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In my opinion, one of the best tools for any office, both traditional and remote are file cabinets. Heck, it’s one of the reasons I invested in them a few years back as I first started my remote working journey. That being said, it’s super easy for file cabinets to get filled up and in limited space, I found that stacking file cabinets could be a good idea – So can you stack file cabinets?
Two-drawer vertical file cabinets from most brands can be safely stacked on top of each other. Larger three-drawer, four-drawer, and five-drawer vertical file cabinets should not be stacked on top of each other due to weight and safety concerns. Stacking lateral file cabinets is also not advised.
So why is it okay to stack two drawer file cabinets but not more? And what are the main issues that are brought about by stacking file cabinets? Keep reading to find out more
A lot of you reading this are just interested in buying a stackable file cabinet. My recommendation then has to be the Lorell 2 drawer (link takes you to Amazon). Not only is it easy to move, making it perfect for stacking. It’s also a best-seller, comes in a variety of colors, and most importantly comes with a lock to keep your files safe.
Can You Stack File Cabinets
So after a lot of shopping around and hard work you have finally realized that your office, either personal or work, needs some extra storage space, and what better option than the handy file cabinet.
After a few months, however, you realize that you are fast running out of storage space.
Stacking file cabinets on top of each other then, gives you more floor room, opening up your office whilst increasing your storage space.
So should you stack your file cabinets on top of each other?
After reading up countless file cabinet reviews, speaking with a few of my engineering friends, and even (safely) testing this out myself I found the answer.
To summarize then:
- It is safe for most two-door vertical file cabinets to be stacked on top of each other
- This is because they have a lower center of gravity and hold less weight than larger file cabinets, meaning they are less likely to tip over
- Most two-drawer file cabinets can safely be placed on top of each other – this included file cabinets from different brands.
- That being said to get a perfect lineup, you might want to consider buying two two-drawer file cabinets from the same brand
- When stacking your file cabinets on top of each other you want to ensure that the heaviest items you will place in your cabinet are in the bottom drawer of the bottom stack of file cabinets.
- To ensure your file cabinets stay attached ensure that you rest them on a flat surface that can support their weight. (to read up more on office weight requirements you can check out my blog post here)
When should you not stack file cabinets?
So whilst you can stack two-drawer file cabinets on top of each other there are many file cabinets and situations when you should not consider stacking as a viable option.
These include:
- Avoid at all costs stacking larger vertical file cabinets – this includes three drawers, four-door, and five-drawer + file cabinets
- This is because they carry much more weight and will be much more difficult to maneuver into position – often the file cabinet that is on top will slowly crush the file cabinet underneath
- You should avoid stacking your file cabinet if you rest them on an uneven floor – small shifts in gravity or a level floor have a big impact on taller file cabinets
- If each of your file cabinet drawers is full of heavy items then stacking your file cabinets should also be avoided.
- If your file cabinets do not have drawer interlocks ( where one opens and the others automatically lock) they should avoid stacking your file cabinet.
Now I appreciate that that is a lot of information to take in so to help summarize I’ve listed a table down below which shows the types of file cabinets that are good and bad to the stack:
|
File Cabinet Name |
Number of drawers |
Can you stack |
| Pierre Henry | 2 | Yes |
| Pierre Henry | 2 | Yes |
| Bisley | 2 | Yes |
| Bisley | 2 | Yes |
| Hon | 3 | No |
| Bisley | 4 | No |
| Pierre Henry | 4 | No |
| Bisley | 4 | No |
All the links from the above table can be found here.
You can stack your file cabinets when:
- They have two drawers or less
- Are vertical
- Are on an even floor
- Have all the heaviest items in the bottom drawer
- You have more than one person to help stack them
- Your interlocking mechanism works
You should avoid stacking your file cabinets when:
- Your file cabinet drawers all have heavy items in them
- Your file cabinets have more than two drawers each
- You rest your cabinets on an uneven or slippery floor
- You do not have other people at hand to help you move them
- Your file cabinets do not have interlocking mechanisms
- Your file cabinets are lateral
Why do people want to stack file cabinets?
People opt for stacking file cabinets as a way of maximizing storage space without eating into their office or floor space. This is typically done in smaller spaces such as home offices or used for when organizations have a lot of paper files they need to store
When should you not stack a two-drawer file cabinet?
So we’ve talked a lot about stacking two-drawer file cabinets but are there any citations when you should avoid stacking two drawer file cabinets on top of each other.
Stacking two drawer file cabinets should be avoided if the weight is distributed evenly amongst the file cabinet drawers. The heaviest items should instead be placed in the bottom drawer with lighter items in the top stack of file cabinets.
Stacking two-drawer cabinets should also be avoided if placed on an uneven surface for if you have no help moving said cabinets.
Can you stack three-drawer file cabinets?
