File Cabinets - Selection Process

File cabinets are available into two main types - vertical and lateral.
Vertical cabinets are the preferred choice of the people who need to store their files in a systematic way. These are available with a number of drawers ranging from two to ten, designed for a single file to fit vertically in the width. Despite being quite deep, these file cabinets take up very little width on a wall, as they are only the width of a single file. A vertical filing cabinet is usually just over a foot wide, and may be anywhere from twelve to thirty inches deep.

Lateral filing cabinets are designed for use where wall space is less important, but depth is an issue. These are wider than vertical files, allowing them to hold documents of much greater width as well as files ranging in width. Such cabinets are not very deep, often less than a foot, but may be up to forty-five inches wide.

Filing cabinets should be made of reinforced steel, ensuring the protection of files. Lastly, many midranges to high-end file cabinets have counterweighted drawers, helping to ensure that the cabinet never tips over, even when multiple high-level drawers are pulled out.
File cabinets may also be outfitted with fire-resistant features that can also protect fragile media such as disks and tapes.
The cost of file cabinets varies widely, depending on their quality, type and size. A fire-resistant, high-capacity, locking lateral file would cost quite a bit. Practical cabinets without frills may enable you to stay within your budget. There is a large enough range of file cabinets available. You are certain to find one with exactly the features you are looking for, without any extraneous add-ons, for a reasonable price.
It is an important task to choose the right file cabinet. Filing is a regular, repetitive and monotonous task for meeting the ongoing needs of the people who deal with files. Therefore, the storage cabinet you choose can make this task easier for you and your staff. After you are convinced that you need at least one file cabinet, and probably more, for your data storage, you then examine just what your file storage needs are before  rushing out and buying a filing cabinet.

The main thing to consider is about the functions you expect your filing cabinets to serve. Decide first about the type of file storage you require and then examine the amount of filing that takes place in your organization. Do not go out for shopping until these two issues are sorted out.The choice of the file cabinet will depend on the sizes of the documents you work with.

The users of files will want to have constant access to the filing cabinets, so they will need to be located close to the people who use them. Unnecessary movements of the staff will then not cause waste of time if these file cabinets are located close to their workstations and not stored in another room. Besides being a storage container for your records, file cabinet is also part of your office furniture.