How much floor space does a filing cabinet actually take up in use?

A 4-drawer lateral filing cabinet (30 inches wide) requires roughly 15 square feet of floor space once you include the drawer pull-out clearance in front. Vertical cabinets (15 inches wide) are narrower but need 24–28 inches of clearance for drawer extension. In a filing room, plan for at least one aisle of 36 inches between facing cabinet rows for comfortable access. Multiply your planned cabinet count by per-unit clearance to get a realistic floor space estimate. FindOfficeFurniture.com — call 888-719-4960.