Stacking three-door file cabinets should be avoided at all costs. Three drawer cabinets will not be able to support the weight of each other when stacked, unlike two drawer file cabinets, causing your file cabinets to crush each other when filled with items and stacked.
“File cabinets with more then two drawers should not be stacked”
Can you stack four-drawer file cabinets?
Stacking four-door file cabinets should be avoided at all costs. Four drawer cabinets will not be able to support the weight of each other when stacked, unlike two drawer file cabinets, causing your file cabinets to crush each other when filled with items and stacked.
Can you stack five-drawer file cabinets?
Stacking five-door file cabinets should be avoided at all costs. Five drawer cabinets will not be able to support the weight of each other when stacked, unlike two drawer file cabinets, causing your file cabinets to crush each other when filled with items and stacked.
Can you stack lateral file cabinets?
Lateral file cabinets of any size should avoid being stacked. Whilst two drawer lateral file cabinets should be safe to stack on each other, the larger weight capacity limits and designs of lateral file cabinets mean that it may be more difficult to maneuver these on top of each other.
Lateral cabinets with more drawers may also cave under their own weight
What are the considerations you need to know before stacking file cabinets?
So hopefully this post today has been helpful but there are a few other considerations you should know before you start stacking your file cabinets these include:
Weight limits
Understanding the weight capacity, weight limits, and also the overall weight of your file cabinet is going to be essential before stacking your file cabinet.
To give you an example, let’s say you want to stack two, two drawer file cabinets on top of each other.
If the weight capacity limit on your bottom file cabinet is 150 pounds and your top file cabinet has a weight capacity limit of 200 pounds, the bottom file cabinet that weighs 150 pounds will not be able to support the weight of the cabinet above when full.
This could lead to a lot of damage to your cabinets or even worse, cause your cabinets to cave in on each other.
“file cabinets that have wheels should never be stacked”
The best thing to do then is to place your items in a specific order.
Ensure that the heaviest items in your file cabinet are placed in the bottom drawer of the bottom file cabinet.
According to my engineering friends, this works as an anchor, keeping your cabinet to the ground holding its place, and making a secure foundation.
Now weight when it comes to filing cabinets a topic all to itself so I would recommend you check out the following posts:
Can different brand file cabinets be stacked upon each other?
So this is an interesting question, I mean, after all, most file cabinets, even if they have the same numbers of drawers will often vary in length width, and height (it’s one of the reasons I wrote this post of file cabinet depth)
Luckily however most two-drawer file cabinets, even if they are from different brands can be stacked on top of each other. Just ensure that the file cabinet that is larger even if only a few mm) is the one that is used at the bottom of your file cabinet stack.
How much space do you have?
Another consideration you have to ask when stacking file cabinets is space.
Whilst stacking file cabinets is a good option to save you floor space, doing so will eat into your wall space.
If you have a low-hanging ceiling you might want to think twice about doing this.
The best option then, before you buy your cabinets is just to measure your walls and see if how much room you have to play with.
This will help you visualize and ensure you will not be eating into your office space too much.
Ease of mobility
Any long-term readers of this blog know exactly how hard file cabinets are to move.
An important thing you will need to know then before stacking your cabinets is it’s a two-person job.
Even if you can lift your file cabinet relatively easily, a small slip-up or random drawer opening can make all the difference in injury.
As such, take it easy, be careful and use two people to help move your file cabinet.
Lock damaging
Most file cabinets come with locks, usually near the top of your cabinet.
By stacking your file cabinet on top of each other, the bottom file cabinet lock can be damaged due to the increased weight bought about by the top file cabinet.
Consider strengthening your lock or opting for a lock-free cabinet to avoid this.
Make sure the interlocking systems works
Finally and most importantly, you’re going to want to make sure that the interlocking system in your file cabinet works.
The interlocking system is the mechanism that locks your other drawer when one drawer is open on a file cabinet.
When stacking file cabinets on top of each other, this becomes more important as any slight movement can cause wobble.
By having a file cabinet that has an interlocking system in place, keep your other drawers firmly shut, anchoring your file cabinet in place.
What are some stackable file cabinet brands?
Now I know a lot of you might be looking for some stackable file cabinets for your work or home office. Aside from the recommendation (link takes you to Amazon) I gave at the top of the post any two drawer file cabinet for the following brands works best:
- Hon
- Pierre Henry
- Bisley
- Lorell
Now if you’re just interested in my recommendations for the best file cabinets that have the best weight capacity limits you can check them out here (all links take you to Amazon):
- Small cabinet (2 drawers)
- Medium Cabinet (3 drawers)
- Large (4 drawers)
(Just a heads up a lot of people reading my blog are in the process of designing their own home office. If you want to save some of the painstaking time I did in designing my office, you can find my recommended products here)
The content on this site has been written by Fehed Nicass who has over a decade worth of experience in sales and has worked remotely for the past 2 years.