4×1.8 cm |
| 1× | Bottom panel | about 99.2×28.4×1.6 cm |
| 3× | Glass shelf | about 99.2×28.4×0.5 cm |
| 6× | Foot | #122158 it may be 122158 or 143131 |
| 32× | Screw | #116654 it may be 116654 or 10074016; the bag holds 36 |
| 4× | Screw | #107615 it may be 107615 or 107616 |
| 12× | Screw | #123723 it may be 123723 or 124694 |
| 2× | Bracket | #150982 it may be 150982 or 150984 |
| 6× | Bracket | #150985 it may be 150985 or 150987; the manual shows 150982 crossed out beside it |
| 18× | Pad | #123741 it may be 123741 or 107091; nine sheets of two |
| undefined× | Wall screw | #undefined |
Tools you need
- Cross-head screwdriver · Drives every screw: the frame’s joints, the brackets, the corner plates, the panels and the wall screws.
Not in the box: 2 wall screws and plugs that suit your wall.
Questions
Do I have to fix VITTSJÖ to the wall?
Yes. IKEA says it must be fixed to the wall, with screws and plugs that suit your wall: they are not in the box. The manual puts two screws through the back posts near the top.
What are the clear pads for?
The glass shelves rest on them, six to a shelf. Without them the glass sits on the bare steel, where it chips, rattles and slides.
How do the glass shelves go in?
Last of all, with the unit standing at the wall: slide each one in from the side between the rungs and lower it onto its pads.
Which way up do the top and bottom panels go?
Either: IKEA makes them black-brown on one side and black on the other, so you can choose.
How much can a VITTSJÖ glass shelf hold?
IKEA gives 15 kg for each shelf.
Safety
Furniture that tips over can cause serious or fatal crushing injuries. IKEA says this shelving unit must be fixed to the wall. Use screws and plugs 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-545059-16 (2023-05-22). The outer size, 100 × 36 × 175 cm, is IKEA's published size. The overall size is IKEA’s; the tubes, the levels’ heights and the panels’ thicknesses are read off the manual’s drawings, so they are close, not measured. The 3D runs faster than real hands do.
IKEA gives 15 kg for each glass shelf.
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 VITTSJÖ are named only to say which product this guide is for.