Head to head
IKEA HEMNES shoe cabinet alternatives
HEMNES set the depths this whole category is measured against, and IKEA has flagged the line as ending. Here is what matches 22 cm and 30 cm now, and where honestly nothing does.
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What are the HEMNES dimensions, exactly?
The four-compartment HEMNES shoe cabinet is 107 x 22 x 101 cm (42.1 x 8.7 x 39.8 in). The two-compartment version is 89 x 30 x 127 cm (35 x 11.8 x 50 in). The HEMNES bench with shoe storage is 33.5 x 12.625 x 25.625 in. IKEA has marked the cabinet line last-chance-to-buy.
Those two depths — 22 cm and 30 cm — are why HEMNES comes up in so many searches. The 30 cm figure has become the benchmark people quote for what a shoe cabinet depth ought to be, and 22 cm is shallower than anything sold on Amazon in this category.
Matching 30 cm is easy
Thirty centimeters is 11.8 inches, and it is the depth where an average adult shoe stops needing to tilt. Several Amazon cabinets sit there exactly, including a 31.5-inch-wide three-flip-drawer model with a 44 lb top rating — a figure IKEA does not publish for HEMNES at all.
The trade is honest in both directions. HEMNES is solid pine with a real furniture finish and two large compartments that take boots. The Amazon alternative is engineered board with three flip drawers that hold more pairs but no boots, and it publishes a load rating. Which is better depends on whether you want the piece to look like furniture or to hold shoes.
Matching 22 cm is not possible
This is the useful, slightly unwelcome finding. Twenty-two centimeters is 8.7 inches, and the shallowest shoe cabinet sold on Amazon in this category is 9.4 inches (24 cm). That is a difference of 0.7 inches, which sounds trivial and is not if 22 cm was what your corridor allowed.
Nothing we found matches it. If 24 cm genuinely will not fit, the options are the HEMNES four-compartment while stock lasts, a wall-mounted shoe rack that projects less, or accepting shoes on an open rail. We would rather say that than point you at a 24 cm cabinet and let you discover the difference on delivery.
The IKEA hack question
A large share of people searching for HEMNES modifications are not doing woodwork for its own sake — they are trying to hit a dimension no stock unit offers, usually a depth or a width that suits an awkward alcove.
If that is you, it is worth checking the current Amazon range first, because the flip-drawer format did not exist in its current form when most HEMNES hacks were written and it solves the shallow-depth problem differently. A 9.4-inch cabinet with three adjustable shelf heights covers a lot of the ground that used to require cutting a HEMNES down.
The picks in full
Every pick, with the numbers behind it
Top pick
The shallowest published cabinet anywhereIKEA HEMNES Shoe Cabinet with 4 Compartments
Twenty-two centimeters deep — 8.7 inches — which is shallower than anything sold on Amazon in this category.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 42.1 in (107 cm)
- Depth
- 8.7 in (22 cm)
- Height
- 39.8 in (101 cm)
- Depth band
- Ultra-slim
Footprint 42.1 x 8.7 x 39.8 in (107 x 22 x 101 cm). Tilted or on-edge storage only.
Full specification
Source: Published 107 x 22 x 101 cm, HEMNES shoe cabinet with 4 compartments (ikea.com product page).
What the specs support
- 22 cm (8.7 in) is the shallowest published cabinet depth we found anywhere
- 107 cm of width across four compartments
- 101 cm (39.8 in) high is a natural console height
- The reference point for anyone searching a metric depth
Limitations
- At 22 cm every shoe stores on edge — no adult shoe lies flat
- No published load rating
- Not on Amazon, and not a program we have joined
Skip this if
Anyone in the house wears a men's 11 or above. At 22 cm the drawer front will not close on a large shoe stored carelessly.
Who it is forA corridor so narrow that 24 cm is too much — the case where nothing on Amazon is shallow enough.
Pick 2
A low console under a mirrorVASAGLE Shoe Cabinet with 4 Flip Doors (ULBC035)
Low, wide and 9.4 in deep with a 121 lb top — the only slim cabinet here strong enough to be furniture as well as storage.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 41.5 in (105 cm)
- Depth
- 9.4 in (24 cm)
- Height
- 32.6 in (83 cm)
- Depth band
- Ultra-slim
Footprint 41.5 x 9.4 x 32.6 in (105 x 24 x 83 cm). Tilted or on-edge storage only.
Full specification
Source: Published 9.4 D x 41.5 W x 32.6 H in, 16-28 pairs, 121 lb top / 13 lb per flip drawer, VASAGLE ULBC035B01 listing.
What the specs support
- 121 lb top rating is five times the slim cabinet — a genuine console surface
- 32.6 in (83 cm) high leaves wall clear for a mirror or hooks above
- 9.4 in (24 cm) deep despite 28 pairs of stated capacity
- Low and wide is far more stable than tall and narrow
Limitations
- 41.5 in (105 cm) needs a long wall
- Shoes sit on edge at this depth, which is hard on soft leather
- 13 lb per flip door
Skip this if
Wall length is your constraint rather than depth. There are 23 in wide cabinets here that hold nearly as many pairs.
