Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index • Hacker News Board

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#41

Post by bartread » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 11:59 AM UTC

xxs wrote: post #25

What's the assembly time based on? IKEA in general is piss easy to assemble except for leveling stuff where you'd need a laser and often times another person. Some of provided tools (the famous L 6mm hex key made of cheese) and hardware (nails) tend to be very poor... and sometimes it'd need a visit to buy extra hardware - e.g. low-profile head, non-counter sunk screws to attach to the wall. Repairing furniture or ad…

> piss easy to assemble

Sure, it’s not hard, but if there are a lot of steps it’s still going to take longer.

A fully specced up pax double wardrobe with drawers, sliding doors, and lighting is made up of hundreds of parts, so does take a good amount of time to put together even though it’s not difficult per se.

It’s also made up of many different SKUs so you get dozens of boxes turn up and it takes a little while to figure out what everything is and get organised. Again, it’s not difficult, but it takes a little time.

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#42

Post by vladvasiliu » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:15 PM UTC

bob1029 wrote: post #40

This is a fantastic way to quantify just how bad a consumer experience this is. Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements. Everything that has come in box from a store like IKEA (or assembled in the back from a box and presented as non-flat-pack) has lasted me less than a decade. I've got a bedroom set that was built out of proper…

> Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements.

I don't particularly like my ikea furniture. But one big reason why I bought this instead of alternatives that come fully assembled is the price: it's much cheaper.

Then again, I live in France, there aren't many Amish around AFAIK.

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#43

Post by bartread » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:22 PM UTC

bob1029 wrote: post #40

This is a fantastic way to quantify just how bad a consumer experience this is. Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements. Everything that has come in box from a store like IKEA (or assembled in the back from a box and presented as non-flat-pack) has lasted me less than a decade. I've got a bedroom set that was built out of proper…

It’s also practicality and ergonomics: old furniture is nice to look at but it’s often awkward to use (e.g., squeaky wooden drawer runners that require periodic waxing to keep them running smoothly and quietly, lack of sliding doors, dark corners at the back of wardrobes, etc.), and wastes lots of internal space.

Drawers with wheels and bearings and soft closers on their runners are simply a lot nicer to use on a day to day basis, particularly when they’re used frequently.

I do have quite a strong preference for older furniture from an aesthetic perspective, and we certainly have some older pieces as a result. But it’s often functionally deficient, and so we don’t tend to use older furniture more complex than a table where the functionality is frequently used. In particular, any kind of heavily accessed storage means ergonomics and usability win every time, tending to steer us toward modern options.

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#44

Post by countWSS » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:39 PM UTC

IKEA beds are underestimated: these flimsy POS planks and their insertion is entire artform that was likely engineered to cause pain. The idea here is they are huge, finicky and depend on precise positioning in multiple areas, there is no "easy shortcut" for their structural integrity, everything has to be perfectly assembled.

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#45

Post by ghaff » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:45 PM UTC

bartread wrote: post #43

bob1029 wrote: post #40

This is a fantastic way to quantify just how bad a consumer experience this is. Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements. Everything that has come in box from a store like IKEA (or assembled in the back from a box and presented as non-flat-pack) has lasted me less than a decade. I've got a bedroom set that was built out of proper…

It’s also practicality and ergonomics: old furniture is nice to look at but it’s often awkward to use (e.g., squeaky wooden drawer runners that require periodic waxing to keep them running smoothly and quietly, lack of sliding doors, dark corners at the back of wardrobes, etc.), and wastes lots of internal space. Drawers with wheels and bearings and soft closers on their runners are simply a lot nicer to use on a day…

I don't love my Ikea dresser and my recollection was that it was a PITA to assemble. But it works pretty well and it would have been thousands of dollars more to get the equivalent new hardwood dresser. As you say, something from an antique store would almost certainly have been less satisfactory on a day to day basis and would have come with its own set of transportation etc. hassles.

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#46

Post by ghaff » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:48 PM UTC

vladvasiliu wrote: post #42

bob1029 wrote: post #40

This is a fantastic way to quantify just how bad a consumer experience this is. Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements. Everything that has come in box from a store like IKEA (or assembled in the back from a box and presented as non-flat-pack) has lasted me less than a decade. I've got a bedroom set that was built out of proper…

> Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements. I don't particularly like my ikea furniture. But one big reason why I bought this instead of alternatives that come fully assembled is the price: it's much cheaper. Then again, I live in France, there aren't many Amish around AFAIK.

I did assemble some Ikea cube-type storage after a lot of my house interior was redone. It was a bit of a pain but it's now very satisfactory storage in a couple of closets. And it wasn't that expensive even with delivery. (The nearest Ikea is far enough it would have ended up being a full-day trip.)

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#47

Post by bhdn » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:49 PM UTC

dagurp wrote: post #38

I once bought a paper basket that was made out of two pieces and I managed to assemble it the wrong way. I guess I should multiply those estimates by pi.

Same for me. It's not linear. Instructions may be more likely to be ignored when the product appears to be very simple.

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#48

Post by mft_ » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:49 PM UTC

vladvasiliu wrote: post #42

bob1029 wrote: post #40

This is a fantastic way to quantify just how bad a consumer experience this is. Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements. Everything that has come in box from a store like IKEA (or assembled in the back from a box and presented as non-flat-pack) has lasted me less than a decade. I've got a bedroom set that was built out of proper…

> Flat pack furniture tends to be very awful compared to alternatives that are also often cheaper and without assembly requirements. I don't particularly like my ikea furniture. But one big reason why I bought this instead of alternatives that come fully assembled is the price: it's much cheaper. Then again, I live in France, there aren't many Amish around AFAIK.

Same here, in Germany.

Some categories are especially exaggerated: when needing a number of new wardrobes a few years ago, we struggled to find anything that was remotely similar in price or value to IKEA. The big retail park furniture stores were 2-4x the price for similarish quality (i.e. chipboard; modular construction). Smaller higher quality stores (e.g. plywood/real wood rather than cardboard or chipboard) were roughly 4-8x more expensive. And one really nice local option was roughly 10x more expensive. [0] (We didn't even explore bespoke/handcrafted for obvious reasons.)

Wardrobes, in particular, are begging for disruption - essentially a relatively modular approach, higher quality materials than IKEA, (much) lower cost than Moormann.

[0] https://www.moormann.de/de/schrankone.html

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#49

Post by ghaff » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:50 PM UTC

kandros wrote: post #10

cisophrene wrote: post #4

LÖNSET Slatted bed base King 302.787.13 3h of fun for a mere $140. I've seen more expensive hobbies.

I have nightmares of these, I’ll gladly pay someone else to do it next time

Was having a lot of house stuff redone after a kitchen fire. Not Ikea, but had a mail order bedframe. Just had the contractor's people put it together.

Re: Show HN: IKEA Complexity Index

#50

Post by Keyframe » Sat, Jul 18, 2026, 12:57 PM UTC

selcuka wrote: post #15

I believe this table needs a column for the disassembly process as well. I bought and assembled a TUFFING Bunk Bed years ago, and even though the complexity of assembly is reported as 4644 on this web site (which is also suspiciously low), as far as I can tell the only way to disassemble it is to use an angle grinder.

I had to disassemble some furniture as well recently. It had one and a half million screws and whatnots and since it was going to recycling center anyways I figured out sledgehammer was as good tool as any. Turns out it was better than _any_, ultrafast (take that claude!) and a ton of fun.