How to Calculate the Cubic Feet of a File Cabinet

Filing cabinets evolved in the mid-1800s and totally changed the way that documents were stored. Legal documentation was often folded before storage, reducing the size of each sheet, so early cabinets were tall and narrow. Although modern cabinets often contain day-to-day documentation, they may hold surprises. In 2007, a filing cabinet found in a laundry room in Switzerland contained 500 years of European history, including letters from Napoleon, Charlotte Bronte, Einstein, Churchill and Ghandi.

Tape measure

Instructions

- 1
  Measure the external height, width and depth of the filing cabinet. Multiply the three dimensions to determine the total volume of the cabinet. For example, a filing cabinet with a height of 5 feet, a width of 2 feet and a depth of 3 feet has a total volume of 30 cubic feet -- 5 x 2 x 3 = 30. The result is the volume of space occupied by the cabinet; however this is not the same as the storage volume within the cabinet.
- 2
  Measure the internal height, width and depth of each drawer within the cabinet. Determine the volume of each drawer using the equation volume = height x width x depth.
- 3
  Add together the volumes of all the drawers to establish the total internal storage volume. For example, if a cabinet contains three drawers each with dimensions of 1.5 x 2 x 3 feet, the total volume is 27 cubic feet -- 3 x ( 1.5 x 2 x 3) = 27.

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