5 Best Book Carts of 2023, According to Avid Readers

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If you’re an book lover, there is no such thing as too many books — but there is such a thing as not enough space. If you’ve already expended your bookshelves, floating shelves and cabinets with your favorite literary works, it might be time to try a book cart as a new source of storage that will take up less real estate. These rolling book carts are easy to move about, making them ideal for nursery and kids rooms, and can also serve as storage for crafts, snacks or beauty products later on, allowing them to serve an additional purpose long after your TBR (to-be-read) list is finished.

As avid readers, our experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute relied on their personal experience storing books, as well as their strong background in testing storage and organizing products. We also drew inspiration from BookTok and bookstagrammers for the best ways to utilize different book carts. From there, we researched practical options that would suit all types of spaces from children's rooms to vast libraries.

Once you’ve checked out our list of our top picks for book carts (and narrowed down the books you want to display), keep reading to see what you should consider before buying one and why you should trust Good Housekeeping. And if you're in the market for other handy wheeled storage, be sure to check out our guides on the best bar carts or beach wagons.

3-Tier Rolling Cart

This three-tiered rolling cart from The Container Store is a storage MVP, known for organizing anything from toiletries to crafts, and it’s also been used by several bookstagrammers to house their collections too. It comes in eight different pretty hues, which you could match to your decor or even coordinate with the genre of your choice (pink for romance, dark gray for thrillers). Each mesh-lined tier measures 17" x 14.25" which can easily fit more than a few thick hardcover books — just note that each shelf can only hold 6.6 pounds. Plus, the wheels make it easy to roll it from your library to your office easily.

Pro tip: You can deck it out with library- and book-themed stickers for a truly personal look.

3 Tier Rolling Cart

This slender cart comes in at under $20 and is ready to be loaded with books. The cart itself is a little more than 30 inches tall but you could even opt to use it as a two-tier shelf if you’d like. The wheels are lockable and also detachable, in case you don’t want it moving around at all, as are the handles. It's also fairly narrow which makes it a good fit for small spaces. However, its tiers aren’t as deep as some other carts, so you’ll have to stuff them full to ensure the books won’t topple over. The plastic construction also isn’t as durable as metal options.

Local Branch Library Cart

No kid's room is complete without a collection of nursery rhymes and children’s books. You’ll also need a spot to display them all. This wooden cart is the perfect place and features an angled top shelf that makes books easy to access and prevents them from toppling over when one is removed. The shelves are 28 inches long and 14 inches deep, perfect for accommodating plenty of oversize kid's hardcovers and bulky board books. The white color also coordinates with most color schemes. The locking casters can prevent a child from rolling it, which is a nice safety feature especially if you have a toddler who may lean on the cart or use it for leverage.

Because the bottom tier is flat without a rim to help books stand upright, you’ll either have to lay books horizontally or use bookends to keep them propped up — or opt to use it as a space to hold bins of toys instead.

Christiern Single-sided Mobile Book Cart

This classic metal cart designed with schools and libraries in mind will have you singing the praises of the Dewey Decimal System. In other words, it's sturdy enough for industrial use yet so practical you'll want one for your house. Each of the three long shelves can hold up to 85 pounds — that's a lot of hardcovers. It comes fully assembled aside from the attachable wheels, so there is little work on your end. When the wheels aren’t locked, the smooth, rounded handles make it easy to maneuver through doorways and hallways. The sides are perforated panels that provide additional air circulation for your books.

The painted metal style comes in three colors (blue, black and putty), which may not work with every decor, but it might brighten up your favorite reading spot.

Wood Book Cart

At 32 inches long, this large book cart is perfect for the person with an ever-growing collection. Made from maple melamine laminated MDF, it has two tiers that each has an angled shelf to keep books nicely in place, plus it makes it easier to see the titles on the binds. The lower shelf is quite tall at 15 inches and each shelf can hold 100 pounds and are 8.4 inches deep to store even the thickest of epics.

The castors are heavy duty, with a weight-bearing capacity of 70 pounds each, and two of them can lock. The wheels are also completely optional to put on — just note that the assembly involves screwing the cart together, making it a bit more complicated than some of the other carts.

How we choose the best book carts

To find the best book carts, the experts at the Good Housekeeping Institute researched a variety of sizes that would work well in different types of spaces. When choosing the top ones, we assessed weight capacity, making sure that they could at least hold a dozen or so books, or about 25 pounds.

While we considered all materials to offer options at different price points, we prioritized those that will last longer and have the strength to hold more books. We also looked at the quality of the wheels, and favored carts that featured brakes that would prevent the carts from accidentally rolling. Tiers are also key; we made sure there was enough space between the shelves, so it would be easy to add and remove books. We prioritized options with angled or taller sides to make the books less likely to fall over.

What to look for when shopping for book carts

There are a few features you should consider before picking one for your bookish lifestyle.

✔️ Weight capacity: Depending on how many books you want to hold, you’re going to need a cart that can bear the weight — because even 10 books will add up quickly. Here's a guideline to help you figure out the weight capacity you'll need to look for to house your collection: The average hardcover book with 460 pages weighs one pound, two ounces, while the average paperback with 300 pages weighs 15.6 ounces, according to the Penn Book Center.

✔️ Material: The most common materials for a book cart are metal, wood and plastic. Wood and metal are more durable options, while plastic carts will be lighter and more inexpensive.

✔️ Tiers: A nice feature of book carts are angled shelves which keep books propped up, but even a wide rim around the perimeter will help them stand upright. Look at the amount of space between the shelves to make sure there's enough leeway to make pulling out books as accessible as possible.

✔️ Wheels: Casters make transporting books so much easier. Wheels that are designed with a locking mechanism are especially important if the cart is going to be around young children to prevent accidental rolling.

✔️ Color options: Finding a cart that suits your book aesthetic can be just as important as the cart itself. A colorful option gives you the opportunity to match the cart with the color schemes of your books or your library itself.

✔️ Air circulation: If you are concerned about keeping your pages fresh and less at risk of mildew or that old book smell, pick a cart that offers some extra airflow. Mesh shelves or perforated sides will help air circulate, especially if you don’t plan on taking them out too often.

Why trust Good Housekeeping?

For more than 100 years, the scientists, engineers and analysts at the Good Housekeeping Institute have been testing consumer products for the home that make life easier.

This roundup was written by contributing writer Courtney Campbell, a longtime product reviewer and lifestyle writer whose work has appeared in media outlets such as USA Today’s Reviewed, Domino and Apartment Therapy. She's also an avid reader, who selected these book carts based on hours of research of the current products available in the market as well as her personal experience with storing and organizing her constantly expanding collection of hardcovers and paperbacks.

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