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In this guide
IKEA lists the white LACK side table, article 304.499.08, at $16.99 with a maximum load of 22 lb on the top. Two numbers describe the whole product: the load and the 7 lb 14 oz package weight. The difference between them is the paper honeycomb inside the top, which IKEA describes in its own materials note as a recycled-paper filling inside a particleboard frame that keeps the table light while adding stiffness.
The 21 5/8 inch square top stands 17 3/4 inches high, and the listing pairs it with a 13 3/4 inch LACK at $9.99 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 29 1/2 by 21 3/4 by 2 inches at 7 lb 14 oz. Those figures cover the load, the construction, the sizes and the upkeep.
Our verdict
Worth $16.99 as a lamp stand, a plant perch or a bedside surface that sees no more than 22 lb; 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 apartment 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 22 lb, 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 22 lb maximum load on the top, a figure most tables at this price omit
- Honeycomb paper core keeps the whole package at 7 lb 14 oz, so it moves with one hand
- Nests over the 13 3/4 inch LACK at $9.99 for a two-table set under $27
The compromises
- Particleboard, fiberboard 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
- Customer reviews posted to IKEA's listing describe a 3D printer that wobbles "like crazy" on the table, and leg bottoms left rough and splintering, with no feet fitted
What we have not verified: IKEA prints no test method behind the 22 lb 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 rough leg bottoms and the printer wobble come from customer reviews on the listing, not from an inspection. The $16.99 US price was re-read from IKEA on 2026-10-04.
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 $16.99 the white LACK gives a 21 5/8 inch 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 September 11, 2026. Retailer prices can change.Twenty-two pounds on top, and how to read it
Under Good to know, IKEA prints "Max load on table top: 22 lbs." and repeats a 22 lb figure in the measurements table. The number is the same on the 13 3/4 inch version, which weighs 4 lb 5 oz 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 21 5/8 inch square, with point loads at the center being the case to avoid. IKEA is silent on whether 22 lb is a static rating or a safety margin, and no test method is cited on the listing. The reviews on the page include one running a 3D printer on the table — "It wobbles like crazy. Reinforcing it helps but there is nothing substantial to hold a screw in place" — which is a vibration problem that the 22 lb figure does not address.
What the honeycomb is and what surrounds it
The materials list for the top reads: particleboard, honeycomb structure paper filling (100% recycled), fiberboard, acrylic paint, plastic edging. The legs are particleboard and fiberboard under paper foil, and the panel layer is particleboard with acrylic paint, melamine foil, clear acrylic lacquer and plastic edging. IKEA's explainer for constructed board on the same page describes a frame of chipboard, fiberboard or solid wood around a mostly recycled paper honeycomb, then paint, foil or veneer over the outside.
The practical consequences follow from that stack. A screw driven into the underside finds paper within a few millimeters, which is why reviewers who tried to reinforce the table for a printer report nothing 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 price and construction, and its listing notes the series has been in the range since 1979, so the recipe is a settled one.
Two sizes, one footprint decision
The full-size table is 21 5/8 inches long, 21 5/8 inches across and 17 3/4 inches high, and IKEA gives the same 21 5/8 inch figure for length and width, so the top is a true square. The flat-pack measures 29 1/2 by 21 3/4 by 2 inches and weighs 7 lb 14 oz, so it fits across a back seat and can be carried up stairs without help.
The 13 3/4 inch cube version, article 305.147.91, costs $9.99, stands 13 3/4 inches high and nests under the larger table according to IKEA's own copy. Together they come to $26.98 for two surfaces that stack 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 the LACK TV unit or a different series.
Three lines of care, one of them a maintenance schedule
The advice and care document, AA-2205802-3-2, gives three instructions in each language: 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 screw into 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 reviews carry one line worth acting on — "There are no feet for the legs.... and it's not smooth. it's scratchy, splintering rough" — which means a hard floor will want stick-on pads bought separately.
When to skip it
Skip the LACK if the load will approach or pass 22 lb, 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 $16.99: a square, white, 17 3/4 inch surface that weighs under 8 lb boxed, matches a $9.99 nesting partner and asks only for a damp cloth and an occasional turn of the leg fasteners. For a lamp beside a couch 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: LACK side table, white, 21 5/8x21 5/8 in (304.499.08) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: LACK side table, white, 13 3/4x13 3/4 in (305.147.91) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: LACK side table, black-brown, 21 5/8x21 5/8 in (801.042.68) (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: LACK side table advice and care instructions AA-2205802-3-2 (PDF) (opens in a new tab)
