Used file cabinets are the least glamorous purchase in any office and the one people most often get wrong. Buy the wrong width and your legal-size folders will not hang. Buy the wrong depth and the drawer hits the desk behind it. This guide covers the sizes, the types, and the seven things worth checking before you hand over money for a pre-owned filing cabinet.
Key Points
What to know before you buy a used file cabinet
- Vertical or lateral is the first decision, vertical files are narrow and deep, lateral files are wide and shallow. The right one depends on your wall space, not your file count.
- Letter and legal are different widths, not different drawers. A letter-width vertical cabinet will never hold legal folders front to back, so confirm the size before you buy.
- Commercial-grade used beats residential new at the same price. Steel case, full-extension suspension, and a counterweight that keeps the cabinet from tipping when a loaded drawer is open.
- Seven checks take about two minutes, drawer glide, interlock, counterweight, lock and key, rails, case squareness, and finish. All seven are covered below.
- Save up to 70% off new retail on used file cabinets from Herman Miller, Steelcase, Haworth, HON, and the other commercial brands that come through our Denver warehouse.
Lateral vs vertical file cabinets, and which one fits your office
The lateral vs vertical file cabinet question is about the shape of your room, not the size of your filing. Both hold roughly the same paper per square foot. They just use different footprints, and one of them is usually wrong for the space you have.
Vertical file cabinets
A vertical file cabinet is narrow at the front and deep front to back, with folders hanging one behind the other. Typical widths are about 15 inches for letter and 18 inches for legal, with a depth around 25 to 28 inches. They fit in a corner or a closet, and they are the cheapest way to store a lot of paper.
The catch is the depth. A vertical file needs clear floor in front of it equal to the drawer extension, so a 28 inch cabinet effectively occupies about four and a half feet when someone is filing. In a tight private office, that is the difference between usable and not.
Lateral file cabinets
A lateral file cabinet is wide and shallow, usually 30, 36, or 42 inches wide and around 18 to 20 inches deep, with folders hanging side to side. Because the drawer does not extend as far, laterals work along a wall, under a window, or as a credenza behind a desk. The tops are useful surfaces, which vertical files never really are.
Laterals also hold both letter and legal in the same drawer on most models, because the folders hang across the width. If your filing is a mix, a lateral removes the letter versus legal problem entirely.
Mobile pedestals and under-desk files
A pedestal is a two or three drawer box that lives under a desk, usually a box-box-file or file-file configuration. They are the right answer for personal filing at a workstation, and they come through in volume with every workstation system we take in. If you are buying desks at the same time, see our used office desks in Denver, since many come with a matching pedestal already.
Flat files and map files
Flat files, also called map files or plan files, store large-format drawings flat in wide shallow drawers. Architecture, engineering, and construction firms need them and they are painful to buy new. We cover those on the other used office furniture page.
Used file cabinet sizes and dimensions, letter vs legal
File cabinet dimensions are close to standardized across commercial brands, which is what makes buying used practical in the first place. A four drawer vertical from one manufacturer will sit next to a four drawer vertical from another and look deliberate.
These are the ranges you will see most often. Manufacturers vary by an inch or two, so measure the opening you are filling and confirm the actual dimensions of the unit before you commit.
Vertical file cabinets run about 15 inches wide for letter and 18 inches for legal, with a depth of roughly 25 to 28 inches. Heights land near 29 inches for two drawers, 40 inches for three, and 52 inches for four.
Lateral file cabinets come in 30, 36, and 42 inch widths, about 18 to 20 inches deep. A two drawer lateral is roughly 27 to 29 inches tall, which is desk height, and each additional drawer adds around 12 to 13 inches.
Letter and legal refers to the folder, not the cabinet class. Letter folders are 8.5 by 11 inches, legal are 8.5 by 14. In a vertical cabinet the folder hangs front to back, so the cabinet width has to match. In a lateral, most drawers convert between the two with the rails that come with the unit.
Locking file cabinets and fire-rated units
Locks. Most commercial file cabinets have a cam lock at the top that secures every drawer at once through a locking bar. The question to ask about a used unit is not whether it locks but whether the key exists. Cores can be replaced inexpensively by a locksmith, so a cabinet with no key is still worth buying if the price reflects it. Ask before you assume.
Fire-rated is not the same as locking. A true fire-resistant cabinet is a different product: heavier, insulated, and rated by an independent lab. The common rating is UL Class 350, which means the interior stays below 350 degrees Fahrenheit for the rated period, usually one hour, in a standardized furnace test. That temperature matters because paper chars above it.
Fire-rated cabinets are far heavier than standard units, which affects delivery, elevators, and floor loading. They come through our Denver warehouse occasionally from office decommissioning projects, though availability varies week to week. If you need one, check the label on the unit for the rating and the lab, and call ahead rather than driving over.
The 7-point inspection for a used file cabinet
This takes about two minutes per cabinet and it is the difference between a bargain and a piece of scrap. Do it with a drawer loaded if you can, because an empty drawer hides most problems.
- Drawer glide. Pull each drawer to full extension and push it back. It should roll, not grind or drop at the end of travel. Commercial units use ball-bearing suspension; a gritty feel usually means a bent rail rather than a dead cabinet.
- Interlock. Open one drawer and try to open a second. On a commercial cabinet it should refuse. The interlock is what stops a loaded cabinet from tipping onto someone, and a failed one is the single best reason to walk away.
- Counterweight. Laterals and tall verticals carry a weight in the base. Tip the empty cabinet gently; it should feel bottom-heavy. A missing counterweight is a genuine safety problem, not a cosmetic one.
- Lock and key. Turn the lock with the key, then confirm every drawer is actually secured, not just the top one. No key is negotiable on price. A lock that turns but does not engage the bar is a repair.