Who it is forA hallway with a long uninterrupted wall, where the cabinet doubles as the console table under the mirror.
Pick 3
The metric benchmarkIKEA HEMNES Shoe Cabinet with 2 Compartments
The 30 cm depth that half the internet quotes as standard, in the product that made it standard.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 35 in (89 cm)
- Depth
- 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Height
- 50 in (127 cm)
- Depth band
- Slim
Footprint 35 x 11.8 x 50 in (89 x 30 x 127 cm). Most shoes flat, larger sizes at an angle.
Full specification
Source: Published 89 x 30 x 127 cm, HEMNES shoe cabinet with 2 compartments (ikea.com product page).
What the specs support
- 30 cm is the depth the whole category is measured against
- 127 cm (50 in) tall gives a lot of pairs from 89 cm of wall
- Two large compartments rather than many small ones, so boots fit
- IKEA publishes to the centimeter and keeps the figures online
Limitations
- IKEA has marked this line last-chance-to-buy, so availability is ending
- No published load rating
- Not on Amazon, and not a program we have joined
Skip this if
You need to buy it next year. IKEA has flagged the HEMNES shoe cabinet line as discontinuing.
Who it is forAnyone using HEMNES as the yardstick — which, given how often it is quoted, is most people measuring a hallway.
Pick 4
A cabinet you can also use as a surfaceVASAGLE Shoe Cabinet, 3 Flip Drawers (31.5 in wide)
Twelve inches deep with a 44 lb top, which is the point where a shoe cabinet stops being only a shoe cabinet.
Key dimensions
- Width
- 31.5 in (80 cm)
- Depth
- 11.8 in (30 cm)
- Height
- 51.2 in (130 cm)
- Depth band
- Slim
Footprint 31.5 x 11.8 x 51.2 in (80 x 30 x 130 cm). Most shoes flat, larger sizes at an angle.
Full specification
Source: Published 11.8 D x 31.5 W x 51.2 H in, 15-24 pairs, 44 lb top / 11 lb per flip drawer, VASAGLE 3-flip-drawer shoe cabinet listing.
What the specs support
- 11.8 in (30 cm) of depth holds most adult shoes closer to flat than the 9.4 in cabinets
- 44 lb top is double the slim version and takes a real console load
- 15-24 pairs from a single 31.5 in run of wall
- Height and width match the standard hall-tree footprint, so the two pair well
Limitations
- 51.2 in (130 cm) is tall enough that a mirror above it will not fit under most ceilings
- 11 lb per drawer, same as the slim cabinet
- No published internal drawer depth
Skip this if
Your hall is under 34 in wide. Twelve inches of cabinet plus a coat on a hook leaves very little corridor.
Who it is forA standard hallway with a full wall available, where the top surface will earn its keep as a drop zone.
Frequently asked
Questions people actually ask
What are the IKEA HEMNES shoe cabinet dimensions?
The four-compartment model is 107 x 22 x 101 cm (42.1 x 8.7 x 39.8 in). The two-compartment model is 89 x 30 x 127 cm (35 x 11.8 x 50 in).
Is the IKEA HEMNES shoe cabinet being discontinued?
IKEA has flagged the line as last-chance-to-buy, so availability is ending. That is the reason this comparison exists.
What is the closest alternative to a HEMNES shoe cabinet?
At 30 cm depth, several Amazon cabinets match exactly, and some publish a top load rating that IKEA does not. At 22 cm, nothing matches — the Amazon floor is 24 cm.
Is there a 22 cm deep shoe cabinet on Amazon?
No. The shallowest we found is 9.4 inches (24 cm). If 22 cm is a hard constraint, the options are HEMNES while stock lasts or a wall-mounted rack.
Does HEMNES publish a weight limit?
No. IKEA publishes detailed dimensions and materials for HEMNES but no load rating, which buyers have asked about publicly. Several Amazon alternatives do publish one.
Sources
Where these figures came from
- IKEA HEMNES shoe cabinet published dimensions — 107 x 22 x 101 cm for four compartments; 89 x 30 x 127 cm for two compartments.
- IKEA HEMNES bench with shoe storage published dimensions — 33 1/2 x 12 5/8 x 25 5/8 in, approximately 7 pairs, solid birch with a powder-coated steel tube. No weight limit published.
- US shoe size to foot length charts — Foot length in inches by US women's and men's size, plus the published conversion formulas (women's = 3L - 21, men's = 3L - 22). Used for every depth calculation on this site.
Read next
Where to go from here
Narrow shoe cabinets
Everything at or under 10 inches deep, including the 22 cm outlier.
Shoe cabinet depth, resolved
Why 30 cm became the benchmark, with the shoe-length arithmetic.
The shoe cabinet roundup
Eight current cabinets ranked on what fits.
Entryway furniture materials
Solid pine against engineered board, honestly.