closet shelf MDF load bearing capacity

[laike]

dear builders,

i have a large closet with 2 doors, one small door above a regular sized door with a shelf in between. during a full refurbishment i asked my builder to replace the shelf and lay a strong clothes rail in the closet.

the builder has used 1.8 MDF for the shelf, supported on 3 (maybe 4) sides, and an unsupported clothes rail.

i have concerns that the shelf and clothes rail will not withstand a heavy load. the builder offered to install a clothes rail support, however this would be attached to the unsupported MDF which i don't imagine would provide much support.

the dimensions of the closet i don't have at hand but it is at least 1 m2, if not 1.2 m2 or a bit larger. i'll get the dimensions and update later.

would you recommend a central support strip under the MDF shelf in this design? my research indicates the MDF shelf would provide about 50 kg load capacity, which in my opinion is not enough for a square meter shelf. if you throw a few heavy boxes up there the thing could collapse.

thanks,

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Its unlikely to ever collapse unless it is inadequately fixed. It will likely sag without further support though.