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I need a bunch of these and I don't know what to look for. They are used to hold together storage cubes that we bought. From the things that I was able to find at a hardware store under shelf pins, I can tell you that they are about 5 to 6 millimeters wide, or to be more specific, I think that there are 5 millimeter rods with slight ridges to hold them securely in place. I just need a bunch of them because I have like 18 of these cubes and just through attrition, I've ended up with maybe 10 of those little pegs. Go online and help me find them. Point me towards where I could just buy like 50 of them at a time. Hell, I'd take 100 if that's the smallest quantity that's available. I can't tell you what the brand of the cubes is, otherwise I would tell you. But I put them together, tossed everything, and now I've got this problem.
G: What you’ve got there is basically a variant of a 5mm shelf support peg / shelf pin, probably the “locking” or “double-pin” style used in modular cube furniture. The little center collar and ribbed ends are the giveaway.
The important part is probably not the exact brand — it’s:
Your photo looks closest to the “locking double-pin” family more than the simple L-shaped metal shelf pegs.
These are the closest matches I found:
product["turn0product2","5mm Locking Shelf Support Double Pin, Clear",{"render_as":"hero","description":"Closest match to your photo: double-ended 5mm locking shelf peg used in flat-pack furniture and cube shelving."}]
This is the same general geometry:
The annoying part: industrial cabinet suppliers often sell them in weird quantities or expensive lots.
These are the more common consumer versions that will probably still work fine:
products{"selections":[["turn0product7","Hafele White Plastic Shelf Pin 5mm - 20 Pack"],["turn0product9","Rok Hardware 20-Pack Plastic Shelf Support"],["turn0product1","Prime-Line Shelf Support Peg 8-Pack"],["turn0product11","Menards 12-Pack 5mm White Plastic Shelf Pegs"],["turn0product0","Hands On 5mm White Shelf Support Peg"]],"tags":["5mm","plastic","cube furniture","bulk replacement"]}
A few practical notes:
The search phrase I’d use going forward is:
“5mm locking double shelf support peg white plastic”
or
“5mm dual peg furniture connector”
These were the most relevant pages:
One more thing: if you have one of the cubes nearby, measure:
because some of these “locking” versions are designed specifically for 3/4-inch shelves, and the center collar spacing matters a little. But from your description, I’d bet heavily you’re in the standard imported flat-pack 5mm ecosystem. citeturn0search0turn0search6
M: How should I add to the search term to get those ridges on it? Because I keep coming up with the overwhelming number of them having no ridges and being made of nickel. It's not the nickel that I object to, but none of them actually have that kind of ridge that allows for security, just the kind that you would use for shelves. I mean, even you screwed up because what you showed me wasn't actually a peg. It was one of those things that you use to actually put up a shelf, and that's absolutely not what I want.
G: Yeah, you’re right — those are shelf supports, not friction connector pegs. Different ecosystem entirely.
The ridges you care about are usually described with terms like:
The problem is the furniture industry uses maddeningly inconsistent terminology.
What you actually seem to have is closer to:
Try searches like:
"5mm plastic barbed dowel pin""5mm ribbed furniture connector peg""5mm friction fit plastic dowel""5mm barbed cabinet connector""5mm press fit joining pin""double ended barbed furniture peg""modular cube connector pin 5mm"The keyword barbed is probably the single most important addition.
You may also want:
"plastic locating pin""knock-down furniture pin""KD furniture connector"because a lot of flat-pack cube systems are technically “KD furniture.”
Also: the center flange/ring matters. That’s usually described as:
So a very targeted search might be:
“5mm barbed shouldered plastic dowel pin”
or
“5mm double ended barbed furniture connector”
One more thing: those ribs are often slightly oversized intentionally. So if the hole is nominally 5mm, the ribs may actually measure 5.2–5.4mm. That’s why smooth metal shelf pins won’t behave the same way even if the diameter matches.
This image is mechanically much closer to a tiny automotive trim fastener than a shelf pin. The furniture world just hides that fact behind terrible naming conventions.