Cupboards & Bookshelves
Office cupboards and bookshelves are both common office storage furniture, but they function differently.
Office cupboards usually have doors, allowing you to store documents, printer paper, stationery, and other office supplies. When the doors are closed, they don't look cluttered from the outside. For contracts, employee files, or other documents you don't want others to access, you can choose office storage cupboards with locks.
Office bookshelves are even simpler, mainly consisting of open shelves without doors. Books, binders, manuals, product catalogs, and frequently used materials can be placed directly on them, making them easily accessible without having to open the cabinet every time.
Both types of furniture can be used to increase storage space if there's available space along the office walls. They can also be placed near office desks or office workstations, freeing employees from searching for places to store frequently used documents and supplies.
Office cupboards are generally used to store our office materials and other items. Compared with filing cabinets, office storage cupboards are more versatile because an office cupboard can store multiple different types of office supplies, while filing cabinets are only dedicated to storing paper documents.
If your office has a large number of people, everyone can share an office cupboard storage unit. Documents from the same department can be stored together in the cupboard, making them easily accessible to everyone, instead of cramming them under every desk.
Office cupboards with doors also have a practical use: storing items that don't need to be constantly exposed. This is especially true for printer paper, spare stationery, and various loose office supplies. If all these are placed on open shelves, they easily become cluttered. Closing the cupboard doors makes the office look much tidier.
If you need to store documents or office supplies that you don't want everyone to access freely, you can also choose lockable office cupboards. In this way, office cupboards are not just ordinary commercial office storage, but can also provide more independent storage space according to actual needs.
Office cupboards come in many different types, categorized by cabinet height, door design, and storage needs. Common types include tall office cupboards, low office cupboards, lockable office cupboards, glass door office cupboards, and sliding door office cupboards.
Below are the types of LINRYA office cupboards:
Tall office cupboards primarily utilize vertical wall space, providing more office cupboard storage without taking up too much floor space.
Interiorly, multiple shelves can usually be arranged for categorized storage of files, binders, printer paper, and other office supplies. Tall office storage cupboards are more practical for offices that need to centrally store a large number of items.
However, with taller cabinets, the top shelf will also be taller. It's more convenient to place frequently used items within easy reach.
Low office cupboards are shorter and can be placed against office walls, near workstations, or in other locations unsuitable for tall cabinets.
These low storage cupboards are better suited for storing frequently used files, stationery, and office supplies. Some designs also offer additional storage space on the top of the cupboard.
For offices that don't require extensive vertical storage, low office cupboards offer greater flexibility.
Lockable office cupboards incorporate a locking system on the cupboard doors, preventing unauthorized access.
If the office storage cupboard needs to store documents, office supplies, or other items requiring separate management, a lockable design is more suitable.
However, it's essential to confirm the specific lock type when purchasing, as different office cupboards may use different locking systems.
Glass door office cupboards use glass doors, allowing users to see what's inside without opening the cabinet door.
These types of office cupboards are suitable for storing binders, catalogs, books, or frequently accessed office materials. They offer enclosed storage without requiring you to open all the cupboard doors every time you need something.
If you don't want the contents to be directly visible, you can choose solid door office cupboards.
Sliding door office cupboards have doors that slide open to the left or right, unlike regular hinged doors which require space to open outwards.
Therefore, sliding doors are more convenient when placing office cupboards in narrow aisles, near workstations, or next to passageways.
For offices with limited floor space, this type of office storage cupboard reduces door clearance issues while retaining storage space on internal shelves.
Both office cupboards and filing cabinets can be used for office storage, but they are designed to hold different types of items.
Office cupboards typically feature doors and internal shelves. In addition to files and binders, they can also hold printer paper, stationery, and other office supplies. A single cupboard can store various types of items at the same time, making it quite versatile.
Filing cabinets, on the other hand, are primarily used to store paper files and folders. They typically use file drawers or an internal filing system to separate documents, making it easy to organize them by client, department, year, or document type.
| Office Cupboards | Filing Cabinets | |
| Main Structure | Doors + Shelves | File Drawers / Filing System |
| Best for | Files, Binders, Stationery, Office Supplies | Paper Files and Folders |
| Storage Style | General Office Storage | Organized File Storage |
| Flexibility | Can Store Different Types of Office Items | More Specialized for Documents |
If your office regularly handles a large volume of paper documents, a filing cabinet is the better choice. Different files can be sorted by department, client, year, or document type, allowing you to retrieve them directly from the corresponding drawer when needed.
