Frequently Asked Questions About Office Storage and Filing

Cupboards, filing cabinets and lockers are three useful storage categories for office planning. They hold different contents, and our wider storage range also includes pedestal cabinets and shelving.

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A pegboard keeps small tools and supplies visible on a vertical surface using hooks, cups and holders. It is useful when the alternative is repeatedly searching through a drawer for the same few items.

In an office, it can hold cables, headphones and stationery, provided the board and fittings are suitable. Keep the objects you use most within easy reach and leave occasional items elsewhere. It is an organising surface rather than a replacement for load rated shelving, especially for heavy equipment or files.

The main drawback of modular storage is that you can become dependent on one system. A future addition needs to match the dimensions, connections and available components, not just the colour.

It can also cost more than a single unit once you add the doors, drawers, feet and fittings you want. Modularity is worth paying for when you have a realistic plan to rearrange or expand. If the layout is unlikely to change, a complete used cupboard may give you the storage you need more simply.

In a small office, pedestal cabinets can keep daily items close to the desk, while shallow office cupboards can use space elsewhere without taking over the main working surface.

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A slim cupboard beside the desk, a nearby filing cabinet or suitable shelving can replace drawers underneath it. Moving storage away from the kneehole can give your legs and chair more room.

Our office cupboards and filing cabinets are relevant options when you want storage away from the desk. A separate mobile pedestal beside the desk may also work, but check its height and drawer opening before treating it as a side unit. Keep daily items within easy reach and place occasional supplies further away.

The small drawer cabinet beside or underneath a desk is usually called a pedestal. My Used Furniture's pedestal cabinet collection includes the relevant type of desk storage, with the exact drawer layout shown on each listing.

A mobile pedestal has castors, a fixed pedestal attaches beneath the desk and a desk height pedestal can provide a side surface where intended. A filing pedestal is configured for files, unlike a unit made only for shallow stationery drawers. Check folder compatibility and leave enough room for your legs and for the drawers to open.

A tambour door saves the floor space that an ordinary cupboard door needs to swing open. Its linked slats retract along tracks, so you can access the cabinet without stepping around an open door.

When browsing our office cupboards, look at the door arrangement as well as the external size. A tambour design can be useful beside desks, although its track and shutter still occupy space within the unit. On a used cabinet, check the opening, smooth travel, slats and keys. Not every cupboard uses the same mechanism.

Tambour doors mainly differ in the direction the shutter travels. Some slide sideways into the cabinet, while others retract upwards. The slats, handles and track design also vary.

The usable opening may be smaller than the cabinet's full width, so check that larger items will pass through it. Our office storage guide is useful when deciding whether a tambour cupboard or another type of storage suits the room. For a used unit, smooth travel and intact tracks matter more than the label on its own.

A general office cabinet is usually called a cupboard or storage cabinet. More specific names tell you what it does: a filing cabinet organises files, a pedestal stores items at a desk, a credenza is typically low and wide, and a locker separates personal belongings.

These names help narrow the search, but they do not establish the fittings inside. A lockable cupboard may have adjustable shelves, fixed compartments or no shelves at all. Look at the internal layout before ordering.

A credenza looks like a low, wide cabinet, often combining doors and drawers. In an office it commonly sits along a wall or behind a desk, providing enclosed storage and a top surface where the design permits.

If you are choosing between a credenza, cupboard and pedestal, our office storage guide explains the different roles. A credenza is usually wider and lower than a tall cupboard, but its internal layout can be intended for shelves, files or equipment. Those arrangements are not interchangeable.

A credenza is the lower storage unit. A hutch is the upper section that sits or mounts above a desk or base cabinet, usually adding shelves or cupboards.

Our office storage guide helps separate those terms from pedestals, cupboards and shelving. A credenza can be a standalone piece, while a hutch needs the correct supporting unit and fixing arrangement. Do not assume an upper unit can safely be placed on any base simply because the widths match.

Office storage drawers are usually described by their unit: pedestal drawers, filing drawers or multidrawer cabinets. The useful distinction is what they hold.

At My Used Furniture, our pedestal cabinets and multidrawer cabinets are separate collections. A pedestal may combine stationery space with a filing drawer, while a multidrawer unit can divide documents or supplies into more compartments. Read the internal dimensions and intended use rather than deciding from the number of drawer fronts alone.

The main fittings are suspension file rails, hanging folders and dividers. The rails support the folders, the folders hold paperwork, and dividers separate sections or keep contents in place.

Our filing cabinet guide explains why the filing format matters. A4 and foolscap arrangements can need different spacing, and a filing pedestal also needs the correct drawer fittings. Check what is included with the actual cabinet rather than assuming every empty drawer is ready for hanging files.

A filing pedestal is a compact alternative to a larger filing cabinet when you want a smaller set of active files beside the desk. Our pedestal cabinets should be checked for the specific filing layout, because a stationery pedestal is not the same thing.

If you do not need hanging files, office cupboards for ring binders or shelving with labelled archive boxes may be more useful. Separate daily paperwork from records you rarely open so that the most accessible space goes to the items you actually use. Digital storage can reduce new paper, but retention obligations still need to be considered before originals are destroyed.

The two common layouts are vertical filing cabinets and lateral filing cabinets. A vertical cabinet is relatively narrow, with drawers extending towards you. A lateral cabinet is wider and organises files across a broader drawer.

