How to Build a DIY IKEA Monotub: A Step-by-Step Guide

A DIY IKEA monotub is the cheapest reliable cultivation chamber you can build in Europe. One trip to IKEA, one small box of filters, one hole-saw, and you have a working tub for under € 40. This guide breaks the build into nine concrete steps, lists every IKEA article number with May 2026 prices, and gives you two ready-to-shop kit lists — one for a starter-friendly shoebox-tek and one for the standard 45 L monotub.

Why a DIY IKEA monotub makes sense in Europe

Most published monotub guides come from the United States and reference Sterilite or IRIS USA boxes — unavailable here or absurdly expensive to import. European growers have quietly converged on the IKEA SAMLA: transparent, cheap, stocked across the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Spain and the UK. Importantly, IKEA article numbers are globally identical — the same SAMLA 45 L box carries the same code in Amsterdam, London, Riga and Sydney, which makes this guide directly usable wherever you live.

The SAMLA series is documented on the IKEA Netherlands SAMLA catalogue, and the UK guide on monotub.co.uk confirms the same volume range as the European default. In other words, this is a well-trodden path — just one that rarely gets written up clearly from a European perspective.

Mycology terminology — monotub vs shoebox-tek

Before we start drilling, two names you will see across grower forums:

The build technique is essentially the same. Both use side-wall filters for fresh air exchange (FAE), both keep the lid clipped closed, and both follow the same drill-and-stick workflow. Only the dimensions and the number of holes change.

Which one should you build first? If this is your first cultivation project, start with the 22 L shoebox-tek. The community consensus from grower forums is unanimous on this: smaller boxes mean lower contamination risk, less spawn at stake, and a gentler learning curve. Once you have one or two successful flushes behind you, scale up to the 45 L monotub for larger yields.

The build at a glance

Before we walk through each step, here is the complete build in one table. The same nine-step workflow applies to both the 22 L shoebox-tek and the 45 L monotub — only the box, the filter size and the number of holes differ. The example below shows the 45 L build because that is the most common European target build.

Total active time is under an hour, and the finished DIY IKEA monotub is ready to receive substrate whenever you are.

Step 1 — Pick the right SAMLA size

IKEA sells the SAMLA series in seven volumes. Only some of them work as a monotub. The 45 L is the sweet spot for almost every home grower, with the 22 L as the standard shoebox-tek option.

The 45 L SAMLA has the right height-to-footprint ratio. Its 28 cm depth gives roughly 10 cm for substrate and a comfortable 15 cm headroom for fruit development.

IKEA article numbers (worldwide identical)

IKEA article numbers do not change between countries — the codes below are the same in Amsterdam, London, Berlin and Riga. Prices were checked at IKEA Nederland in May 2026 and will of course drift slightly year on year.

Step 2 — Gather tools and filters

This is where most beginners get confused, because the MMS filter range covers four diameters plus an injection port that looks superficially similar. The table below pairs every hole on the box with the exact MMS product that goes into it.

Tools you need

Which hole-saw goes with which filter

The single most-asked question from beginners: what size hole-saw do I buy? The rule is straightforward — always drill a hole that is roughly 15 to 20 mm smaller than the filter itself, so the adhesive ring on the outside of the filter has flat plastic to seal against. These are the standard sizes used across the European and US monotub community.

Practically: for a 45 L monotub you buy one 50 mm hole-saw and you are done. For a 22 L shoebox-tek you buy one 25 mm hole-saw. Hole-saw sets sold at any European DIY chain (Hornbach, Praxis, Gamma, B&Q, Bauhaus) cover the 25–75 mm range for under € 20.

Filters and ports — which one goes where

This is the single most useful table in the post. Memorise this and the rest of the build is obvious.

For a standard 45 L DIY IKEA monotub, the filter kit is therefore 6× 65 mm side filters and nothing on the lid. The lid stays closed and unbroken — all gas exchange happens through the six side filters. This matches the European community consensus and what the monotub.co.uk build guide recommends.

Do you need an injection port?

Step 3 — Mark the six holes on the box

Hole pattern by SAMLA size

Step 4 — Drill the pilot holes

Step 5 — Cut the main holes with the hole-saw in reverse

Step 6 — Smooth the rim of each hole

Step 7 — Disinfect the box

Step 8 — Stick the self-adhesive filters in place

Filter placement recap — 45 L monotub

Step 9 — Snap the lid clip-locks and store

Complete shopping lists — two kits, May 2026 prices

Two kits below: the smaller 22 L shoebox-tek (the recommended starter build) and the standard 45 L monotub (the next step up). Both lists give you the IKEA article number, the MMS product ID, and approximate May 2026 prices at IKEA Nederland. Prices drift year on year — always re-check at the IKEA counter.

Kit A — 22 L shoebox-tek (recommended starter build)

Shoebox-tek is the build of choice for first attempts. Smaller substrate volume means lower stakes if contamination strikes, and the 22 L SAMLA fits on a normal shelf. Replacement parts are straightforward too: the 11 L/22 L lid (article 904.550.86, € 1.00) is shared between the two smallest SAMLA sizes, and the 22 L box on its own carries article 801.029.76 at € 4.49.

Kit B — 45 L standard monotub (the next step up)

If you ever need to replace a single 45 L component — say the lid cracked or you over-drilled it — you can buy the box (301.029.74, € 5.99) or the lid (704.550.87, € 3.00) on its own. Clip-locks are also sold separately as a 4-pack (705.906.03, € 0.50). Therefore there is no waste even if something breaks years from now.

What comes next

Your DIY IKEA monotub is now ready. Before you ever fill it, our guide on how to sterilise your cultivation materials covers what to clean and how — and walks through the grain-jar workflow where the cobalt drill bit comes back into play. It also pays to know what contamination looks like before you open a populated tub the first time. The build is straightforward, but cultivation hygiene is where most beginners lose tubs unnecessarily.

The substrate inside the tub eventually colonises with what mycelium actually is, and that mycelium needs the airflow your six filters provide. For broader advice once the tub is in use, our extra tips for tub-based cultivation are a useful next read.

The cost of a finished DIY IKEA monotub

A 45 L SAMLA combo (article 496.196.51) costs € 9.48 at IKEA Nederland in May 2026. Add six 65 mm monotub filters at roughly € 25, a Meliseptol® spray at € 8, and a cobalt pilot bit at € 5, and the finished DIY IKEA monotub lands around € 47. By contrast, the cheapest pre-drilled European kits we have seen start at € 55 to € 80 — and those still require you to buy filters separately.

For first-time builders the savings are not the only argument. Building your own teaches you exactly where the air moves, why the filters sit where they sit, and what each component does. As a result, when something goes wrong later, you already understand the system you are troubleshooting.

Build kit — everything you need for the tub itself

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