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In this guide
IKEA UK lists the white LACK side table, article 304.499.08, at £10 with a maximum load of 10 kg on the top. Two numbers describe the whole product: the load and the 3.59 kg package weight. The difference between them is the paper honeycomb inside the top, which IKEA's materials list gives as a 100% recycled paper filling inside a particleboard frame.
The 55 cm square top stands 45 cm high, and the listing pairs it with a 35 cm LACK at £6 that slides underneath as a nesting table. The pages checked give a materials breakdown by part, a three-line care sheet and a package size of 75 by 55 by 5 cm. Those figures cover the load, the construction, the sizes and the upkeep.
Our verdict
Worth £10 as a lamp stand, a plant perch or a bedside surface that sees no more than 10 kg; not worth it as a base for a printer, a small TV or anything that vibrates.
- A good fit for
- A renter or a first flat that needs a light, square end table in white or black-brown, moved often, wiped with a damp cloth and loaded with a lamp and a mug.
- We would skip it if
- The top will carry more than 10 kg, the table will hold a machine that moves, or you want feet, floor protectors or a finish that survives a knock at the corners.
Reasons to consider it
- Published 10 kg maximum load on the top, a figure most tables at this price omit
- Honeycomb paper core keeps the whole package at 3.59 kg, so it moves with one hand
- Slides under the 35 cm LACK at £6 for a two-table set at £16
The compromises
- Particleboard, fibreboard and paper foil throughout; no solid wood, no veneer, no replaceable parts
- The care sheet asks the owner to recheck and retighten the leg fastenings on a schedule
- A customer review on IKEA UK's listing describes dents, uneven surfaces and paint coming off on arrival, which the reviewer put down to handling in transit
What we have not verified: IKEA prints no test method behind the 10 kg figure and never states whether it is a static load or a margin, so the number is a manufacturer limit rather than a measured one. The damaged-on-arrival report comes from a customer review on the listing, not from an inspection. The £10 price and the stock status were read from ikea.com/gb on 2026-10-16.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
LACK Side Table
For £10 the white LACK gives a 55 cm square surface, a published load figure and a package light enough to carry under one arm.
Before you buy: Paper-cored particleboard with plastic edging and no feet; the fastenings need periodic retightening and the top cannot be repaired once the edge is crushed.
Price checked 16 October 2026. Retailer prices can change.Ten kilos on top, and how to read it
The measurements table prints "Max. load 10 kg" and the Good to know text repeats it: "Max load on table top: 10 kg." The number is the same on the 35 cm version, which weighs 1.96 kg boxed, so the limit tracks the construction and not the size. A table lamp, a stack of magazines and a full mug sit comfortably under it; a desktop laser printer, a countertop microwave or a person sitting on the edge do not.
Because the top is a hollow honeycomb panel, the limit is best treated as a distributed figure across the 55 cm square, with point loads at the centre being the case to avoid. IKEA is silent on whether 10 kg is a static rating or a safety margin, and no test method is cited on the listing. Nothing on the UK page addresses vibration either, so a machine that shakes is outside what the figure promises.
What the honeycomb is and what surrounds it
The materials list for the top reads: particleboard, honeycomb structure paper filling (100% recycled), fibreboard, acrylic paint, plastic edging. The legs are particleboard and fibreboard under paper foil, and the panel layer is particleboard with acrylic paint, melamine foil, clear acrylic lacquer and plastic edging.
The practical consequences follow from that stack. A screw driven into the underside finds paper within a few millimetres, so reinforcing the table for anything heavy has little to bite into. The plastic edging protects the corners from everyday knocks, but a crushed edge exposes the core and has no repair path. The black-brown version under article 801.042.68 shares the same £10 price, size and load limit.
Two sizes, one footprint decision
The full-size table is 55 cm long, 55 cm across and 45 cm high, so the top is a true square. The flat-pack measures 75 by 55 by 5 cm and weighs 3.59 kg, so it fits across a back seat and can be carried up stairs without help.
The 35 cm cube version, article 305.147.91, costs £6, stands 35 cm high and slides under the larger table according to IKEA's own copy. Together they come to £16 for two surfaces that nest into one footprint, which is the arrangement the listing suggests for a small living room. Neither table has a shelf, a drawer or a cable notch; the design is four legs and a slab, and buyers who need storage should look at a different series.
Three lines of care, one of them a maintenance schedule
The care section gives three instructions: wipe clean with a damp cloth, wipe dry with a clean cloth, and check regularly that all assembly fastenings are properly tightened and retighten when necessary. The third line matters more than it looks. The four legs connect to the top, and a table that gets dragged across carpet or picked up by one leg works those joints loose over time.
The finish is acrylic paint over foil on the white version, so the damp-cloth rule is a limit as well as a method: no abrasives, no soaking, and a coaster habit for anything that sweats. The listing mentions no feet or floor protectors, so a hard floor will want stick-on pads bought separately.
On paper protection, IKEA UK's guarantee page does not mention the LACK, so the safety net is the returns window: 365 days for unopened products with a full refund, and 365 days for tested or assembled ones with a receipt, refunded to a refund card. Items considered used, with modifications or cosmetic imperfections, are not eligible.
When to skip it
Skip the LACK if the load will approach or pass 10 kg, if the table will carry a machine that moves or vibrates, or if a child will treat it as a step stool; a paper core under painted particleboard has no reserve beyond the number IKEA printed. Skip it, too, when the corners will take regular hits from a vacuum or a wheelchair, because the plastic edging is the only barrier between the finish and the honeycomb.
The case for buying is narrow and honest at £10: a square, white, 45 cm high surface that weighs under 4 kg boxed, matches a £6 nesting partner and asks only for a damp cloth and an occasional turn of the leg fasteners. For a lamp beside a sofa or a plant by a window, that is the whole job, and the price leaves room for the floor pads the listing does not include.
How we put this together
Built from the product pages and listings below, without test scores or results we have not measured. Specifications and prices change, so check the original page for the exact model, current price, delivery, and returns.
- IKEA UK: LACK side table, white, 55x55 cm (304.499.08) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA UK: LACK side table, white, 35x35 cm (305.147.91) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA UK: LACK side table, black-brown, 55x55 cm (801.042.68) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA UK: Return policy (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA UK: Guarantees (opens in a new tab)
