Material, size, opening system,…These are just some characteristics among many that have a large influence on the choice of a cabinet. Especially when you are determined to make optimal use of your available space. Information, explanation, technical aspects : this guide offers you everything you need in order to choose wisely.
Summary
1 In wood or in metal?
2 The opening systems
3 The choice between sizes and colours
4 The equipment
5 The norms
6 Vocabulary
1 - In wood or in metal?
One of the first questions will be: “Which material do you prefer?” Besides the aesthetic aspects, the answer depends on two important conditions.
THE WORKSPACE
Opt for metallic cabinets when you work in an industrial environment, e.g. a storeroom. These cabinets can be cleaned easily and offer a large resistance against humidity.
View the metallic cabinets
When you work in an office, you can choose between wooden and metallic cabinets. Wood is a popular choice, thanks to its warm look. This material matches also better with most other types of furniture. Metal is rather favored because of its high resistance: it’s the perfect solution for heavy charges.
View the wooden cabinets or
the metallic cabinets
THE TYPE OF CABINET
A monoblock cabinet is made from metal, from welded sheet steel to be exact. The shelves are also in metal, so they can carry heavier and more voluminous documents, e.g. lever arch files, archive boxes, … These cabinets are assembled in advance and stick out because of their solidness. Furthermore, they can be moved easily without removing their content, thanks to their rigidity.
View the monoblock cabinets
The dismantleable cabinets are available in a wooden or a metallic finish. They are delivered in a kit, with all the necessary components for assembling, and with assembly instructions. Once everything has been put together, they are perfectly stable and rigid. This type of cabinet is without doubt the ideal alternative for a monoblock, when the room, in which it needs to be installed, doesn’t offer a proper access.
View the dismantleable wooden cabinets or
the dismantleable metallic cabinets
Cabinets with swinging doors, folding doors, sliding doors, roller shutters,... There are different opening systems, and each system depends on the space you have at your disposal.
CABINETS WITH SWINGING DOORS
When there is a lot of available space, opt for a budget version with swinging doors. This type of cabinet offers always an easy access to the content. One disadvantage: you always need sufficient free space at both sides of the cabinet, in order to avoid problems when you open the doors.
When you wish to save space, choose for a model with folding doors. The storage capacity of these cabinets is similar to the completely interior volume of the cabinet. Few space is wasted, as the doors don’t occupy a lot of extra space in open position.
In order to save more space, you should opt for cabinets with sliding doors. The storage capacity corresponds completely to the interior volume of the cabinet. Not even a cm² space is wasted when you slide the doors into the open position.
Tambour cabinets are extremely suitable for open space organizations: for gain of space, for a silent opening and for an easy access. Thanks to the extension element, you can enlarge their capacity, without losing any space on the ground. Attention: only metallic cabinets are available with this specific opening system.
The height and the width of a cabinet have a huge impact on the definitive choice, as the goal is to optimize the storage capacity and to save space.
When the free space is limited, opt for high cabinets (H: between 160 and 220 cm). These models have always a large storage capacity, with few waste of space on the ground.
View the high wooden cabinets or
the high metallic cabinets
Smaller openings can also be filled up by installing cabinets with a smaller size: with a sideboard (H: between 100 and 136 cm), this is a cabinet for a meeting or waiting room in which you can stow away small office supplies, or with a low cabinet (H:70 cm), in order to prolong the desktop - with identical height - and to obtain extra storage volume at arm’s length.
View the low wooden cabinets or
the low metallic cabinets
Search for a cabinet with the most suitable width, in order to save every possible cm². We offer you a large choice of available widths, going from 60 up to 180 cm. Wooden models already exist with a minimum width of 45 cm.
ZOOM on the finishing plates of the cabinets
With a finishing plate on top, the low metallic cabinet or the sideboard looks flawless.
Pay attention to the design of your cabinets. Studies have proven that a pleasant workspace has a positive repercussion on our mutual relationships and on the efficiency of our tasks. This explains why it is important to adapt a modern and dynamic look.
Our wooden cabinets come in different shades: oak, mahogany, wenge, white, black, … The metallic cabinets are sold in more than 50 000 combinations, with different colours for the body, the shutters or the doors, going from grey to orange, passing by kiwi and raspberry. Have fun in finding the perfect combination!
