Organizing your Lego Collection

[Poonagi]

Recently I started the arduous task of organizing my entire Lego collection (which i hadn't touched in 5+ years). I went out and purchased 8x 15quart plastic bins and sorted all of my Lego by color. A couple of colors share bins (red+yellow, white+brown, etc). The Grays and Blacks needed slightly larger bins.

What I'm now finding is that this method of organization isn't THAT effective at all. I may know that the piece i need is a small gray plate, but finding it is still like finding a needle in a haystack. So I'm thinking of reorganizing by piece type, or by both color and piece type (but that's a lot of work, and a lot of containers!).

My question to you all is... how do YOU organize your collection? (keep in mind, this is with maximum building efficiency as the main goal)

[JoshWedin]

I used to have them in one big bin. Then I sorted by color. But I ran into the same problem as you. It is really hard to find the one piece you need in a big bin of black, for example. But it is the cheapest way to sort. Now I sort by type and some of the types are also sorted by color.

Josh

[Remyth]

I used to have them in one big bin. Then I sorted by color. But I ran into the same problem as you. It is really hard to find the one piece you need in a big bin of black, for example. But it is the cheapest way to sort. Now I sort by type and some of the types are also sorted by color.

Josh

WOW! This is exactly what I did! That is pretty amazing!

In Christ,

[RichardAM]

-Bricks and plates are all sorted by colour and placed in "freezer bags", with all of the different bags in one giant box. Tiles and slopes are also in here.

-Minifigs are sorted into a compartment toolbox with torso and bottoms organised by colour, as well as footwear, neckgear, and helmets. Minifig utensils and weapons are in another toolbox exactly the same sorted by piece, while one for animals is something currently ongoing.

-In another gigantic box I have lots of other bags. There will be one for windows, tires, doors, ladders, BURPs, stairs and arches. Basically anything that isn't "conventional".

-I also currently have two crates full of completed Lego sets. One is entirely for the Adventurer line, while in the other I have some of my pirates and castle sets.

All of these boxes are in the garage in an industrial steel locker. Obviously ideally i'd love to have my Lego in the house and sorted out even further, but it does work if you plan ahead and remember to put everything back in the right place. when I get my own house i'm certainly getting a "workshop" of my own though.

[Athos]

Mine are sorted mostly by color, but my goal is to someday have them sorted by color and type.

Steve

[Morgan19]

"None."

Mine's currently sorted in Ziploc bags by set (each set goes in a big, assuming it'll fit in one), which then go in those big Rubbermaid tubs. If I've mixed sets up, then as many random pieces are mixed up into a bag as can fit. I think I'm up to around fourteen or fifteen tubs so far, over twenty-some-odd years of collecting.

m19

[kelderic]

I have 90% of my Legos in a series of two big bin, 5 smaller ones, and several boxes. The other ten percent consists of pieces I am using to work on whatever project I am currently working on, and they cover my desk.

Kelderic

[DARKspawn]

Me? Sorted by both colour & type with a couple of exceptions due to number of pieces (ie all dark red elements are in one container as I don't have alot of them yet)

[JoshWedin]

a couple of exceptions due to number of pieces (ie all dark red elements are in one container as I don't have alot of them yet)

I do this too. I have a drawer for colors of which I don't have much, such as dark red and the new tan.

Josh

[Poonagi]

wow, i find it really interesting to hear about how ya'll have everything sorted. good stuff.

[BreadMan]

I went straight to piece type, best thing I've ever done. Later I started accruing large quantities of slightly less common colors like green and tan which I keep separate from the rest, but sorted into 2 bins, one for bricks and one plates. And certain things are starting to get sorted by both; I have three bins for 1x2 bricks, and one of them is 'monochromes' only - grey white and black.

[Grrr]

In a rather large collection of takeaway containers (they are shallow, transparent, hold a litre (which is about the right size), and cost $10 for 50 with lids.

Plates/bricks are sorted by colour and size, with each usually taking up multiple boxes (but getting a litre of 1x2's out at a time is fine anyway).

Tiles, slope bricks and other standardish pieces are also sorted by this means.

More specialized parts are sorted by type, eg a box of palm leaves, a box of legs, a box of minifig spears, a box of gray wall panels, brown horses, etc ...

I have a few larger boxes which are used for things like burps, pirate ship bases, railway tracks, and a large crate entirely full of baseplates.

___

In my experience sorting by colour and part doesn't harm sorting time much at all from dismantling a model, as usually it will only have 2 or 3 main colours in the palette, and greatly assists building over sorting by just colour or type.

The takeaway containers work a treat, particularly as it is easy to rattle through them to get a piece from the bottom. They stack nicely, and it is easy to find a box of something in the cupboard (the main issues I've had with zippy bags).

[J1A3L5]

Until recently, I would have chosen the "by type", but more and more I've been going to colour & type. Sorting by type is the dominate sorting method, but most of my frequently-used pieces are colour-sorted too.

All my bricks are sorted by colour, with light grey further sorted into separate types according to size. Most of my 1x1 & 1x2 pieces are sorted according to type & colour, along with lots more. Most of my smaller (read: more useful) plates are sorted by colour & size, mostly under 2x6...tan, green and brown plates are also sorted out in larges sizes! Of course, there's too many types of pieces that get sorted for putting in a thread, or even listing from one's head...

Ultimately, it boils down to what is most useful to me: My most important and commonly used parts are very well sorted, while my less useful pieces (castle wall sections, spaceship engines, car bases, and much more) aren't as refined, and are often only minimally separated.

-John L.

[Blueandwhite]

I sort using a combination of methods.

a) Basic bricks are sorted by colour: Where there are large quantities, those bricks may be further sub-divided into specific bricks and plates (grey and black bricks in particular)

b) Items sorted by type: Windows, tiles, jumper plates, slops, modified slopes, arches etc. Where there are large quantities, these may be sub-divided by colour (again, greys and blacks have their own distinct bins

c) Items sorted by use: This is something a bit different, and comes from experience. I find that certain elements tend to be used in combination with each other. For example, burps & lurps, & all non-corner wall pieces (the later are almost always used for supporting a castle or tower. Because these are used at the foot of a structure, it makes sense to group them together as they will be used in conjunction with each other. The same can be said of windows, doors and other fixtures which could easily be grouped together.

Later.

[g2]

My storage system has just EVOLVED over the years. It started in 10L storage containers, being separated by zip-lock bags. Then I purchased small plastic drawers and separated some pieces by type and not by color), then I purchased some more drawers and had even more pieces sorted, but this time by condition (I have my used Lego sorted separately to my new Lego). I now also have about 8 colors separated (the different grays, both light and dark, tan, Lime, Sand Blue and Sand Green).

I really need to start over and have ONE system.

Sorting Lego can be fun, but impossible to come up with a perfect answer. I think that space is an issue when sorting and storing Lego…. I think I have already said too much on the topic.

Good luck to everyone sorting their Lego.