Under-desk cable trays: choose a clamp or screw mount for your desk?

Two actual products, two different jobs

IKEA UK's FÖRSÄSONG white cable management tray (article 005.731.88) was listed at £6 on 27 October 2026. It measures 38 cm wide, 11 cm deep and 17 cm high, with a stated maximum load of 3 kg. Its clamp fits a horizontal surface 1.2–4 cm thick, and the pack includes two touch-and-close cable fastenings.

IKEA UK's SIGNUM silver-colour cable trunking (article 302.002.53) was listed at £10 on the same date. Its stated length is 70 cm, width 16 cm and maximum load 10 kg. It attaches under the tabletop rather than clamping over its edge. IKEA specifically says it cannot be used on glass tabletops.

The listed item-price difference is £4 in this UK comparison. Delivery charges, stock and any installation supplies depend on the order and location; the figures are not a global price promise. The extra £4 does not automatically buy a better fit: SIGNUM is 32 cm longer, but its fixing method may rule out a desk that FÖRSÄSONG can use without holes.

🪑 Let the desk decide before the cables do

A rented or shared desk

FÖRSÄSONG is my first choice when the desktop must remain unaltered and there is a straight, accessible edge within its 1.2–4 cm clamp range. Its removable attachment also makes sense when a desk may move rooms. Measure the actual edge, including any lip, apron or metal frame: the tabletop's overall thickness alone may not describe the surface the clamp must grip.

Do not buy it for a rounded edge or a rear edge flush against a wall without checking the clamp's real clearance. IKEA says it can face inward or outward, but that does not guarantee access behind your particular desk. A clamp positioned where it catches a chair, drawer or moving desk frame defeats the tidy appearance.

A permanent workstation

SIGNUM is the more convincing option when a 38 cm tray cannot hold the cable run and the desk maker permits suitable underside fixings. A 70 cm rack can spread several cords along the rear of a larger workstation rather than crowding them into one short basket. Its 10 kg rating is a product limit, not permission to mount it to weak material or overload the electrical equipment inside it.

The mounting surface matters more than the rack's steel construction. A hollow or thin desk top, a glass top, an underside rail or a mechanism on a sit-stand desk can make drilling or screw placement unsuitable. Check the desk manufacturer's guidance and the supplied SIGNUM assembly instructions before marking holes. If you do not know what is beneath the desktop surface, I would not treat a screw mount as a safe guess.

The power strip is the awkward part

A tray's outside width is not its guaranteed usable space. Measure the complete power strip including plug heads, switched sockets, the outgoing lead and the bend it needs. FÖRSÄSONG's 11 cm stated depth and 38 cm width are a useful first screen, but the end bars and clamp hardware can change how a real strip sits. SIGNUM's 70 by 16 cm plan gives a longer route, yet its hangers and desktop clearance still need checking.

Lay the unplugged strip on a table with every intended plug inserted. Measure the resulting widest and tallest points, then mark a 38 by 11 cm or 70 by 16 cm outline on paper. This is a geometry rehearsal, not an electrical or load test. It reveals early whether a bulky adapter sticks out, a cable must bend sharply, or switches would become unreachable.

Keep the strip's own ventilation, load, cord-routing and mounting instructions in force. Do not coil excess cord tightly around a warm adapter, trap a lead against a sharp metal edge or treat a tray's kilogram rating as the strip's electrical rating. Our cable-management box guide explains the separate plug and airflow checks; smart-plug fit can change the true width of an occupied socket.

Who should choose which?

Choose FÖRSÄSONG for a compatible straight edge, one compact strip and a desk you cannot modify. At the checked UK listing it also costs less. Its limits are the shorter 38 cm run, 3 kg stated load and reliance on a clear clamping position. The pleasant part is being able to remove it when the workspace changes; the frustrating part would be buying it before noticing that the desk's rear lip blocks the clamp.

Choose SIGNUM for a longer fixed route under a desktop that is confirmed suitable for its screw fixing. The 70 cm length and 10 kg stated load make it a more plausible starting point for several cable paths, but it requires permanent attachment and cannot go on glass. I would not choose it merely because the published load number is larger.

Choose neither yet if the desk material is uncertain, an adjustable frame sweeps through the proposed location, or the only available place blocks access to the strip's switch and plugs. For a crowded surface setup, our desk-footprint guide helps identify what should stay above rather than below the desktop; the laptop-stand guide covers the rest of that workspace.

One useful measurement before ordering

Measure the desk edge or permitted fixing area, then measure your fully plugged-in but unplugged power strip. Put those numbers beside the exact product's current dimensions and mounting instructions. If either the attachment or the plug exit fails on paper, reject that tray before comparing colour or price.

Sources & limits

Product specifications, attachment conditions and UK item prices: IKEA UK FÖRSÄSONG 005.731.88 and SIGNUM 302.002.53 product pages, checked 27 October 2026. Prices exclude any unverified delivery charge and may change. The selection judgments and paper-outline procedure are editorial interpretation of published dimensions, not first-hand installation or electrical testing.