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Whether it’s the desk at your office or a table working from home, there might just be documents everywhere. It can be frustrating to work in that kind of environment due to how unorganized and inefficient it is. No one really wants to spend 20 minutes looking for a single page, right?

Filing cabinets can be really helpful as they help you arrange everything into a better and more sensible order. There are a variety of cabinet types, features, and accessories to get through though before you settle on one that’d be perfect for your work though.

Before you start checking out an order, let’s sort and understand all your filing cabinet options.

Filing Cabinet Types

Although one would think that there is a universal filing cabinet that everyone uses, that’s not the case. Most of these can differ in terms of capacity, mobility, and organization type. When you’re choosing one for your work, try to consider which one you’d like to have in your cabinet.

Here are five that you should consider:

• Open Shelf Filing. An open shelf filing cabinet is what you’d usually imagine as bookshelves at the library. Without a drawer to pull out, this provides a great deal of accessibility and visibility. Some see it at the cost of privacy, though it greatly appeals to plenty of people regardless.

• Lateral Filing. The standard for workplace cabinets is usually lateral filing cabinets, since they're quite large and easy to operate. This offers a bit more security than the open shelf filing as this features about two to four layers of drawers, accommodating many papers.

• Vertical Filing. If a lateral filing cabinet seems a little too wide for your space, consider vertical filing cabinets instead. Despite the reduced capacity, documents can fit quite snugly in the drawers of this cabinet type.

• Flat Filing. Flat filing cabinets have a very special design, as there are draws involved. What sets it apart from any regular cabinet is how narrow each drawer can be. This is perfect for important documents that are stored only a couple of pages at a time.

• Mobile Filing. These types of cabinets are specifically known for the wheels that it has at the bottom of the cabinet, though they’re often a hybrid with other cabinet types. They are perfect for workers who want to move around and bring their paperwork with them.

Filing Cabinet Features

Aside from cabinet type, there are also certain features that you’ll want to consider before sealing the deal. For example, you may want filing cabinets that have a lock on them for a layer of extra privacy. There’s also the material that the filing cabinet is made out of, with some utilizing fireproof and water-resistant substances.

Filing Cabinet Accessories

There are storage accessories that can help take your filing cabinet to the next level. For example, drawer dividers like follower blocks can be extremely helpful to segregate files and allocate where each type of document goes. Hanging bars for the papers can also be a good substitute to get the job done.

Conclusion

Reading this through should give you a better idea of what filing cabinets will be best suited for your space and the organization that you’re going for. It may seem like a lot of thought, but a cabinet will be used long-term. Choose wisely.

Want more office equipment like filing cabinets? IDM Products, LLC is a Texas-based supply chain integration, procurement, and distribution company that offers office supplies and furniture. Contact us today!