- Rails and hangers. Look inside for the hanging rails and follower blocks. Rails are cheap and available, but you want to know whether you are buying them before you get the cabinet back to the office.
- Case squareness. Sight down the front of the cabinet. Drawer faces should line up with even gaps. A racked case, usually from being dragged loaded, will never close cleanly and cannot be economically fixed.
- Finish and edges. Scratches on a steel cabinet are cosmetic. Rust at the base, dents that pinch a drawer path, and delaminated laminate on a wood-finish lateral are the ones that matter.
Not sure which one you need?
Filing is the part of an office nobody wants to think about
You know roughly how much paper you have and roughly where it needs to live. What you do not have is a spare afternoon to learn the difference between a 36 inch and a 42 inch lateral, or to find out after delivery that the drawer opens into a doorway.
That is what our team does every week. Tell us the wall you are filling and what is going in the drawers, and we will pull the units that fit from what is on the floor. No catalog, no lead time, no guessing at dimensions.
What used file cabinets cost, and where the savings come from
Used file cabinets are one of the widest price gaps in office furniture. A new commercial lateral from a brand-name manufacturer is a real capital purchase. The same cabinet, pulled from an office that closed after three years, is a fraction of that and has decades of service left, because a steel filing cabinet has almost nothing in it to wear out.
Our used file cabinets run 50 to 70 percent below new retail. The savings are not a discount, they come from the source: we acquire inventory through decommissioning and office liquidation projects across the Front Range, which means our cost basis is the removal, not the manufacturing.
For what is currently in stock, along with sizes, brands, and configurations, see our used file cabinets in Denver page. Filing is usually bought alongside everything else, so if you are furnishing a whole space, start with used office furniture in Denver and we will put the whole order on one truck.
Ready when you are
Tell us what is going in the drawers
Send over the wall dimensions and your folder size, and we will tell you what is on the floor this week that fits. Most file cabinet orders in Denver go out within the same week.
Used file cabinets, frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a lateral and a vertical file cabinet?
A lateral file cabinet is wide and shallow, usually 30 to 42 inches wide and 18 to 20 inches deep, with folders hanging side to side. A vertical file cabinet is narrow and deep, about 15 to 18 inches wide and 25 to 28 inches deep, with folders hanging front to back. Laterals suit wall runs, verticals suit corners and tight rooms.
What are standard file cabinet dimensions?
Standard file cabinet dimensions are about 15 inches wide for a letter vertical and 18 inches for legal, roughly 25 to 28 inches deep. Heights run near 29 inches for two drawers, 40 for three, and 52 for four. Laterals come 30, 36, and 42 inches wide, around 18 to 20 inches deep, with a two drawer unit at desk height.
What is the difference between letter and legal file cabinets?
Letter and legal file cabinets differ in width, because the folder hangs front to back in a vertical unit. Letter folders are 8.5 by 11 inches and legal are 8.5 by 14, so a letter-width cabinet cannot take legal folders. Most lateral cabinets convert between the two using the rails supplied with the unit.
How do I measure for a file cabinet?
Measure the wall width you are filling, the clear floor depth in front of it, and the height of any obstruction such as a window sill or a desk return. Then add the drawer extension to the cabinet depth, since a vertical file needs roughly its own depth again in clear floor before anyone can reach the folders.
What should I check on a used file cabinet before buying?
Check the drawer glide at full extension, the safety interlock that prevents two drawers opening at once, the counterweight in the base, the lock and whether a key exists, the hanging rails inside, the squareness of the case, and the finish for rust or dents. Those seven checks take about two minutes per cabinet.
Are used file cabinets worth buying?
Used file cabinets are among the best value in used office furniture, because a steel filing cabinet has very little in it that wears out. A commercial-grade unit from a closed office typically has decades of service left and sells 50 to 70 percent below new retail, which puts it below the price of a new residential-grade cabinet.
Do you have locking used file cabinets?
Most commercial file cabinets in our Denver inventory have a cam lock that secures all drawers through a locking bar, though not every used unit still has its key. Lock cores can be replaced inexpensively by a locksmith, so ask about the key before you assume a cabinet is not an option.
Do you carry used fireproof file cabinets?
Fire-rated file cabinets come through our Denver warehouse occasionally through office decommissioning projects, but availability varies week to week. A true fire-resistant unit carries an independent lab rating such as UL Class 350, is far heavier than a standard cabinet, and should be confirmed by the label on the unit. Call before you drive over.
Where can I buy used file cabinets in Denver?
Used file cabinets in Denver are stocked at Pear Project Services’ 50,000 sq ft warehouse at 11100 E. 55th Avenue, Suite A, in vertical, lateral, pedestal, and flat file configurations from Herman Miller, Steelcase, Haworth, HON, and other commercial brands. Visits are by appointment, Monday through Friday.
Can you deliver file cabinets and take the old ones away?
Yes. Our own crew delivers and places used file cabinets across Denver and the Front Range, and we can remove and recycle the units you are replacing on the same visit. If you are clearing an entire office rather than swapping a few cabinets, that becomes a liquidation or decommissioning project.
One less thing to get wrong
Filing should be the easiest decision in your office
Every other piece of furniture involves taste. File cabinets involve measurements, and measurements are something we can check for you in about five minutes on the phone.
Bring us the dimensions and we will bring the options. Forty years of Denver office projects means we have specified more filing than anyone wants to admit, and we would rather get it right before delivery than fix it after.
Ready when you are
Get the right cabinet the first time
Call or send your dimensions and folder size. We will confirm what fits, what is in stock this week, and what it costs, before anything gets loaded on a truck.
