Buy the 6-piece if you are hanging frames in a row and the 5-piece if you have one wall span longer than 24 in (61 cm) that a single ledge should own. That is the whole black shelf set decision, because the three hexagons are identical across both sets at 13.8, 11.8 and 9.8 in wide, and what changes is only the ledge split: one 27.6 in (70 cm) run plus one 19.7 in (50 cm) run in the 5-piece, or three 19.7 in (50 cm) runs in the 6-piece.
Add it up and the 5-piece gives 47.3 in (120.1 cm) of ledge and the 6-piece gives 59.1 in (150.1 cm), for $1.72 more. Houseland lists the 5-piece at $155.59 and the 6-piece at $157.31, both in matte black over solid pine, both 3.5 in (9 cm) deep and rated up to 11 lb (5 kg) per piece. So the price is not the decision either; your wall and what you want to stand on it are.
5-piece vs 6-piece black shelf set: what actually differs?
One ledge, 7.9 in of it, and the shape it takes on the wall. Everything below the ledge rows is shared, so the table is short where it should be short. All figures are from the two product pages.
| Criterion | 5-piece set | 6-piece set |
|---|---|---|
| Hexagons | 13.8 / 11.8 / 9.8 in (35 / 30 / 25 cm), one of each | 13.8 / 11.8 / 9.8 in (35 / 30 / 25 cm), one of each |
| Ledges | One at 27.6 in (70 cm), one at 19.7 in (50 cm) | Three at 19.7 in (50 cm) |
| Total ledge length | 47.3 in (120.1 cm) in 2 runs | 59.1 in (150.1 cm) in 3 runs |
| Longest single run | 27.6 in (70 cm) | 19.7 in (50 cm) |
| Price | $155.59, or $31.12 per piece | $157.31, or $26.22 per piece |
| Price per inch of ledge | $3.29 | $2.66 |
| Depth and board | 3.5 in (9 cm) deep, 0.6 in (1.5 cm) thick | 3.5 in (9 cm) deep, 0.6 in (1.5 cm) thick |
| Load rating | Up to 11 lb (5 kg) per piece | Up to 11 lb (5 kg) per piece |
| Ledge load in total | 22 lb (10 kg) across 2 ledges | 33 lb (15 kg) across 3 ledges |
| Hanging | Keyhole hanger per module, hardware in the box | Keyhole hanger per module, hardware in the box |
| Suits | A sofa, console or bed wall with one span to own | A row of frames, a stair wall, or 3 rooms sharing 1 set |
The 6-piece is the better buy on every arithmetic line, $4.90 less per piece and $0.63 less per inch of ledge, and the 5-piece wins on exactly one thing: no other piece in either set is longer than 27.6 in. If that one long run matters to your wall, the $1.72 you save is not why you would choose it.
Which ledge split suits a row of frames?
Three short ledges, because a picture ledge is only as useful as the number of frames it holds without overlap, and 59.1 in beats 47.3 in by a 5 by 7 print and a bit. Standard print sizes settle the arithmetic: Wikipedia's photo print size table lists 4R at 4 by 6 in (10.2 by 15.2 cm), 5R at 5 by 7 in (12.7 by 17.8 cm) and 8R at 8 by 10 in (20.3 by 25.4 cm), and a frame adds its moulding on each side, so measure a frame you own before you count. Taking bare print widths in landscape as the floor:
- A 19.7 in (50 cm) ledge takes three 4 by 6 frames at 18 in of print, or two 5 by 7 frames at 14 in, or one 8 by 10 with 9.7 in to spare for a small pot.
- A 27.6 in (70 cm) ledge takes four 4 by 6 frames at 24 in, or three 5 by 7 frames at 21 in, or two 8 by 10 frames at 20 in with room for a candle between.
- Three 19.7 in ledges take nine 4 by 6 frames or six 5 by 7 frames in total; the 5-piece pair takes seven 4 by 6 or five 5 by 7.
Overlapping frames, the usual picture-ledge look, changes the count but not the ranking. Where the 5-piece pulls ahead is one wide frame: a 24 in canvas or a 20 in mirror sits on the 27.6 in ledge with margin on both sides and does not sit on a 19.7 in ledge at all. Both sets are 3.5 in (9 cm) deep, which is enough to lean a frame back against the wall without the shelf projecting into a hallway, and the depth is the same whichever split you buy. How Much Space Between Picture Ledges on One Wall? covers the vertical gap once you have the horizontal count.
Does one long ledge hold more than three short ones?
No; it holds less, and it will bow sooner under the same load. The rating is up to 11 lb (5 kg) per piece regardless of length, so the 5-piece set's two ledges carry 22 lb (10 kg) between them and the 6-piece set's three carry 33 lb (15 kg). The one long ledge gets no extra allowance for being 40% longer.
