Choosing a filing cabinet starts with how many drawers you need, the floor space available, and the types of documents you store. This consolidated buying guide compares ten models from our earlier 2-, 3-, 4-, and 5-drawer roundups: two 2-drawer cabinets, three 3-drawer cabinets, three 4-drawer cabinets, and two 5-drawer cabinets. Product availability and prices can change, so verify dimensions, lock configuration, assembly requirements, and seller terms before purchasing.
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Quick Guide: Which Filing Cabinet Size Do You Need?
| Drawers | Best for | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Home offices and light filing | Fits smaller spaces; check letter/legal compatibility |
| 3 | Small teams and mixed-use storage | Useful balance of capacity and footprint |
| 4 | Busy offices and larger archives | Check anti-tip features and total load |
| 5 | High-volume document storage | Consider height, accessibility and anchoring |
2-Drawer Filing Cabinets
ZAOUS Metal 2-Drawer Vertical File Storage Cabinet With Lock
Key features:
- Color options: White and black
- Dimensions: 17.79″D x 15.12″W x 28.66″H
- Material: Alloy steel
- Best for: Home and office use
- Features: High capacity drawers, easy assembly, smooth slide rail, suitable for legal-letter-size files
Review:
The Zaous 2-Drawer File Cabinet with Lock is an excellent choice for small businesses or entrepreneurs. It is ideal for securely storing a small number of essential documents, such as invoices or sales records.
Here are the key features that you will get with this simple yet appealing filing cabinet.
- It includes two large drawers that can accommodate legal or letter-size files.
- Made of high-quality, sturdy metal with good stability and durability.
- This filing cabinet can lock two drawers simultaneously with just one lock and one key.
- The interlocking system prevents the other drawer from opening, avoiding tilting and guaranteeing the security of your documents.
Its dimensions of 15 inches wide and 28 inches tall that makes it the ideal size for small storage and do not take up a lot of floor space.
With its lovely rectangular design, it adds a stylish, eye-catching appearance to any office or house.
Overall, the Zaous 2-Drawer File Cabinet With Lock is a decent choice for any office and home.
Letaya 2-Drawer lateral file cabinet with lock
Key features:
- Color options: Black, camel, and white
- Dimensions: 16″D x 36″W x 29″H
- Number of drawers: 2
- Suitable for: A4, F4, letter, and legal-size files and folders
- Features: Large storage space, easy assembly, built-in interlock system, sturdy metal material
Review:
The Letaya 2-drawer lateral file cabinet is another great pick for most business owners and those who work from home.
It offers impressive storage capacity with two broad drawers. Each drawer has adjustable hanging bars capable of accommodating letter, legal, A4, and F4 size files and folders.
As you know, lateral filing cabinets are famous for their expansive storage capabilities, often referred to as the “experts of storage” due to their ability to hold various file and folder sizes.
Secondly, the open drawer design makes it simpler to scan and locate documents quickly upon opening.
So, this heavy-duty 2-drawer file cabinet can be a great pick for the office and home use.
This is also a great filing cabinet for remote workers requiring small-scale storage for work documents.
As it’s just 29 inches tall and 36 inches wide with deep, this cabinet can be conveniently placed under a desk.
It is constructed from durable metal, and it boasts a high load-bearing capacity, ensuring longevity and reliability for long-term use.
Additionally, it features a built-in interlock system that can lock all drawers to secure your documents. The cabinet can support up to 120 pounds on its top surface, highlighting its robust design and versatility.
Ideal for small offices, it can add a touch of style and elegance to any workspace.
3-Drawer Filing Cabinets
Amazon Basics 3-Drawer Mobile File Cabinet
Key points:
- Available in black color
- 20.71″D x 15.51″W x 24.29″H
- Suitable for hanging files
- Durable metal material
- Smooth performance
- Interlock system
- Rolling caster wheels for easy mobility
Review:
The AmazonBasics 3-Drawer Mobile Cabinet is a great choice because it meets the two primary reasons most people purchase filing cabinets: to safeguard important documents while reducing clutter in their offices or homes, and to organize files efficiently.
Additionally, these cabinets are quite popular because they take up minimal space while providing ample storage, and they are very budget-friendly.
Although it is a small cabinet, it has countless benefits that make it the ideal option for an office.
