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In this guide
RÅSKOG is the IKEA cart people picture when they say IKEA cart: three shallow mesh trays in steel with a powder-coat finish, a tubular frame, four castors, and a lip around each tray so jars do not roll off. The larger of the two sizes, reviewed here, measures 13 3/4 by 17 3/4 inches at the base and 30 3/8 inches tall, costs $39.99, and comes in white, black, red-brown and pink. A smaller 11 by 15 by 24 inch version is $29.99.
IKEA's description is short on numbers and long on use cases: kitchen tools, desk accessories, keys, chargers. The numbers that matter are the load ratings, 13 pounds per tier and 40 for the cart, and the two castors that lock. Those figures decide whether it is a rolling pantry, a craft-supply station, or a bedside table, and they are also where it differs from the cheaper NISSAFORS.
Our verdict
A well-rated $39.99 steel cart whose value is its shape: a 14 by 18 inch footprint, 30 inches tall, with lockable castors. Buy it for a specific gap; if you only need shelves on wheels, NISSAFORS does the same job for $10 less.
- A good fit for
- A kitchen, bathroom or desk corner with a measured gap that a taller, narrower cart would not fill, where the cart is parked and unparked daily and the brakes get used.
- We would skip it if
- You need more than 13 pounds on a shelf, a surface food can touch, a cart for a garage or balcony, or simply the cheapest three shelves on wheels IKEA sells.
Reasons to consider it
- Lockable castors, which NISSAFORS lacks
- Compact 13 3/4 by 17 3/4 inch footprint at 30 3/8 inches tall, with a 24-inch size for under desks
- 4.6 stars from 1,109 reviews on IKEA US, with a 4.5 for product quality
The compromises
- 13 pounds per shelf and 40 total, below NISSAFORS at 15 and 46
- Indoor only and not approved for food contact, which rules out open produce
- $39.99 against $29.99 for NISSAFORS, and no product-specific IKEA warranty
What we have not verified: Assembly time, how the mesh shelves handle small items that could fall through, castor noise on hard floors, and the coating's resistance to bathroom humidity were not assessed.
The things in this guide
A closer look at the products, who they may suit, and what to check before buying.
RÅSKOG Utility Cart · 305.867.83
Three lipped mesh trays on lockable castors in a 14 by 18 inch footprint, epoxy-coated steel, and a 4.6-star rating across more than a thousand IKEA US reviews.
Before you buy: Rated at 13 pounds a shelf, not approved for food contact, indoor only, and $10 more than NISSAFORS for less capacity.
Price checked September 11, 2026. Retailer prices can change.Two sizes, and what 13 pounds a shelf rules out
The larger RÅSKOG occupies 13 3/4 by 17 3/4 inches of floor and stands 30 3/8 inches tall, which puts the top tray a little below counter height. IKEA rates each shelf at 13 pounds and the cart at 40 pounds. That is fine for spice jars, a stand mixer's attachments, cosmetics or a printer's worth of paper; it is not fine for a case of canned goods or a row of cast-iron pans, and the shallow mesh trays are not the place for either. The frame is steel with an epoxy powder coating, and the care note is a soft cloth and mild detergent.
The smaller RÅSKOG, at 11 by 15 by 24 inches for $29.99, is rated at 9 pounds a shelf and 26 total, and IKEA's copy says it fits under most tables and desks. The larger cart is the one for a kitchen wall or a bathroom; the smaller is a desk-side or bedside object. Both are marked indoor-only and not approved for food contact, so bread or fruit goes in a bowl on the tray, not on the mesh.
Lockable castors and lipped mesh trays
IKEA's copy for the large cart makes a point of the castors: four that roll and lock to hold the cart in place when parked. Brakes matter on a cart that lives against a wall in a kitchen and gets pulled out to reach the back of a cabinet, and they matter more on tile or wood with a slight slope. The mesh trays let air through, which IKEA frames as less dust and easier visibility; the practical side is that spills drain onto the tray below instead of pooling.
IKEA lists the shipped package at 13 1/2 by 18 by 5 3/4 inches and 15 pounds 1 ounce, so the cart is heavier than its look suggests and arrives flat with an assembly PDF. IKEA's compliance note cites EN 16121:2023 for stability and durability of storage furniture, which is a general-use test parameter and not a load test beyond the stated ratings. The IKEA US rating is 4.6 stars from 1,109 reviews, with ease of assembly the lowest sub-score at 4.3.
RÅSKOG or NISSAFORS: $10 for brakes and a shape
NISSAFORS is IKEA's other three-tier steel cart, at $29.99. It is taller and narrower: 19 7/8 by 11 3/4 inches at the base and 32 5/8 inches high, rated at 15 pounds a shelf and 46 in total, and its copy adds that it suits a bathroom if kept in a splash-free spot. Its castors roll but IKEA does not describe any as lockable. RÅSKOG's shelves are deeper front to back at 17 3/4 inches against 11 3/4, so a RÅSKOG tray holds a wider object, while NISSAFORS runs longer along a wall and holds more weight.
So the extra $10 buys brakes and a squarer, deeper tray, and costs two pounds per shelf of rating and six overall. If the cart parks in a fixed spot and is rarely moved, NISSAFORS is the cheaper way to the same three shelves. If it rolls daily, or the gap it fills is nearer square than long, RÅSKOG's shape and its lockable castors are the argument.
No product warranty, a long return window, and a shipping minimum
IKEA's warranties page lists kitchens, bathroom furniture, storage systems and other ranges with multi-year cover; RÅSKOG is not among them, so the cart carries no product-specific warranty beyond what consumer law provides. What IKEA does offer is its return policy: unopened items can come back within 365 days and opened ones within 180, with the receipt, refunded the way you paid. Items that are dirty, damaged or modified are not accepted.
For delivery, IKEA's small-order shipping applies within the 48 contiguous states with a $35 merchandise minimum and a 50-pound order cap, and the cart's 15-pound package sits comfortably inside that. Pricing is shown in the cart by ZIP code, so the shipping fee is not fixed; IKEA Family members get $5 off qualifying small orders over $35. Store pickup avoids the question entirely.
Skip it if weight or food contact is the job
Pass on RÅSKOG if the load is real. At 13 pounds a shelf it is a cart for light, loose things, and stacking cookbooks, canned goods or a countertop appliance on it is outside what IKEA rates it for. NISSAFORS gives a little more, but a true heavy-duty cart is a different category with a different price, and neither IKEA cart is it.
Pass on it for a pantry too, in the strict sense. The not-approved-for-food-contact note means produce, bread and loose dry goods need a container between them and the coated mesh, which reduces the usable depth of each tray. And if brakes are not something you will touch, spend $29.99 on NISSAFORS instead; the two carts are far closer in use than the ten-dollar gap and the difference in silhouette imply.
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: RÅSKOG utility cart, white, 13 3/4x17 3/4x30 3/8" (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: RÅSKOG utility cart, white, 11x15x24" (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: NISSAFORS utility cart, black (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: Limited warranties (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: Return policy (opens in a new tab)
- IKEA: Delivery and shipping (opens in a new tab)