The bowing is physics rather than a rating. For a beam supported near its ends and loaded in the middle, Wikipedia's deflection page gives the midspan sag as the load times the span cubed, divided by 48 times the stiffness of the section. The section is the same 0.6 in (1.5 cm) by 3.5 in (9 cm) pine in both sets, so the only variable is span, and 27.6 divided by 19.7 is 1.4, which cubed is 2.75. Put the same 11 lb (5 kg) in the middle of each ledge and the long one sags roughly 2.75 times as far as a short one, so the long run is where you keep the load light and spread it toward the screws.
Distance from the wall matters more than either. Toggler's FAQ says its anchor ratings are "for objects held closely to the wall" and that moving objects away from the wall, "the far end of a shelf" being its example, "significantly increases the effective weight of that object, greatly reducing the allowable load of that anchor." At 3.5 in (9 cm) deep these ledges keep the lever arm short, and the product page's advice stands for both sets: spread weight across modules rather than loading one. Is 5 kg Enough for a Floating Shelf, and What Does It Mean? works through what 11 lb actually looks like in frames and pots.
From the shop
5-Piece Matte Black Wall Shelf Set
Three hexagons at 13.8, 11.8 and 9.8 in wide plus a 27.6 in (70 cm) and a 19.7 in (50 cm) ledge, all 3.5 in (9 cm) deep in matte black over pine. Keyhole hangers, hardware in the box, up to 11 lb (5 kg) per piece.
View the 5-piece matte black shelf set — dimensions & current priceHow do you decide which black shelf set fits your wall?
Measure 3 things and the answer falls out; the sets are so alike that the wall decides. Do it in this order:
- Measure the clear width of the wall you are dressing, between the window trim, the door casing or the sofa arms. If that span is under 30 in (76 cm) the 27.6 in ledge fills it as one line; if it is over 60 in (152 cm) three 19.7 in ledges spread across it read better than one long and one short.
- Count and measure the frames or objects you already own, edge to edge with the moulding. Total the widths; if they exceed 47.3 in laid out flat you need the 6-piece's 59.1 in, or you need to overlap.
- Find the studs. Wikipedia's wall stud page puts US and Canadian studs at 16 in (40.6 cm) on centre, sometimes 12 or 24 in (30.5 or 61 cm). A 27.6 in run crosses at least one stud on 16 in centres wherever you put it; a 19.7 in run does too, but a 19.7 in run on 24 in centres can miss both. Whether the keyholes land on a stud depends on their spacing, so measure it on the back of the module and use a fixing suited to your wall where they do not.
- Decide how many walls the set is serving. Three matching 19.7 in ledges split across a hallway, a bedroom and a bathroom stay a set; a 27.6 in ledge and a 19.7 in ledge in different rooms look like leftovers.
- Mark the keyholes level before you drill. How to Mark Keyhole Slots on a Wall for Level Holes has the tape-and-pencil method, and it matters twice as much on a 27.6 in ledge, where a 1 degree tilt shows as a 0.5 in (1.3 cm) drop from end to end.
If two of those five point the same way, buy that set from the wall shelves collection and stop deliberating; the hexagons, the depth, the finish and the load rating are identical, so the wrong choice costs you a ledge length, not a look.
Do the hexagons change anything between the two sets?
Nothing, and that is worth knowing because it removes most of the anxiety. Both sets ship the same three hexagons at 13.8, 11.8 and 9.8 in (35, 30 and 25 cm) wide, open at the back with no panel, 3.5 in (9 cm) deep, in the same matte black surface finish over pine, sanded smooth. Houseland's product FAQ for the 6-piece says the same thing in one line: the extra ledge is what separates it from the five-piece black set, which trades one ledge for a longer 27.6 in run.
Three different sizes also means they will not tile edge to edge. A regular hexagon has 120 degree corners, so three identical hexagons meet cleanly at a point, per Wikipedia's hexagonal tiling page; three different ones leave gaps at the corners. Treat the gaps as part of the design and leave 1 to 2 in (2.5 to 5 cm) between hexagons, then run the ledges under or beside them rather than trying to close the joints. The open backs mean anything smaller than the opening can drop through, so keep small objects to the front on either set. 6 Piece Floating Shelf Set vs 3 Piece: Which Fits Better? makes the same count-versus-length argument for a plain ledge set without hexagons.
What I'd do
Buy the 6-piece unless you can name the one span the 27.6 in ledge is for. Three 19.7 in ledges give 59.1 in of frame room, 33 lb of rated capacity across them, and a set that can split across rooms and still match, for $1.72 more than the 5-piece.
Buy the 5-piece when the wall has a single line to draw: above a sofa, over a console or across a headboard, where one 27.6 in (70 cm) run reads as a deliberate shelf and three shorter ones read as a row of ledges. Keep the long run's load light and toward the ends, because span cubed is not kind to the middle of a 0.6 in (1.5 cm) board. Either way, the 5-piece matte black set and its 6-piece sibling from Houseland share every hexagon, the 3.5 in (9 cm) depth and the 11 lb (5 kg) per piece rating, so you are choosing a ledge split, not a different shelf.
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