File Cabinets Buyer's Guide

Types of File Cabinets

There are two main types of file cabinets on the market. The traditional file cabinet is called a vertical file cabinet. These have anywhere from two to five drawers per cabinet. Letter- or legal-sized files are stored facing the front of the drawers.

An alternate design is a lateral filing cabinet. These cabinets are much wider than standard designs, allowing files to be stored front to back or side to side in the drawers. They are also not as deep as vertical cabinets, allowing them to serve as wall partitions or credenzas.

Vertical file cabinets are often preferred in offices where wall space is at a premium. Although vertical files do not hold as much as a lateral file, they take up much less wall space and feature drawer depths ranging from 15 to 28 inches.

Lateral files are more flexible in terms of filing. They can usually hold legal and letter-sized files in the same drawer, while vertical designs must choose one or the other. Lateral drawers are also bigger, holding about one-third more files than a standard vertical unit, with cabinets available in widths from 36 to 42 inches.

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