This shelf is a little pricier then other similar ones but they were not available so I went with it. It is some kind of painted hardened cardboard but pretty solid. The bracket and hardware are decent and hold the shelf tight against the wall. I pre-screwed the bottom set screws and backed them off before putting the shelf on the bracket. They are pretty hard to screw and would be impossible to do from underneath while on the bracket. I also used a power drill.