Our filing cabinets are a starting point for choosing the larger unit. For fewer active files beside a desk, also consider a filing pedestal from our pedestal collection. In either case, check A4 or foolscap compatibility, included rails, drawer clearance and the condition of the mechanism. The furniture's outside size is not its usable filing capacity.

You can find compact filing cabinets and filing pedestals at My Used Furniture. Browse our filing cabinet range for a standalone unit, or our pedestal cabinet range for storage beside or beneath a desk.

A filing pedestal is useful when you want active files close to your working position without a tall cabinet. Check that the actual drawer layout takes your folders, because a stationery pedestal does not necessarily take hanging files. Measure the space for opening the drawers and read whether the listing is for one unit or a matching set.

Keep the top of a filing cabinet clear or use it for light items within the cabinet's instructions. It is not automatically an equipment stand just because it has a flat surface.

A heavy printer or stack of archive boxes can change how the unit is loaded, especially while drawers are open. Do not obstruct the filing mechanism or make the cabinet top heavy. If you need a surface for equipment, a purpose designed stand or suitable storage unit is a better starting point than an unverified cabinet top.

My Used Furniture has separate collections for filing cabinets and pedestal cabinets, so both are worth checking when you need somewhere to organise paperwork. Choose a larger cabinet for capacity or a filing pedestal for a smaller set of active files beside the desk.

Look at the actual filing format, drawer arrangement, keys and included rails. A shallow stationery drawer is not a suspension filing drawer, and the pedestal category does not guarantee that every unit holds the same folders. Check whether the price covers one unit or a set.

For a used filing cabinet, we would prioritise the runners, lock and anti tilt mechanism over the badge. A functioning unit in the correct file format is more useful than a prestigious one with faults or missing fittings.

Our filing cabinet guide helps you choose the layout and capacity before focusing on the maker. For a smaller amount of paperwork, a filing pedestal may be enough. A manufacturer label can help identify keys or parts, but it should support the checks that tell you whether the actual cabinet will work.

Common office lockers include full height units for clothing and bags, divided lockers with several smaller compartments, and specialist designs for equipment. In our office lockers collection, the listing's compartment arrangement matters more than the number of doors alone.

A ten door unit gives ten separate spaces, but it does not provide the hanging room of a full height locker. Check the belongings that must fit and how access will be managed. A normal workplace locker should not be assumed suitable for charging batteries or storing hazardous items.

There is no single locker size, because a handbag compartment and a full height locker for clothing serve different purposes. Our office storage guide explains how to plan around the contents rather than the outer cabinet alone.

Specialist manufacturers make lockers for workplaces, schools, leisure facilities and other shared spaces. My Used Furniture's locker collection provides a route to used workplace storage, with the actual compartment and lock details checked on each listing.

A manufacturer label can be useful when identifying replacement keys or fittings. Ask about the condition of the unit you are considering, not just the original design. A locker for bags and clothing is not automatically suitable for specialist storage or charging equipment.

For office records, choose shelving that has a stated load allowance and enough usable depth for the boxes or binders you actually use. Decorative display shelves and archive storage are not the same job.

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The weight allowance belongs to the particular shelf and fixing system, not to the phrase no drill. An adhesive display shelf and a freestanding office shelving unit cannot be given the same limit.

If drilling is not possible, our shelving and racking collection is one place to consider freestanding alternatives. That does not mean every unit can be used without fixing: follow the actual system's instructions and load rating. Heavy records are not a sensible experiment for an adhesive shelf with unclear limits.

Yes, melamine faced board can make a useful office shelf surface because it has a finished face that does not need painting. It is a surface choice, not a load rating.

The core, thickness, span and fittings determine what the shelf can carry. Our office storage guide helps you plan suitable shelving, but use the actual system's loading information for heavy binders or boxes. Keep moisture away from vulnerable edges and do not assume a shelf can bridge a wider gap because the coating looks durable.

Sources: European Panel Federation: melamine-surfaced MDF

Office shelf depth should come from the contents. Ring binders need enough space to sit properly, while archive boxes may need a deeper shelf and more room to pull them out.

When browsing our office shelving and racking, measure the largest typical item and allow access for your hands. Outside cabinet depth is not always usable shelf depth: backs, doors and fittings can reduce the space inside. Use the actual internal measurement and load allowance before choosing a unit for records.

Shelving usually supports items directly on a solid shelf, such as binders, supplies or archive boxes. Racking is a broader structure that can use beams and other supports for larger loads, including systems designed for pallets.

Our office shelving and racking category brings related storage together, but the individual unit's designed use and rating decide what it can carry. Office shelving is not a substitute for pallet racking. Identify the system, correct components and installation requirements rather than inferring capacity from its appearance.

Sources: HSE HSG76: warehousing and storage

Shelf width is the usable span between its supports, and it varies by system. Work out how many binders or boxes you want across each shelf and how much wall space the full bay needs.

Our office storage guide is useful for planning the layout, but loading information must match the actual shelf size. A wider span does not necessarily carry the same weight as a narrower shelf made from similar board. Allow for uprights and fittings when measuring the complete unit.

If the racking design requires floor anchors, they need to be installed. An empty rack standing upright is not evidence that anchoring is unnecessary once it is loaded or used.

Read the full answer in our buying guide.

At My Used Furniture, our office storage includes cupboards, lockers, shelving and pedestal cabinets, with filing cabinets in a separate collection. Start with the contents you need to store and the space available.

Read the full answer in our buying guide.