Which method do you use when sorting LEGO bricks? How long does it take you to find a specific LEGO brick or specialty piece you are looking for? More than a couple of minutes? Do you have to dump your entire collection out onto the floor to search for a missing piece?

If you are answering yes to any of these questions, you are sorting your LEGO bricks incorrectly. Yes, it is possible to do so. I also was sorting them incorrectly for almost 30 years. This guide will examine why most of us are sorting our LEGO bricks incorrectly and what do to about it. We will examine if your collection is sorted wrong (it probably is), and why you should take the time and effort to sort it correctly. Believe it or not, you will save time in the long run.

You are Sorting LEGO Bricks Wrong

First, we need to examine your LEGO collection and determine if it is sorted incorrectly. Take a look at the images below.

Top clues to determine if you can sort your bricks more effectively:

LEGO bricks are not sorted at all and are stored all together in a large container. At least the container is transparent.

LEGO bricks are sorted by color. An attempt was made to sort by brick, but this is still very inefficient.

The worst of them all. What is even stored in here? There are too many boxes and cannot even tell what is inside.

Why You are Sorting LEGO Wrong

If your LEGO collection looks like one of those above, it’s not you’re fault! In all the years of collecting LEGO, no one ever told us the correct way to sort them. The majority of LEGO is purchased in sets, which come in pre-sorted bags in the order of how to build the set. Unless you are planning on displaying the built set, or sort your collection by sets, you need a good way to sort the bricks.

Sorting your LEGO bricks takes some time, planning, and adequate space for storage, so unfortunately, the path of least resistance is to throw all of your loose bricks into a plastic bin and hope for the best. This method makes it extremely inefficient to find the exact brick you are looking for, as most of the time is spent digging through a huge pile of bricks.

Why You Should Take the Time to Sort LEGO Right

Putting the initial investment of time to sort your LEGO bricks correctly is well worth it. There are many benefits of doing so:

• You will only have to sort your collection once. Digging through a large plastic bin or pile of bricks on the floor will be a thing of the past. Think about how many times you saw the same brick over and over, and not the one you were looking for.
• You can find the needed brick in a matter of seconds. This will save a lot of time in the long run.
• Your LEGO brick inventory will be much easier to keep track of. You will know much more efficiently which bricks you have, but also which ones you are missing.
• Find missing bricks from your existing sets. It will be much easier to find those one of a kind pieces to complete a missing set.

LEGO Parts Categories

The BrickLink Catalog currently lists over 16,700 sets, 65,400 parts, and 13,000 minifigures. Therefore, you can see why it is important to have a sorting strategy.

BrickLink further breaks the parts down into the following categories:

The sheer amount of categories can feel overwhelming. Before we start to make sense of it, let’s dive in a bit further. The best way to sort LEGO is by part, which is further broken down by size. The three main categories of parts you will be dealing with will be bricks, plates, and decorated pieces.

LEGO Brick Categories

LEGO “bricks” refer to the standard size bricks, and can be categorized by their size based on the number of “studs” each brick has. Studs are the name for the small bumps on top of each piece.

The major brick categories are the following:

As you can see, the bricks are named in the order of Width by Length by Height. The units of the width and length are in studs, whereas the units off the height are in bricks. For example, a 1 x 2 x 3 brick is 1 stud wide, 2 studs long, and 3 bricks high.

LEGO Plate Categories

LEGO “plates” are like thinner versions of the LEGO bricks. I like to refer to them as “flat” bricks. They can also be categorized by their size based on the number of “studs.”

The major plate categories are the following:

The plates are named in the order of Width by Length. The units of the width and length are in studs. Notice that all of the plates are the same height, which is one-third the height of a brick. Therefore, three plates stacked on top of each other equal the height of one brick.

Decorated Parts

The last main category of bricks to sort are the ones with decorations. You may have noticed that many of the categories have “decorated” in their name. This refers to LEGO bricks and pieces with decorations, patterns, or stickers on them. It is important to sort these pieces separately, as they can be hard to find amongst the solid color bricks. Many of the decorated parts are small 1 x 1 or 1 x 2 tiles.