My personal favorite feature about this cabinet is its portability which allows it to be maintained anywhere you like, including under your desk.
It is 24 inches tall, has 3 drawers, and measures 15 inches wide with plenty of space.
It includes a separate drawer for keeping office supplies, full high-side drawers that fit letter and legal-size documents, and hanging files.
It is ideal for every workplace space and particular tasks, for instance, you may maintain employee data in files in one cabinet and financial records in another.
It has a high-quality drawer-glide suspension for smooth functioning, and a safety feature called interlocking allows only one drawer to open at once.
Its four rolling caster wheels enable smooth mobility and simple adjustment. It moves well and is made of durable metal, which is undoubtedly worth the price.
DEVAISE 3 Drawer Mobile File Cabinet
Key points:
- Available in White and black colors
- Material: Plastic and steel
- Perfect for letter/legal-sized files and folders
- Can be fit under the desk
- 18.9″D x 15.4″W x 23.6″H
- Large storage space
- 5 smooth wheels
Review:
The DEVAISE 3 Drawer Mobile File Cabinet has many reasons to buy and one of them is its small size, which allows you to place them under a desk rather than having to move to another place to assemble paperwork.
One of my friends was in search of a 3 Drawer filing cabinet with adequate storage space and the ability to manage files and folders, I recommended Devaise 3-drawer file cabinet because of its incredible qualities. Now, she is very happy with the DEVAISE 3 Drawer Mobile File Cabinet purchase.
This cabinet is beautifully made and designed, and it has a modern style. These are the best if you want standard locking file cabinets with a modern appearance.
It is perfect for small businesses because of its superb interlock system, which consists of two keys that secure 3 drawers and keep your business files confidential.
You have the option of arranging your files vertically or horizontally. It can fit hanging file folders of all sizes, including A4, legal, and letter.
It has 5 easy-to-roll caster wheels that make it portable, and there is also a small wheel at the front bottom of the main drawer that prevents the entire cabinet from toppling over.
The cabinet is 15 inches wide and 23 inches tall. This makes it the perfect size to fit under most desks.
Additionally, it has stationary drawers for office supplies. It is built of strong metal, has smooth drawers, and the casters are easy to install.
Overall, it is a fantastic purchase for any business because of its small size and flexibility to fit under a desk.
Greenvelly 3 Drawer lateral cabinet with lock
Key points:
- Available in black and white colors
- 18″D x 28.25″W x 40.2″H
- Sturdy Alloy Steel material
- Perfect for home and office
- Suitable for all sizes: legal, letter, and A4
- Great storage system
- Includes a lock and key for privacy
Review:
One excellent selection among the several varieties of 3 Drawer lateral file cabinets is Greenvelly.
It is created from sturdy, high-quality steel material. It’s incredibly robust and durable for your daily use at home and in the workplace.
It is renowned for its excellent security and upgraded lock system, which has 1 lock and 2 keys. It means you don’t need to access or lock each drawer individually.
As a result, this sort of lockable file cabinet is practical for you to use every day, greatly reduces tilting, and safeguards your crucial, sensitive information because privacy and security come first.
Regarding the organization of files and folders, it has side-to-side hanging rails which can easily put together legal, A4, and F4 size letter folders in order.
It is 40 inches tall, with three drawers that are each 28 inches wide for holding files and folders, with a great amount of storage, and can easily fit under the desk.
All of your files can fit in three drawers. You can easily organize them, which will increase the productivity of your office work.
Overall, the lateral filing cabinet enhances the aesthetic appeal of your office in addition to keeping it orderly and well-maintained.
4-Drawer Filing Cabinets
HON 4-Drawer Vertical Filing Cabinet With Lock
Some key points
- Available colors: Black, Light Gray, and Putty
- 15″D x 25″W x 52″H
- Some extra security features
- drawers open and shut quietly
- High drawer sizes to hang files folders
- Labels to organize and manage
Review
As mentioned earlier, vertical file cabinets are used for vast storage because vertical file cabinets are deep and wide inside.
The same is the HON 4-Drawer Vertical Filing Cabinet. Additionally, the inner locking of all drawers keeps all your files safe.
HON is a United States-based company. It’s comparatively more expensive than other foreign manufacturers. But due to quality and support, it’s the leading office furniture manufacturer.
