Fire Files – Why do I need one? Why do they cost so much?

On first glance the two questions posed above may seem unrelated. The answer to the first, relates to the second. Fire Files are made to withstand a fire for up to one hour and not have damage caused to the paper contents inside. (Electronic media requires additional protection inside the file.) They are also designed to withstand a 30 foot drop if the floor collapses during a fire. They are waterproof in case of sprinklers and fire hoses. They come with very secure locking systems to prevent theft.

To accomplish these many things, construction is expensive. Gypsum in the 1” thick walls is reinforced by steel mesh. This construction results in a 4-drawer 44”W lateral file weighing 1019 pounds.

Note: All specifications quoted here are from Fire King on their website. We have found Fire King to be the top line of fire proof files. Other files are available as well, but may not have these stringent of specifications.

In summary:

Fire Protetcion
Impact Protection
Waterproof
Theft Resistant

A new Fire King 4 drawer lateral fire file can cost up to $4000. Used fire files are often available on the market, but make sure that they are in good working order and have not been dropped in transport, which can degrade their fire resistance. Delivery is usually very expensive because multiple people are required to move such a heavy object. It is a good idea to check floor load capabilities if you are not in a ground floor location.

We often have used ones at our store on our website.

What the heck is a pedestal?

Being an Office Furniture Geek, I often slip into "furniture-ese", that obscure lingua franca of my fellow furniture shleppers. One of the primary terms in this language is the term pedestal.

Pedestals, BBF on the left and FF on the right.

A pedestal is a small set of file drawers that sits under a desk, or in a cubicle it sits under the work surface. Normally about 15 inches wide and 28 inches or less tall, they typically come in two varieties. Box/Box/File (BBF) or File/File (FF). A BBF is a 3 drawer pedestal that has two 6 inch tall (or box) drawers and one twelve inch tall (or file) drawer. A FF pedestal has two file drawers that are 12" tall.

Box drawers store your pencils, calculator and other small items. My Mom used to call this the junk drawer. The uncharacteristically clearly-named file drawer is for filing.

Just to confuse the issue, some people call a Box/Box/File a 6/6/12 and a File/File a 12/12. There are also B/F files with just two drawers of 6 and 12 inches, respectively. These tend to hang from the worksurface which makes them a suspended pedestal. Suspended meaning it is attached to the worksurface and does not touch the floor. Also there are mobile pedestals, which have wheels. And freestanding pedestals that are not attached to the worksurface above them. Some pedestals can have a pad on top and double as a guest chair in a pinch.

Below is a photo of what most people think is a pedestal.

Filing Proficiently Saves Money and Space

Sometimes it amazes me how much air people file in their file cabinets. Why would someone want to pay good money for a file cabinet and then have it take up valuable floor space and not fill it up? I guess they just want to keep furniture dealers like me in business by buying more files.

A classic example is a 36 inch wide lateral file. If you are like most people and file letter-size hanging-files, you should never buy a 36 wide file cabinet. Let me explain.

A lateral file is a file cabinet that is wider side-to-side than it is deep front-to-back. (See photo at right.) Typically 18 to 20 inches. They come in three widths, 30, 36 and 42. The most efficient way to file in lateral file is front-to-back, rather than side-to-side.

A hanging letter-sized folder is typically 13" wide. The dimensions of a file drawer will be typically 16" deep on a 18"deep lateral file. The width of the drawer will be 39" on a 42" wide lateral file and 33" on a 36" wide lateral file.

To measure how much filing fits in a drawer is easy. In a 36" wide file you get 33" of filing side-to-side. Since a hanging file is 13" deep, side-to-side filing results in the back 3" of the drawer empty, filing air. If you hang your files front-to-back you get two rows 16" deep or 32" of filing. But the middle 6" of the drawer file air.

A 30" wide lateral file drawer would have also 32" of front-to-back filing for less cost and floor-space than the 36". It files no air in the middle.

A 42" wide lateral file is the big winner though. Side-to-side filing gets you 39" per drawer, although you still file some air in the back. But front-to-back you can fit three rows of 16" for 48" total. 50% more filing than the 36" file for only 17 percent more floor space taken up and now air filed.

Conclusion, spend a little more and get a 42" wide lateral file with front-to-back filing. Make sure you get at least 4 drawer high as well, as long as you don't need to put it under a desk top (2 drawer) or want to have a standing height counter on the top (3 drawer).

Filing Chart Per 18" deep drawer
STS - Side-to-side
FTB - Front-to-back

30W - 27" STS, 32" FTB
36W - 33" STS, 32" FTB
42W - 39" STS, 48" FTB

Shown at right is a 42W lateral file drawer with front-to-back filing.

Scott R. Kline
Smart Interiors, Inc.