Home office file drawers
Built in desk file drawer dimensions, and how to replace a broken one
A built in desk is the one piece of furniture a file drawer belongs in, and the one most often built without the numbers. This page gives pedestal and credenza sizes for letter and legal, the stacks that fit under a desk top, and how to measure an old drawer for a replacement.
Quick answer. A built in desk file drawer is a box 10 1/4 in tall, at least 14 1/4 in wide for letter folders or 17 1/4 in for legal with 5/8 in sides, and 21 in deep in a 24 in deep pedestal. A wood built in with 3/4 in sides needs about 16 1/8 in outside for letter and 19 1/8 in for legal on undermount runners, more than the 15 and 18 in office furniture pedestals; a credenza drawer 30 to 36 in wide takes a lateral layout or two bays. To replace a broken desk file drawer, measure the old box’s outside width, depth and height, note the slide type, and we build a new box to those numbers.
Ready to build it? The file drawer configurator shows the price as you choose and draws your exact box in 3D before you order.
Where file drawers go in a built in desk
A built in desk has two places for a file drawer: the pedestal under the desk top and the credenza or return behind you. The pedestal is narrow and deep, so it takes a front to back layout; the credenza is wide, so it suits a lateral layout or two bays. All use the same 10 1/4 in tall box with rails 12 1/4 in apart for letter or 15 1/4 in for legal, and the new dovetailed box lives behind the old front, which is yours.
How wide is a desk file drawer pedestal?
Office furniture makers build letter pedestals about 15 in wide and legal pedestals about 18 in, because a metal pedestal has thin sides. A wood built in has 3/4 in panel sides or a face frame and needs slide clearance, so it must be wider. The table does the arithmetic with our standard 5/8 in sides: box, opening (box plus 13/32 in (10 mm, often written 3/8 in) on most undermount runners, plus 1 in on side mount slides), then a frameless pedestal with 3/4 in sides (opening plus 1 1/2 in).
| Layout | Smallest box | Opening, undermount | Opening, side mount | Frameless pedestal, undermount | Frameless pedestal, side mount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LETTER | 14 1/4 in | 14 5/8 in | 15 1/4 in | 16 1/8 in | 16 3/4 in |
| LEGAL, OR SLOTS FOR BOTH | 17 1/4 in | 17 5/8 in | 18 1/4 in | 19 1/8 in | 19 3/4 in |
| DOUBLE LETTER | 27 1/4 in | 27 5/8 in | 28 1/4 in | 29 1/8 in | 29 3/4 in |
| LETTER AND LEGAL SIDE BY SIDE | 30 1/4 in | 30 5/8 in | 31 1/4 in | 32 1/8 in | 32 3/4 in |
| DOUBLE LEGAL | 33 1/4 in | 33 5/8 in | 34 1/4 in | 35 1/8 in | 35 3/4 in |
| LATERAL LETTER | 14 5/16 in deep | Any width, if deep enough | |||
| LATERAL LEGAL | 17 5/16 in deep | Any width, if deep enough | |||
A face frame pedestal with 1 1/2 in stiles adds 3 in to the opening instead of 1 1/2 in, so a face frame letter pedestal is 17 5/8 in wide on undermount runners. A 15 in wood pedestal (13 1/8 in box) is too narrow for letter front to back, the mistake we see most in plans drawn from furniture catalogs; it takes a lateral letter drawer, sized by depth, with 11 7/8 in of folders facing sideways. Full charts: letter vs legal file drawer dimensions and lateral vs front to back file drawers.
How deep should a desk file drawer be?
Pedestals run 22 to 24 in deep. A 24 in deep pedestal takes a 21 in undermount runner and the 21 in deep box our configurator opens on, or a 22 in box on side mount slides; a 22 in deep pedestal takes an 18 in runner or a 20 in side mount slide. Depth only sets the folder run, 19 3/4 in inside a 21 in box. Use full extension slides, because you reach the back folders from a chair and a 3/4 extension slide hides about the last 5 in of a 21 in drawer: Blum rates its TANDEM 563H runner at 100 lb, and Würth its PRO100 side mount slide at 100 lb. More in file drawer slides.
