Loss of furniture stability may constitute a rapidly occurring, direct hazard to the user's life or health. Studies conducted to date have concerned the effect of the type of material and method of back wall attachment on its stability. In contrast, practically no analogous data are available on the stability of side walls. In the case of loading with a vertical force applied on a furniture item supported at three corners all the elements are subjected to torsional strain. However, the static pattern changes when the structure is supported at four corners. Then loading of a piece of furniture with a vertical force results in slight displacements in the direction of the acting force, whereas buckling and considerable deflections are perpendicular to the direction of that load. This has a significant effect on side wall stability. For this reason it was decided in this study to determine the effect of side wall structure on stability (buckling) and postbuckling behaviour of side walls in cabinet furniture. The analyses consisted in numerical calculations using the Finite Element method. Three types of side wall structures were used: particleboard, honeycomb panel and board-on-frame. Values of critical forces, lateral deflections and normal stresses in the direction of the acting load were calculated. Testing results confirmed that the honeycomb panel provides the most advantageous structure for side walls.