Probably everything you need to know about a plan chest.   There are two main types of plan chests; horizontal and vertical Horizontal Used for storing plans, paper, film board, pictures etc. Usually made in either steel or some form of particle board. Points to consider, as you may want: to store as much as possible to be able to retrieve easily without damaging the contents to be able to open all the drawers easily, even if you are not very strong! to have the plan chest at a height where the top can be used as a table. perhaps have some of the drawers facing the other way so that they can be accessed by more easily by others. Making and using a plan chest is a compromise. If it is made in steel, drawers can be quite shallow (the Bieffe one is 55mm deep) whereas board plan chest drawers have to be much deeper to get sufficient structural strength from the joints. However you can only store so many pieces of paper in a drawer before the weight jeopardises the strength of the drawer and anyway you will probably tear the drawings at the bottom of the drawer if you don't break your fingers. (I use the term drawings to cover any material that might be stored in the drawer). The cabinet holding the drawers needs to be strong otherwise if it 'bows' it may jam the drawers, particularly the lower ones. For the mathematician an A0 sheet of paper is 1 square metre. Taking 50 sheets of paper at 100gsm (grams per square metre) the weight in the drawer will be 5Kg or 11lbs. So as some studios will try and cram 200 drawings into a drawer, the weight is nearly 1/2 cwt. Take a 10 drawer plan chest you could be asking it (and the floor!) to support 5cwt or 1/4 ton. If you are storing film it is much heavier. Our advice to you is to use shallow drawers; it prevents them being overloaded. Use a ten-drawer cabinet as it gives an excellent working height at 970mm (38"). Cheap steel cabinets probably mean it is made of thin steel sheet, which may buckle and won't take welds as well as thicker steel.    Bieffe horizontal plan chest dimensions in mm   Size External width External depth External height Internal drawer width Internal drawer depth Internal drawer height A3 10 drawer 540 395 970 440 330 55 A2 5 drawer 760 530 550 650 465 55 A2 10 drawer 760 530 970 650 465 55 A1 5 drawer 1130 795 550 1030 730 55 A1 7 drawer 1130 795 705 1030 730 55 A1 10 drawer 1130 795 970 1030 730 55 A0 5 drawer 1400 965 550 1300 920 55 A0 7 drawer 1400 965 705 1300 920 55 A0 10 drawer 1400 965 970 1300 920 55 A0+ 5 drawer 1670 1060 550 1500 1000 55 A0+ 7 drawer 1670 1060 705 1500 1000 55 A0+ 10 drawer 1670 1060 970 1500 1000 55 Dimensions are nominal and may vary. Note that all horizontal cabinets are supplied with a detachable plinth which is 100mm high (subtract 100mm from the measurements in the table if you do not want to use the plinth. The top is fixed and has a height of 30mm. Vertical cabinets This is a cabinet, usually with a 'fall front' in which drawings are hung on 'prongs' by their shortest edge. You hang them by attaching 'header tape' which has predrilled holes in a reinforced card tape. The theory is that you can store more drawings in a given space for less cost than a horizontal plan chest. The problem is that for health and safety reasons the vertical plan chest needs to be fastened to the floor or wall or to the back of another plan chest, otherwise it may all end up on you. However Bieffe also make an anti-tilt plan chest, which features support legs, which project outwards when the front is opened. It costs more but can be fully free standing. Another option is the Graphiteque where there is a telescopic slider at the bottom of the cabinet. There have been many manufacturers of over the years,each of which has their own idea of how many suspension prongs there need to be in a cabinet. Drawing Office Furniture stocks a selection of 'header tapes' to cover most of the popular brands sold in the UK over the last 30 years. Email us with the distances between prongs and we can tell you whether we have header tape for your plan chest.   Bieffe vertical plan chest dimensions in mm   Size External width External depth External height Internal width Internal depth Internal height A1 900 530 1300 825 460 1200 A0 1050 530 1440 985 460 1370 Dimensions are nominal and may vary. When you buy your Bieffe plan chest we can send you an installation assessment sheet to ensure you haven't forgotten anything in arranging for this rather large piece of furniture to be installed successfully. Some notes from this sheet now follow: Your Bieffe Plan Chest is usually delivered in a wooden crate to ensure it is in perfect condition when it arrives. Great care should be taken removing the crate so as not to damage the plan chest, which will be in a cardboard carton and protected inside the carton with polystyrene sheets and corners. Once unpacked place the plinth on the floor and then place the lower 5 drawer section on the plinth so that it overhangs the front of the plinth. For 10 drawer plan chests, place the top 5 drawer top (superiore) section on top so that it locates perfectly to the lower (inferiore) section. Once the plan chest has been positioned, the bag containing the keys should be removed and the drawers unlocked; if you cannot see the keys then check the packaging carefully. Unlock the drawers and take out the package containing the handles. Bolt the handles to the drawer fronts. Check drawers and locks work satisfactorily; the drawers may need relocating in their runners if the cabinet has been inverted. We hope you have many years satisfactory use from your Bieffe plan chest.