Pedestal stacks and desk height
Most desk tops sit 29 to 30 in off the floor, so the pedestal cabinet under the top is about 28 1/2 in tall with about 27 in inside in a frameless box. A file drawer needs an opening of at least 11 1/16 in on most undermount runners, 11 1/2 in with tab room.
| Pedestal stack | Openings | Total of 27 in inside |
|---|---|---|
| BOX, BOX, FILE (THE OFFICE CLASSIC) | 6 + 6 + 11 1/2 in | 23 1/2 in |
| FILE OVER FILE | 11 1/2 + 11 1/2 in | 23 in |
| PENCIL, BOX, FILE | 4 + 6 + 11 1/2 in | 21 1/2 in |
| BOX OVER FILE | 6 + 11 1/2 in, 9 1/2 in left for a deeper box | 27 in |
The box drawers are plain custom drawer boxes in the same species and side thickness; a face frame spends about 1 1/2 in on each rail between drawers. Height rules: how tall a file drawer needs to be.
Have your pedestal numbers? Build your file drawer: every choice shows its price as you pick it, and the 3D preview draws the rails and folders in your exact box.
Lateral file drawers in a credenza
A credenza drawer 30 to 36 in wide takes letter or legal files lateral, rails side to side, or two bays front to back. Lateral is sized by depth, 14 5/16 in for letter or 17 5/16 in for legal, so any 21 in deep credenza drawer qualifies and its width becomes one long run: a 36 in frameless cabinet gives a 34 1/8 in box on undermount runners and 32 7/8 in of folders on 1/2 x 1 in aluminum L bar. The same box takes double legal front to back (33 1/4 in minimum); a 30 in cabinet (28 1/8 in box) takes lateral or double letter (27 1/4 in), and letter and legal side by side (30 1/4 in) needs a 33 in cabinet. Judge the slide by its maker’s rating, not by the box: Blum rates its MOVENTO 763 runners at 125 to 170 lb.
Replacing a broken or missing desk file drawer
To replace a desk file drawer, measure the old box rather than the opening, note the slide type and the rail layout, and we build a new box to those numbers. If the old box is gone, measure the opening and take the slide deduction: 1 in for side mount slides, 13/32 in (10 mm, often written 3/8 in) for most undermount runners with 5/8 in sides.
1. Measure the old box
Outside width across the side faces, outside depth, and height; replacement drawer boxes shows where the tape goes.
2. Find the slide
A rail on each side of the box is side mount; hooks at the back and nothing on the sides is undermount, and we notch the box for that model. Find my drawer sorts it out from a photo; a worn pair is replaced from our side mount or undermount shelves.
3. Note the rail layout
Measure across the old rails: 12 1/4 in outside to outside is letter, 15 1/4 in is legal. Note front to back or lateral; order the same, slots for both when unsure (box 17 1/4 in or wider), or slots only to keep a clip on frame.
4. Check the height
Old desk file boxes are often 9 1/2 to 10 in tall; ours is 10 1/4 in, so confirm the opening clears it: 11 1/16 in on most undermount runners.
5. Keep the front
Unscrew the old front and screw it to the new box, which is the same outside size; then see how to install a replacement drawer box and file drawer installation.
Matching the desk, and working with a builder
The box is Baltic Birch, which ships finished, or Hard Maple (Select Grade), finished or unfinished; the desk’s veneer is on the front, which is yours, so a walnut desk keeps its walnut front. If the box itself must match, we build drawer boxes in 21 wood species, Walnut, Cherry and White Oak among them by quote.
If a builder or cabinet shop is making the office, hand them the pedestal table and order the file drawers with the rest of the job’s boxes, same species and side thickness; shops order through the trade portal. Triple layouts wider than our 35 31/32 in limit, and A4 drawers, go through the instant quote.
What to pick in the configurator
Three desk situations, mapped to the custom file drawer box configurator; the names are the ones you will see.
A new pedestal drawer
“Width (Inches)” and “Width Fraction” take the box width: a 16 1/8 in frameless pedestal on undermount runners gives 14 then 1/4. “Notching”: “Notched & Drilled For Undermount Slides”, then your runner under “Slide Brand/Model”, such as “Blum TANDEM plus BLUMOTION 563”, “21” Inches (D)” under “Depth Selection”, and “Blum T51.1901 Clips” under “Clips” for the front locking devices. “File layout”: “Letter, front to back” or “Legal, front to back”.
A credenza drawer
Enter the full box width, up to 35 31/32 in. “File layout”: “Lateral letter, rails side to side” or “Lateral legal, rails side to side” for one long run, or “Double letter, front to back”, “Letter and legal side by side (two bays)” or “Double legal, front to back”.
A replacement for an old desk drawer
Enter the old box’s outside width and depth. Side mount: “Notching” on “None”, depth under “Custom Depth (Inches)”. Undermount: your runner under “Slide Brand/Model”, or type it under “Your Slide Brand & Model”. “File layout”: what the old box had, or “Letter or legal, slots for both (one bay)”; “File rails”: “Slots only, no rails” to keep a clip on frame.
Wood, bottom and front
“Baltic Birch (Our Standard)” or “(Select) Hard Maple” under “Select Your Wood Type”, with “Wood Finish” on “Unfinished” to finish it yourself. “1/2" Thick Baltic Birch Bottom” for a drawer full of paper (the box becomes 10 3/8 in). “Drawer Front Type”: “Standard Drawer”, or “Scoop Front” when no separate front goes on it.
The live 3D preview shows the rails and folders in the box, and Add to cart stays held while the preview shows a red warning.
Desk and home office file drawer questions
What is the standard size of a desk file drawer?
A desk file drawer box is 10 1/4 in tall, 14 1/4 in or wider for letter (17 1/4 in for legal) with 5/8 in sides, and 21 in deep in a 24 in deep pedestal. A wood built in pedestal needs about 16 1/8 in or 19 1/8 in outside on undermount runners.
Can you replace just the drawer box in my desk?
Yes. Measure the old box’s outside width, depth and height, tell us the slide type and the rail layout, and we build a new dovetailed box to those numbers. You keep the desk, the slides if they are sound, and the old front, which screws to the new box.
Lateral or vertical: which pedestal layout is better?
Front to back, the vertical layout, because a pedestal is narrow and deep and that layout is sized by width, 14 1/4 in for letter. Lateral is sized by depth, 14 5/16 in for letter, so it is the answer when the pedestal is too narrow, such as a 15 in wood pedestal, or when the drawer is wide.
Can I fit a legal file drawer in a 15 inch pedestal?
Not front to back. Legal needs a 17 1/4 in box with 5/8 in sides, and a 15 in wood pedestal gives a box of about 13 1/8 in on undermount runners. Legal folders fit it only as a lateral legal layout, which needs at least 17 5/16 in of depth instead; a 21 in deep pedestal drawer qualifies.
What about A4 folders?
A4 hanging folders are 13 1/8 in wide rim to rim, slightly wider than letter, so letter rails will not take them. Our configurator sizes rails for letter and legal only; for A4, describe the drawer on the instant quote.
How tall should a credenza file drawer opening be?
The same as any file drawer: at least 11 1/16 in on most undermount runners, about 11 1/2 in with room for folder tabs. In a desk height credenza with about 27 in inside, that leaves room for a file drawer under a 6 in box drawer, or two file drawers.
Related reading
- Custom file drawers: every layout and the build sheet.
- A file drawer in a kitchen cabinet: which base cabinet takes which layout.
- Letter vs legal file drawer dimensions: the full width chart.
- Hanging file rails explained: flat bar, L bar and slots.
- Built in file drawer vs filing cabinet: an honest comparison.
- File drawer cost: every option priced, with worked totals.
A desk file drawer built to the numbers
Enter the pedestal box size or the old drawer’s measurements, and we build a dovetailed file drawer to the 1/32 inch in our Las Vegas shop, rails included, with a lifetime warranty on the wood box and free retail shipping. For a drawer you cannot measure, send us a photo and your measurements.