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I recently moved into a high rise apartment and need to hang some cabinets. The cabinets themselves weight about 20lbs and I'm thinking the stuff stored inside them will be around 40lbs.

I know I need to mount these into the studs which I've been told should be metal since it is a high rise, but I'm not sure how to double check this?

I went to Home Depot and bought a pack of 2" metal stud screws, which is what I was recommended by the person working there. I just want to double check that this is ok and will actually support the amount of weight (~60lbs). I know that I need to drill a pilot hole before putting the screw through but is there anything else I should be aware of when hanging these shelves? In terms of metal studs, as I have never mounted anything using metal studs.

This is the cabinet I am trying to mount, I have a single like this one and also a double which is two of these attached to each other and are all mounted using a suspension rail.

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  • Just to confirm, are these wall-mounted cabinets and this will be their primary support? Or base cabinets (that sit on the floor) that you're securing to the wall for safety (like in an earthquake)?
    – Niall C. ♦
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:09
  • Steel studs come in different gauges. The lightweight ones (typical in residential remodeling) likely don't have the strength to prevent pull-out of sheet-metal screws under heavy loads. The heavier gauge studs, may, however. In a high rise I would hope they'd using the heavier gauge studs.
    – DA01
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:14
  • @NiallC. yes these are wall-mounted cabinets. Please see my updated post for the mounting suspension rail that the cabinets come with. I believe they are heavier gauge studs but the building is 20 years old, if that helps with anything?
    – Tudor
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:36
  • Please see the updated original post with the exact cabinet I am mounting and the mounting suspension rail.
    – Tudor
    Jan 5, 2015 at 19:40

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From my research, it seems like snap toggles are highly recommended, and for your situation with metal studs, I think they would work since the approximate weight you are estimating is 60 lbs. Snaptoggles (aka toggle straps aka toggler bolts) claim to hold over 200 lbs in 1/2" drywall.

I have yet to use them myself, so it would be cool if another member here can comment on them.

How did your project work out? Did you mount your cabinets? I am looking for similar info as I also just moved into a high-rise building and my apartment wall has metal studs, so I researching solutions to mount my tv.

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  • Not aka 'toggle bolts'. Those are made entirely out of metal. I would not hang anything with what amounts to a zip tie.
    – Mazura
    Aug 8, 2015 at 2:58
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    @Mazura Take a closer look at how those snap toggles operate -- the zip tie part is only there to aid installation and prevent the toggle from falling into the wall cavity if you have to remove the bolt. You are still screwing a metal bolt into an all metal toggle for actual load purposes.
    – David Hay
    Sep 22, 2015 at 15:00

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