Kitchen cabinets on drywall

Hello everyone,

since the installation of the Ikea kitchen is coming up soon in our new building, I have been thinking for several days about whether I can attach the wall cabinets to a double-layer plasterboard wall on metal studs. The kitchen is U-shaped and only one U-leg is made of plasterboard, the rest is masonry. The cabinets for the plasterboard wall have a total length of about 1.90m and will be hung on a continuous rail. For mounting the rail, I would use metal cavity anchors such as the Knauf Hartmut and install about 10 anchors for the 1.9m rail.

However, since I have read different specifications regarding the maximum loads or have not understood them correctly, I’m asking my question here again. It is stated by Knauf that each anchor can hold about 55kg. Then I read that generally a maximum load of 70kg per meter is allowed for plasterboard panels. That would be about 140kg for my kitchen, whereas the anchors would hold 550kg.

I also cannot estimate how heavy a kitchen cabinet can be fully loaded (80cm high, 60cm wide). The cabinet weighs about 30kg empty. If I convert the 70kg/m to 60cm width, I get a maximum load of 42kg for the 60cm wide cabinet. That seems very little to me!

As an emergency solution, I had considered attaching metal rails to the back of the cabinets and fixing them to the concrete ceiling with an angle bracket. Since the cabinets are relatively tall and the distance to the ceiling is about 10-15cm, very little of this should be visible. If necessary, I could also mount a cover panel at the front.

What do you think, is it sufficient to attach the cabinets to the wall only with the rail?

I have attached the whole thing as a 3D graphic to make it clearer:



Rear view plasterboard wall:


Thanks and best regards,
Sam

Single-layer cladding or double? Our drywall installer advised us in our dressing room to use double cladding for the massive sliding door in order to support the weight. Kitchen cabinets with contents should weigh even more than our sliding door ...

What exactly is the structure of the wall, including the beams, etc.? Maybe the load could be better supported by the beams?

can be attached to a double-layered drywall on metal studs.

However, since I have read different information about the max loads, or did not understand them correctly, I am asking my question here again. Knauf states that each anchor can hold about 55kg. Then I read again that generally for drywall sheets a max load of 70kg per linear meter is permissible. That would be about 140kg for my kitchen, whereas the anchors would hold 550kg.

You have reached the point where the anchors are no longer the weakest link in the chain.

The drywall still has to bear the load transferred by the anchors.

The manufacturer of the panels should document the maximum load, try checking the website or ask the supplier/BU.

Have you really installed 2 x drywall sheets and not 1 x OSB and 1 x drywall sheet in front?

If a professional did this, the wall should have a metal stud every 62.5 cm from center to center. For wall cabinets on double-planked walls, I would use cavity anchors; in your case, Fischer HM 5x65 S, suitable for board thicknesses of 20-34mm, 10mm diameter, and a minimum drill hole depth of 71mm.

As for the load capacity values, I once jotted them down somewhere: