Office Drawers
Office drawers are small storage units placed under or next to an office desk, primarily used to store documents, stationery, and personal items used by employees daily. Common designs include desk drawers fixed to the office desk and mobile pedestals with casters for easy movement.
Unlike large office storage cabinets, office drawers are more geared towards individual workstation storage. Employees can directly access frequently used documents, notebooks, chargers, and other small items from their own workstations, without having to go to a shared filing cabinet every time they need a document.
They can also be used with different office desks and office workstations. Under-desk drawers, in particular, can directly utilize the space under the desk that is often wasted, increasing storage space without significantly increasing floor space.
Simply put, while large office cabinets handle the documents for the entire department, office drawers are more like an employee's own "mini-warehouse"—pens, documents, chargers, and anything else they don't want to pile up on their desk every day can be stored inside.
Office drawers may all look similar—just a few drawers attached to a cabinet—but when it comes to actual use, the main differences lie in whether they’re mobile, where they’re installed, how tall the cabinet is, and what you plan to store in them.
Some employees only need to store stationery and personal items, while others handle large volumes of documents every day. So when choosing office drawers, don’t rush to look at the color—it’s more important to consider how the drawers are organized inside.
Mobile pedestal drawers are a very common design in offices. Equipped with casters at the bottom, they can be placed directly under a desk or moved to other locations as needed.
This design isn’t tied to a specific desk, so if the office workstation layout is adjusted in the future, the drawer unit can be moved along with the employee.
Common mobile pedestals feature a 2- or 3-drawer configuration, and some even come with locks to secure documents and personal items right next to the employee’s workstation.
Simply put, while the desk itself may not be movable, the drawer unit is.
Fixed pedestal drawers are typically installed under an office desk or built directly into the desk structure.
Unlike mobile pedestals, they do not have casters and are not meant to be moved frequently. For employee workstations that remain in a fixed location long-term, this design is relatively simple, and the drawers are always within easy reach.
If the office’s desk layout is unlikely to change significantly, there’s no need to put four wheels on everything.
Desk-high pedestals are typically the same height as the desk surface and can be placed directly next to the office desk.
In addition to providing drawer storage, the top of the unit serves as an extra surface. Employees can place documents, a printer, or other office supplies on it, effectively adding a small usable area next to the desk.
This design is particularly practical for workstations where the desk is already cluttered but the employee doesn’t want to switch to a larger desk.
If employees need to store paper documents, they should check whether the office pedestal includes file drawers.
File drawers are typically deeper than standard box drawers and can be used to store folders or hanging files. Common drawer configurations across different products include BBF, BF, and FF:
| Configuration | Meaning |
What is it Mainly for? |
| BBF |
Box + Box + File |
Two Small Drawers + One File Drawer |
| BF | Box + File | A Small Drawer + A File Drawer |
| FF | File + File | Two File Drawers |
Office drawers and filing cabinets are both used for storage in the office, but they serve different purposes.
Office drawers are more suited for employees’ personal daily storage, while filing cabinets are better for centralized storage of large volumes of documents and files.
| Comparison |
Office Drawers |
Filing Cabinets |
| Size |
Usually Small |
Usually Larger |
| Placement |
Under The Desk Or Next To The Desk |
Usually Placed Independently |
|
Storage |
Stationery, Personal Items, Frequently Used Documents |
Large Amounts Of Documents And Files |
| User |
Primarily For Individual Workstation Use |
Can Be Used By Individuals Or Departments |
|
Drawers |
Commonly Box Drawer + File Drawer |
Usually Deep File Drawers |
| Mobility |
Mobile Pedestal: Often Equipped with Casters |
Mostly Placed in a Fixed Location |
Office drawers are typically located closer to employees. For example, a mobile pedestal can be slid directly under an office desk, with the top drawer holding small items used daily—such as pens, notebooks, and chargers—and the lower file drawer storing frequently accessed documents.
Filing cabinets, on the other hand, function more like the office’s “public document repository.” They usually have a larger capacity and feature multiple deep file drawers for organizing and storing documents by category. If a department has contracts, client information, financial documents, or other large volumes of paper records, relying solely on the small drawers under employees’ desks is clearly impractical.
Many offices place a mobile pedestal under each workstation and filing cabinets in common areas. One handles items employees need at their fingertips, while the other handles documents that “can’t all fit under the desk.”
There is no one-size-fits-all standard for office drawers. Common mobile pedestals and under-desk drawers are typically about 15–20 inches (380–500 mm) wide, 20–28 inches (500–710 mm) deep, and 24–28 inches (610–710 mm) tall. The exact size you choose will depend on how many drawers you need, whether you plan to store files, and whether there’s enough space under your desk to accommodate it.