Secondly, the delivery is fast. Sometimes, it arrives in 24 hours.
Now, let’s discuss the material and other important features.
Heavy-duty steel is used to give it a life of decades. And the best part about this model is that its lock is easily replaceable. If it’s damaged, you can get a new one to keep using your file cabinet.
This filing cabinet is quiet and smooth even after using heavy metal.
Along with quality metal, the paint finishing of this model is great, and you can get it in three colors: black, light grey, and putty. This makes it the best fit for all office interiors.
And due to its 25-inch width, it’s a fantastic choice for small spaces.
Also, it’s best for all sizes of files and folders. And you won’t require any additional tools to hang your folders.
So here is what we can conclude about this filing cabinet.
This 4-drawer vertical file cabinet is best for home offices and companies. Those keep their office well-managed and store large files and folders safely. As vertical file cabinets take less space, so it’s the best fit for small offices and shared spaces.
At last, here are two negligible drawbacks.
If you don’t have hundreds of files and folders to keep in one file cabinet, then lateral file cabinets look beautiful in offices. Secondly, as it comes fully assembled, it can get a dent in quite a few cases.
Greenvelly 4 Drawer Lateral File Cabinet with Lock
Some key points
- Available in white and black colors
- 17.7″D x 28.5″W x 52″H
- Smooth power coating to prevent scratches
- A noiseless but powerful filing cabinet
- Suitable for all sizes: legal, letter and A4, etc
- Hanging frames available
- Multiple buying options: 2-drawer, 3-drawer, and 4-drawer
Review
One of my fellows bought this Greenvelly 4-drawer lateral file cabinet. And it’s worth the money.
The best part about this lateral filing cabinet was that you can keep some office machines on it. Say, a business printer.
So other than keeping your office organized and maintained, a lateral file cabinet makes your office look more beautiful.
This filing cabinet is made of 100% steel. It has a very powerful internal locking system. It’s available in the budget range of small businesses and startups.
Here is an additional benefit of using this lateral 4-drawer file cabinet.
As locking all drawers separately is hectic, it comes with one lock on the top. You open and lock all the drawers from the top.
You get two keys so that if you lose one of your keys, you can use the other one to access your file cabinet.
Overall, this stylish file cabinet is quiet and sturdy for business use.
But here is when my fellow got annoyed for a while. And you can too.
As the drawers are powerful and heavy, you will need someone’s assistance to help you assemble them. As not every article could be a perfect one, there is a chance that you might find it hard to hang your files side-by-side in one drawer. But you can easily fix it if you’ve got the issues.
Lastly, it has a variety of buying options. You have two colors, white and black, to match your office. And if you can’t afford the 4-drawer, you can also choose a 2-drawer or 3-drawer filing cabinet on the Amazon e-store.
Montana Woodworks 4-Drawer Wooden File Cabinet
Some key points
- Stain and Lacquer color
- Wood: Pine
- Letter-size file drawers
- 20 years warranty by the manufacturer
Review
Some people like wooden file cabinets for personal use and a home office. In that case, Montana Woodwork is one of the well-reputed companies providing wood furniture.
When it comes to wood, you can’t rely on anyone.
You can’t distinguish the wood easily; you need expertise to test the wood. So why take so much pain? Why not buy from a well-reputed company?
This fully assembled 4-drawer wooden file cabinet has solid construction and deep drawers. Although it’s not as safe as metal. If it’s not too sensitive data and you have wooden furniture in your home or office, this wood file cabinet will make your day.
Also, it’s smooth and quiet.
This item is a glacier country collection made with pine wood and has 20 20-year warranty.
5-Drawer Filing Cabinets
Lorell 60550 5-Drawer Lateral Filing Cabinet
Lorell 60550: Key points
- Available in black, white, gray, and putty
- 18.63″D x 42″W x 68″H
- Special locking feature
- It is adjustable and magnetic
- Easy to clean and disinfect
- Smooth and quiet drawer performance
Lorell 60550 review:
My associate Robert recently bought the Lorell 60550 Lateral Filing Cabinet for his home office, and he describes this product as “an excellent product for file storage”.
Not only does it add to the aesthetic of his office, but is also spacious, is durable, and secure.