Different Methods to Sort LEGO

There are many different ways to sort LEGO bricks. A few of them are described at the beginning of this article. Take a look at these methods in more detail below.

Sorting LEGO Bricks All Together

This method guarantees that you will have a very difficult time finding the part that you need. This method is basically taking all of your bricks and putting them in the same large plastic storage bin. Finding the part that you need entails digging around in the large bin, becoming frustrated, and eventually dumping the bricks out onto the floor. There is a better way!

Sorting by Color

This is another method that seems like an improvement, but it is not much better than sorting the bricks all together. This method involves sorting all the bricks of the same color together, without regards to size, shape, or type. This method might work for colors where you don’t have a lot of bricks, but for the larger colors such as black, grey, or white, it doesn’t work very well. It is still difficult to find smaller or decorated pieces.

Sorting by Set

This is a great way to sort LEGO if you are able to accomplish it. The easiest way is to keep the sets separate as you purchase them, and store each set separately. The downside is that this method can take up quite a bit of storage space.

Sorting by Part

In our opinion, this is the best way to sort LEGO. The method involves taking all pieces of the same part and sorting them together, without regards to color. For example, this means taking all of the 1 x 2 bricks of any color and sorting them together. You do not have to use all of the parts categories listed above, but you may find it helpful to use a fair amount of them. The main downside of this method is that it requires a large amount of time to do the sorting, but as described above, it is well worth it.

The Best Way to Sort LEGO

In conclusion, the best method of sorting LEGO is by part! If you are sorting your bricks wrong, now you don’t have to worry! We hope you have found this comprehensive guide to sorting LEGO helpful. Let us know in the comments what method you use.

The post Biggest Mistakes When Sorting LEGO and How to Fix Them appeared first on The Brick Parent.

Hopefully your LEGO storage looks more like the right of the picture than the left. However, it is not uncommon that LEGO bricks are stored in multiple containers with no easy way to see what is inside! This post will cover the best solutions for LEGO storage. Included are some of our favorite storage containers and solutions.

IRIS Storage Solutions

IRIS is a great brand for your storage needs. We have several of the below storage containers for organizing our collection. The latched lids are great for kids to carry around so the bricks don’t fall out.

6-Case Activity Chest with Organizer Top

This activity chest by IRIS comes with 6 removable multicolored cases. Each of these cases has an attached lid. The lid latches on well for easy transport and to keep the LEGO bricks from falling out. The assorted colors are nice for a children’s room or toy room. We have one of these units in our LEGO room and it works very well. I like that the cases slide in and out easily.

2-Piece Sorting Tray Dividing Set

These sorting trays by IRIS come in a set of two. They fit perfectly inside the above activity cases. They are very helpful to sort and store accessories, small bricks, or one-of-a-kind pieces. We have a set of these which we use to sort minifigure accessories, bricks with decorations or patterns, and vehicle accessories, such as steering wheels.

6-Case Scrapbook Cart with Organizer Top

This scrapbook cart by IRIS also comes with 6 removable cases. The cases are clear, but the outside tower comes in white or black. These cases are larger than the ones in the activity chest above. Therefore, they will not fit the sorting trays as well. However, the larger case size allows a lot more LEGO bricks to fit inside. The cases latch well so the bricks cannot fall out. We also have one of these in our LEGO room.

10-Drawer Cart with Organizer Top

This storage cart by IRIS comes with 10 drawers. Each drawer has plastic tabs in the back to prevent it from falling out, but they are also removable by pressing the sides in pulling the drawer out. Adult assistance would be required to remove the drawer. We have one of these carts in our LEGO room. We use it to store wheels and other larger items such as plates. The cart also comes in 4-drawer and 7-drawer sizes.

Storage Cabinets

Storage cabinets with drawers of varying sizes are a great way to sort smaller bricks or pieces.