If you need to store binders, printer paper, stationery, and other office supplies in addition to documents, office storage cupboards are more convenient. Models with adjustable shelves are particularly useful, as the shelves can be adjusted to accommodate items of varying heights. You can leave a little extra space for larger binders, while smaller office supplies won’t take up an entire shelf.
The size of an office cupboard depends primarily on the available space in your office and the amount of files, binders, printer paper, and office supplies you need to store. When choosing, focus on the cupboard's width, depth, and height, while also confirming the number of internal shelves and the actual storage space.
Common office storage cupboards are approximately 450–600 mm (18–24 inches) deep. Shallower cupboards are suitable for general files, binders, and stationery, while deeper cupboards can be considered when storing larger office supplies or storage boxes.
Regarding height, low office cupboards are better suited for placement near workstations, against walls, or under windows; tall office cupboards maximize vertical space, providing more shelf and cupboard storage within the same floor space. Tall storage cabinets on the market can reach heights of 52–66 inches (approximately 1320–1680 mm) or higher, with specific dimensions varying depending on product design and storage capacity. In addition to cabinet dimensions, internal shelf spacing should also be checked. Adjustable shelves are especially convenient when storing binders, boxes, and office supplies of varying heights, allowing for adjustments to the storage height of each shelf to suit the actual items.
Finally, cupboard doors should be considered. Hinge-door office cupboards require sufficient opening space in front to prevent the doors from blocking the workstation or main passageway when open. Just because the cupboard fits doesn't mean the doors won't obstruct movement when open. If front space is limited, sliding-door office cupboards can be considered.
In short, when choosing office cupboard size, width, depth, height, shelf spacing, and door clearance should all be considered together. Larger cabinets aren't necessarily better; the most suitable size is one that can accommodate the necessary storage without hindering normal office movement.
When choosing an office cupboard, in addition to cabinet size, you should also consider the materials, internal shelves, cupboard doors, and locking system. Especially for commercial office storage, office cupboards are frequently opened and used by different employees, making these structural details more important than simply looking at the appearance.
Office cupboards can be made of steel, melamine, wood-based panels, or other materials, each suited to different needs.
Steel office cupboards are better suited for office environments requiring a robust cabinet structure and long-term daily use; melamine and wood office cupboards are easier to match with the colors and finishes of office desks, workstations, and other office furniture.
When purchasing, in addition to checking the material name, you should also confirm the cabinet body, cupboard doors, connection points, and surface finish. For bulk office furniture projects, consistency in color and finish across different office storage cupboards is also important.
Shelves are a crucial part of office storage cupboards, as most files, binders, printer paper, and office supplies are ultimately stored on them.
Compared to fixed-height shelves, adjustable shelves offer greater flexibility. For example, one shelf can hold taller binders, while the next only holds paper and stationery, allowing for adjustments to shelf spacing based on actual storage needs.
For storing heavier files or large quantities of office supplies, it's also helpful to confirm shelf construction and actual load capacity to prevent shelves from bending before they're fully stocked.
How office cupboard doors open also affects daily use.
Hinged-door office cupboards have a simple structure, allowing direct access to the entire internal storage space when opened; sliding-door office cupboards don't require outward-opening doors, making them more suitable for spaces near aisles or workstations where space is limited; glass-door office cupboards provide easy visibility of binders, books, and other office materials.
Besides door type, you can also check the ease of use of hinges, handles, and other hardware. After all, an office cupboard isn't something you buy and only open once; the doors are opened and closed daily, and you'll quickly notice how convenient it is.
If the office storage cupboard needs to store documents, office supplies, or other items that you don't want anyone to access freely, you can choose lockable office cupboards.
When purchasing, you can confirm what locking system the cupboard doors use, how the locks are managed, and whether they meet your actual needs. Lock options may vary between different office cupboards, so it's best to confirm the specific product configuration.
Office storage needs are rarely identical. Some departments primarily store files and binders, while others need printer paper, stationery, and other office supplies. Therefore, the internal space of office cupboards cannot be arranged in a single fixed manner.
LINRAY office cupboards allow you to choose different cupboard heights, shelf quantities, door designs, and locking options to suit your specific storage needs. For offices requiring storage of items of varying sizes, optimized shelf spacing allows a single office storage cupboard to handle files, binders, and other everyday office supplies simultaneously.
In office furniture projects, we can also match different office cupboard storage options to the office layout and usage patterns. For example, tall office cupboards can be considered for high ceilings, sliding door office cupboards for narrow aisles, and lockable office cupboards for individual item management.
In addition to office storage cupboards, LINRAY also offers complementary office cabinets, filing cabinets, office drawers, and office workstations. This way, when planning employee work areas and shared storage, it's not necessary to find a separate supplier for every type of office furniture.
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