If you plan to place the office drawer under your desk, measure the width, depth, and height of the space underneath before purchasing to ensure the unit will actually fit.
Pay special attention to desk frames, crossbeams, and cable trays. Sometimes, from the outside, it looks like there’s plenty of space under the desk, but when you’ve pushed the cabinet halfway in, you realize there’s a crossbeam waiting for you at the back.
If you choose a mobile pedestal with casters, be sure to factor in the height of the casters when measuring. Just because the cabinet itself fits doesn’t mean it will still fit once the casters are attached.
Don’t cram the entire space under your desk just to fit a little more stuff.
Once the office drawer is in place, you still need to leave room for the employee’s legs and office chair. When seated, you should be able to stretch your legs normally, and the chair should be able to pull out and swivel; otherwise, even if the cabinet fits, sitting there will become increasingly uncomfortable.
This is especially true for compact office workstations—be sure to check in advance how much under-desk space the office drawer will take up.
If you mainly store pens, chargers, notebooks, and other small items, standard box drawers are usually sufficient.
If you also need to store A4 or letter-size documents or hanging files, check to see if there are file drawers of the appropriate size. In this case, don’t just look at the external dimensions of the cabinet; also consider how much space is actually inside the drawers and whether the files will be stored horizontally or vertically.
Office pedestals commonly come in configurations such as 2-drawer and 3-drawer models, but more drawers don’t necessarily mean better—it all depends on what employees need to store.
For example, a BBF (box + box + file) configuration features two small upper drawers for stationery, chargers, and other frequently used items, while the deeper file drawer below is used for documents. If there are a lot of paper documents, you can also choose other drawer combinations, such as BF or FF.
So, when choosing the size of office drawers, there’s really no need to overcomplicate things. First, check if there’s enough space under the desk and if there’s room for the employee’s legs, then determine what needs to be stored and whether a file drawer is necessary.
Choosing office drawers isn't just about how many drawers the cabinet has. What you really need to consider is: what you plan to store, how the drawers will be divided, whether you need them locked, and their daily convenience.
Especially for mobile pedestals, which are opened, closed, and moved almost daily, seemingly insignificant details become more apparent over time.
First, consider what your employees typically store in them.
If it's mainly pens, notebooks, chargers, and personal items, ordinary box drawers are sufficient. If you need to store A4 documents, contracts, or hanging files, you should choose an office pedestal with deeper file drawers.
Don't order just because you see "three drawers." If all three drawers are small, you still won't have enough space for folders.
Common office pedestals have 2-drawer or 3-drawer designs, and you'll also see configurations like bbf, bf, and ff.
BBF (Box + Box + File) drawers are suitable for average employee workstations. Two small drawers can hold stationery and personal items, while the lower file drawer can organize frequently used documents.
If you have a lot of paper documents, consider BF (Box + File) or FF (File + File) drawers. Therefore, more drawers aren't necessarily better; the key is how you organize them.
If your office drawer is used to store contracts, financial documents, HR materials, or employee personal items, check for locks and which drawers it locks when purchasing.
Some commercial office pedestals use a central locking system, where one lock controls multiple drawers simultaneously, which is much more convenient than locking each drawer individually.
However, "with lock" isn't enough. Clarify the following during procurement:
Is it locking one drawer or the entire cabinet?
These are not the same thing.
For mobile pedestals, casters and drawer slides are components used daily.
Casts ensure smooth cabinet movement and stability when placed under workstations; drawer slides directly affect the smoothness of drawer opening and closing and whether they can be pulled out properly after documents are inserted.
Products with anti-tilt mechanisms are also worth considering. It can limit the simultaneous full opening of multiple drawers, reducing the risk of the cabinet tipping forward due to excessive weight.
Especially when full of documents, pulling out a drawer doesn't just release air.
Office drawers are rarely used alone, so it's essential to consider whether they match your existing desk.
Besides color and finish, confirm the cabinet's width, depth, and height, especially for mobile pedestals intended for under the desk. If the office uses multi-person office workstations, also consider whether the table frame, beams, and cable trays will obstruct the cabinet.
The color and finish should ideally match the office desks, office workstations, or executive desks.
LINRAY office drawers come in various sizes and drawer combinations to suit different office desks, office workstations, and employee storage needs. Box drawers are ideal for stationery and personal items; file drawers are perfect for document storage. Locks, casters, and various colors and finishes are also available.
For office purchases, we can combine office drawers with office desks, office workstations, office cabinets, and filing cabinets. Small drawers under employee desks and large cabinets for departmental documents can all be considered together.
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