GOOD TO KNOW : We always indicate the RAL code on our product sheets, so you can always be certain of your colour choice. We can also deliver free samples. For this, contact us by mail.
4 - The equipment
We have already mentioned that gain of space is quite important for the outside, but the same rule must be applied to the inside. Next, we will give you some advice for an ideal organization in your cabinet.
Provide sufficient adaptable shelves, in accordance with the height of your files. Try to avoid overburdening at any time ! An example : a cabinet with a width of 80 cm can carry on each shelf up to 60 suspension files (thickness 1,05 cm), or 8 lever arch files (back 7,5 cm), or 8 archive boxes (back 8 cm). You can find this information in the short description of the product.
Did you know that suspension files are very useful tools for a good classifying system ? Some cabinets contain shelves with folded borders, especially for suspension files. In other cases, you can add extra supplementary bars. Or you can pick out a cabinet with a specific system for suspension files on top. Telescopic drawers can be another, innovative solution.
Finally, you can turn to numerous accessories, of which some are especially for suspension files, for a clean organization in your cabinet : mail boxes, dividers, classifying modules,… View the accessories
Keep in mind!
Is the safety of your documents important? Cabinets protect better your objects and sensitive documents when they are behind locked doors. If possible, choose for an articulated key: when there is a lot of circulation in the room, the risk is higher that a normal key will break in the lock.
5 - The norms
When you are looking for furniture in general, and cabinets in particular, you will be confronted with several indications for norms and labels. We will give you here some explanation about all the different signs, so you won’t get lost in all the information.
THE FRENCH AND EUROPEAN NORMS
The French norm NF OEC (Office Excellence Certifié) concerns storage furniture, chairs, tables, desktops, dividing walls and classifying material. It determines which are the basic characteristics for the safety, the adaptability and the durability, the ergonomics and the impact on the environment.
You can also find norms, that are typical for other European countries, e.g. the GS norm. This norm ensures that the product corresponds with the terms of the German legislation on safety of technical tools.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL NORMS
The products with the certificate NF Environnement have a less negative impact on the environment, compared to other similar products. The norm NF Environnement is the official ecological certification in France. You will also find the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and the PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes) norms. These two certificates guarantee a sustainable management of the forests, from which originates the wood for the products.
THE FIRE SAFETY NORMS
It is a good prevention reflex to look for furniture that corresponds legally with the recommendations for fire safety. The reaction of materials on fire is categorized in France in 5 classes: M0, M1, M2, M3, M4. The M0 materials are completely fireproof, and the easily flammable materials get the score M4.
In order to know if the selected product resists against fire, caused by a match or a cigarette, you can check if the norms NF EN 1021-1 (resistance against cigarettes) and NF EN 1021-2 (resistance against matches ) apply to the product;
6 - Vocabulary
Monoblock cabinet: cabinet made and welded in the factory. It is delivered in one piece, ready for use. Furthermore, it can be moved easily with the content included, thanks to the large firmness.
Dismantleable cabinet: cabinet delivered in a kit, with all the necessary elements for the assembly and with a detailed assembly plan. The principal advantage in this case is, that it can be delivered in rooms with a more difficult access. The cabinet is, once assembled, perfectly stable and solid.
Fireproof cabinet or box: secured cabinet, designed for the protection of its content in case of fire or very high temperatures. This safety equipment is tested on several levels, before being available for sale on the market. The fireproof cabinets are equipped with double walls, which contain an isolating material. Rock wool or a special type of concrete is often used for this application. As it is no longer possible to recover a paper document starting from 170°C, it is easy to see how much a cabinet of this type can mean for an office. This type of cabinet is also provided with airtight seals, who dilate in a hot environment, in order to protect it against flames, gas or water used by the firemen.
Espagnolette: element from the locksmithery. Flexible lock fastener with 2 bars, one upper and one lower element, who slide in tubes on the frame of the opening.
Articulated key: pliable key, that sticks out less from the cabinet. In this way, people will not bump into the key, and the key will not break so easily.
Complete or useful dimensions: the complete dimensions correspond with the complete space that is occupied by the cabinet; the useful dimensions correspond with the available space in the cabinet for your documents.
RAL: universal language, standardized and numbered. It is used in order to define the standard colours for paint and bodies. These standard indications are easy to understand and are applied universally. The RAL colours are composed of 4 digits.