44-Drawer Storage Hardware and Craft Cabinet

This storage cabinet by Akro-Mils comes with 44-drawers. Only 8 small drawer dividers and 4 large drawer dividers are included, but not all storage cabinets have the ability to support dividers. Storage cabinets like these are great for LEGO storage. Be sure to store it in a place where it can’t fall over! We don’t have one of these yet in our LEGO room, but it is on our list! They come in many different sizes, such as 24-drawer and 64-drawer.

Storage Containers

Storage containers are great for storing complete sets, instruction manuals, and bricks with decorations or patterns. They come in many different sizes and are stackable. We like to store several smaller containers inside the larger ones to stay even more organized!

6-Quart/5.7 Liter Storage Boxes

These small storage boxes by Sterilite are great to store individual LEGO sets, instruction manuals, or loose bricks. You can even stack and store several small boxes together in a larger box. They are clear which makes it convenient to see what is stored inside. We have several of these in our collection for storing complete LEGO sets.

We hope that these LEGO storage solutions help organize your collection! Let us know in the comments what your favorite storage solutions are!

The post Best Solutions for LEGO Storage appeared first on The Brick Parent.

Are you and your child new to the World of LEGO and are wondering where to begin? Then “The Brick Parent Starter Guide” is for you!

Below is a step-by-step guide to starting out! It will continue to be updated as our blog grows and expands! Feel free to follow them in order, or skip around as guided by your needs and interests!

Please comment below how this guide has been helpful to you and any suggestions on what to add!

LEGO is About Family

One of my earliest childhood memories is of myself coming down the stairs on Christmas morning to find the LEGO set 6285 Black Seas Barracuda (pictured on the right) completely built sitting on the coffee table. At the time, I was too young to be able to build it myself, but I couldn’t believe the amazing sight I was beholding. I remember years later my mom told me that my dad had stayed up all night building it (I can believe that after spending hours building the 71044 Disney Train and Station for my son). This epic pirate ship was one of the first LEGO sets I ever owned, and helped to launch my lifelong hobby.

Over 30 years later, the original Black Seas Barracuda has survived! Although, it needs a few missing or damaged parts replaced. (I accidently melted the cannons with matches when trying to make a LEGO movie decades ago – DO NOT try this at home!)

Now as a parent myself, I am thrilled to be able to share my hobby with my child. Not every parent may have grown up with LEGO as I did, so they may need some help and guidance with getting started! LEGO has been around for decades and there is a lot to learn and know. Below is our starter guide for parents, which provides an overview of how to begin your LEGO hobby with your kids.

Parents Starter Guide

Step 1: Sign up for the free LEGO Life Magazine

• Explore how and why you should sign your child up for the LEGO Magazine! It is completely free and you can keep up to date on the newest sets and news. Don’t forget to also sign up for the free VIP weekly newsletter!

Step 2: Find missing instructions

• It can be very frustrating to not have the correct instructions for the set you want to build! Fortunately, there are a couple of free ways to find the missing instructions that you need! No more taping ripped or torn instructions back together!

Step 3: Find missing bricks

• Are you ever in the middle of building a set and can’t seem to find a brick or two to complete it? This post will help you discover how to replace missing bricks to complete your sets or custom creations.

Step 4: How to buy LEGO bricks in bulk

• How is it that some families seem to have such large collections of bricks? They buy in bulk! Learn how to expand your collection or bricks, minifigures, and specialty pieces.

Step 5: How to sort LEGO bricks

• Now that you have a large LEGO collection, you should check out how to sort your bricks correctly. Learn how to find the brick you want quickly and efficiently.

Step 6: Best storage solutions

• As your collection grows it can quickly become a storage nightmare! A large plastic bin is not the answer! Discover how to store LEGO efficiently and effectively.

Step 7: How to find LEGO sales and deals

• It is not that hard to find sales and deals on LEGO! Explore this list of websites and stores to find great sales, deals, coupon codes, and more.

We hope that this comprehensive parents guide to LEGO has been helpful for you! We would love to hear from you in the comments with any questions or feedback. Which part of the guide do you like the most?

The post New to LEGO Starter Guide appeared first on The Brick Parent.