This 42-inch wide lateral file cabinet is built for both storage and efficiency. It is designed to accommodate various types of files such as letters, A4, and legal documents, among others.
I decided to test this cabinet, and no doubt it feels solid, constructed from top-notch materials. The cabinet is heavier, but it doesn’t make much noise. Even if it does in any instance, you can use a bit of grease to make the slides smoother and noise-free. It’s normal and not a flaw.
The only thing you might not like in this five-drawer file cabinet is that it has a single lock. But that’s what you should expect from most of the filing cabinets available on the e-store. It may not be ideal for some users who prefer multiple locking mechanisms for added security, but it has its own benefits.
I have tested the cabinet, and it feels solid, constructed from top-notch materials. The cabinet is heavier, but it doesn’t make much noise. Even if it does in any instance, you can use a bit of grease to make the slides smoother and noise-free. It’s normal and not a flaw.
Every drawer includes a magnetic label holder, which is definitely a bonus feature. Overall, it offers amazing durability with its steel build and is also simple to clean, and is ideal for busy work environments
So, its quality is as the manufacturer has claimed.
Because of the ball-bearing sliding suspension system, the drawers open and close softly and smoothly.
The large amount of storage capacity in this cabinet is one of my favorite features.
It adds style and functionality to any office and looks fantastic in any office environment.
No compromise on security and safety from the manufacturer. It contains a core-removable lock, dual locking bars, and an interlock system, providing an extra layer of protection for your important and confidential files.
The cabinet is only 18 by 42, so it does not occupy a lot of floor space.
For versatility, hanging file rails are available in letter, legal, or A4 sizes for side-to-side filing.
The cabinet offers outstanding value for money.
It arrives completely assembled, which saves a ton of work. It is simple to make sure the cabinet is sturdy on any surface due to the adjustable leveling guides.
HON 5-Drawer Vertical Filing Cabinet
HON 310 Series: Key points
- Available in Black, charcoal, and putty colors
- Dimensions are 48″D x 48″W x 78.81″H
- Stylish visuals that go well with open offices, individual offices, or central record-keeping spaces
- Steel material: Best for fire prevention, fastness, moisture resistance, and environmental protection
- Extra security features
- Drawers move easily
- High drawer sides to hold your hanging file folders
HON 5-drawer filing cabinet review:
The HON 310 series is an excellent pick for small businesses and offers great value for money.
It is a top choice for businesses owing to its 26.5″ deep, five-drawer, letter-width cabinet. With its magnificent design and large storage capacity, you can trust this brand with record management and file storage.
We often use HON filing cabinets in our company because of their reliable quality and heavy-duty construction. It also has smooth-gliding drawers, minimizing noise and friction in the workplace.
The use of vertical filing cabinets is quite simple and convenient. For the storage of files, documents, letters, and other items, they come with 2 to 5 drawers or even more.
The files are conveniently accessible and face the front of the drawer. Due to their greater width and depth, the drawers feature a significant amount of storage space.
This HON 5-drawer filing cabinet is American-made and generally recognized as the storage leader. To provide you with the best products, it uses cutting-edge machinery and ongoing quality testing. And that’s why these are expensive products.
The delivery is super-fast; it usually takes two business days for the product to arrive at your doorstep.
It is made of steel and offers various benefits, such as the ability to protect documents from damage, as they are fireproof which is definitely a plus point.
They are made to be sturdy and useful, but they offer limited design options, which may be a downside for people who love to decorate their workplaces.
The drawer’s full cradle suspension system prevents it from tipping over or jamming.
The cabinet is extremely simple to operate. It contains a label holder that makes it simple to identify the contents of each drawer, as well as a thumb lock that keeps the drawers closed.
They come with a ton of standard features, like spring-loaded follower blocks that keep everything organized in every drawer, locks with removable cores, high drawer sidewalls for hanging folders, and ball-bearing drawer suspensions.
It accepts hanging folders, rolls smoothly, has adjustable backstops, and can be locked. Most offices can store more than enough hanging files in each drawer, which has a maximum capacity of 25 inches.
Before You Buy
Measure the cabinet’s footprint and drawer clearance, check whether the drawers accept letter or legal folders, and confirm whether the cabinet has a lock, anti-tip mechanism, and assembly instructions. Tall or heavily loaded cabinets may need anchoring according to the manufacturer’s guidance.