Reference

Shelving hardware: screws, dowels, and anchors (with a metric-imperial conversion table)

The short version: a shelving unit needs only a handful of parts: screws to join the frame, dowels to strengthen the joints, pins to support the shelves, brad nails for the back panel, and anti-tip brackets to fix it to the wall. Kamba lists the exact type and quantity for your design, in metric or imperial. Here is what each part does, plus a conversion table.

The hardware in a shelving unit

Part	What it does	Typical size
Frame screws	Join the sides, top, bottom, and dividers	4 x 40 mm (#8 x 1 5/8 in)
Dowels	Strengthen every joint, one per screw	Wooden dowels
Shelf pins	Support each shelf in drilled holes	Ø5 mm (Ø13/64 in)
Brad nails	Fix the back panel	about 15 cm (5 7/8 in) apart
Anti-tip brackets	Stop the unit tipping forward	2 metal brackets, plus screws
Wall anchors	Fix the brackets to the wall	Rated for your wall type

Metric to imperial: quick reference

Building in inches? Here are the common shelving sizes in both units.

Item	Metric	Imperial
Frame screw	4 x 40 mm	#8 x 1 5/8 in
Pilot hole (frame)	Ø2.5 mm	Ø3/32 in
Shelf pin	Ø5 mm	Ø13/64 in
Shelf pin hole depth	10 mm	3/8 in
Back-panel nail spacing	15 cm	5 7/8 in
Standard board thickness	18 mm	3/4 in
Heavy-duty board thickness	25 mm	1 in

Pilot holes: the step people skip

Drill a pilot hole before driving a screw into MDF or a panel edge. For the frame screws, a Ø2.5 mm (Ø3/32 in) pilot is enough. It stops the board splitting and keeps the screw straight. This one step prevents most DIY shelving failures.

Choosing screws and anchors

Screws: match the length to the panel thickness. Too long and they punch through, too short and the joint is weak. For 18 mm (3/4 in) panels, 4 x 40 mm (#8 x 1 5/8 in) is a good default.
Wall anchors: this is the part to get right. Into a wall stud, a standard screw holds well. Into plasterboard, use a heavy-duty anchor rated for the furniture's weight. How to anchor furniture to the wall

How Kamba handles the hardware

Kamba lists every screw, dowel, pin, nail, bracket, and anchor for your exact design, with quantities, in your units, metric or imperial. It also gives the pilot hole sizes and the assembly order, so you buy the right parts once and build without guesswork.