Card File Cabinets

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A vintage-inspired gem from the past, card file cabinets are a great way to keep all those little bits of paper organized. Not like regular drawers, index card drawers are immensely practical yet also attractive to look at. Characterized by their small drawers, perfect for notes or index cards, they come in a variety of colors and styles. Our interior design experts have selected some of the best card file cabinets so you can find your perfect match.

11 Recommendations and 159 Ideas

Updated 13/04/2023
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1
Mid Brown Card Catalog Cabinet

Mid Brown Card Catalog Cabinet

Primo Supply

Crafted from wood, this stunning library card cabinet is a mid-brown color. Featuring subtle distressing, it has sixteen small drawers. It measures just under twenty inches wide and is approximately fourteen inches tall. Additionally, it has a varnished finish for a retro look.

Designer Advice:

Not just for cards, this cabinet is a great choice for avid collectors, too. Whether it’s marbles, stamps, or beauty items, you’ll be able to organize to your heart’s content. Plus, as this cabinet is designed to sit on top of a chest of drawers or a chest, it’s also good for space-saving purposes.

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2
Vintage Library Card Catalog Cabinet

Vintage Library Card Catalog Cabinet

c/a

Nine drawers are included with this catalog cabinet. Varnished with a rich lacquer for a subtly glossy sheen, it has a chestnut brown finish. It is made of solid wood. Best of all, no assembly is required. 

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3
Red Index Card Cabinet

Red Index Card Cabinet

Wholly unique, this card cabinet is made of sturdy solid wood and has a charming red finish. There are thirty drawers, more than enough space to store bits and bobs. Each drawer has been distressed for a worn vintage look.

Designer Advice:

We love the free-spirited bohemian vibes of this cabinet. The faded red finish gives it a well-loved look that’s super on-trend at the moment. As there are thirty drawers, you can utilize this piece in a number of ways. Use some drawers for little yet important bits of paper, and the others for everyday items like keys and coins. 

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4
Iron Leg Card File Cabinet

Iron Leg Card File Cabinet

Steelside™

Constructed from solid birch and fir wood, this cabinet has a varnished finish. Its dark brown exterior contrasts with the slightly lighter brown of the inner section. The hairpin legs are made of powder-coated iron.

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5
Cream Index Card Filing Cabinet

Cream Index Card Filing Cabinet

Gracie Oaks

Measuring a little over thirty-six inches tall and forty inches wide, this filing cabinet has a weight capacity of 150lbs. Its cream-yellow color makes it seem like it could be a genuine antique piece. It comes with a five-year warranty.

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6
Best Rustic Option
Hard Wood Index Card File Cabinet

Hard Wood Index Card File Cabinet

Gracie Oaks

Perfect For: A spacious home office

What We Like: It can be used as a file cabinet or even just extra storage in any rustic-style bedroom or living space

Crafted out of solid poplar wood, this 36-inch wide index card file cabinet contains two large drawers with dark chatter marks on the front and vintage index card drawer pulls. The rough-sawn texture, hickory finish and paneled sides create an effortlessly cool retro aesthetic. 

$1013 $1382

Designer Advice:

Ideal for home office storage, the drawers can accommodate just over 45 pounds of weight and can easily fit legal letter files and paper. Due to the spacious nature of the drawers, you could also make it a home for other everyday office necessities and place a portable printer on top of the unit. 

What Users Say:

Very sturdy and beautiful piece of furniture! The best part is that it came assembled. Love that it’s rustic. Very pleased. 

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7
White Library Index Card Cabinet

White Library Index Card Cabinet

Birch Lane™

Featuring fifteen drawers of varying sizes, this sophisticated card cabinet is made from solid and manufactured wood. Antique brass hardware pulls complete the retro farmhouse look. It measures thirty-six inches tall and forty-five inches wide. 

$779.99 $659.99

Designer Advice:

The larger drawers at the bottom make this cabinet more versatile. You could use it just as easily in your bedroom for storing clothes as you could in a study. Its rustic whitewashed finish will match most décor schemes, from dark and moody florals to seaside stripes. However, we think it would look best in a French country-style home.

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8
Best Neutral Option
Sleek Black Library Card Catalog Cabinet

Sleek Black Library Card Catalog Cabinet

Winston Porter

Perfect For: A home office set-up that lives in a communal space

What We Like: It also comes in an antique white finish

Showcasing a slim silhouette that stands 49 inches tall, this library card catalog cabinet is fashioned out of engineered wood in a glossy black finish. It sits on four square legs and contains four drawers with paneled fronts and metal half-moon pulls.  

$286.99 $319.99

Designer Advice:

With a drawer weight capacity of approximately 20 pounds, this library card catalog cabinet is able to neatly contain letter and A4-sized documents. If you’re looking to fully organize all of your bills and at-home office papers, this unit can also accommodate interior hanging files. 

What Users Say:

I love this piece! It’s very classy looking for a file cabinet. I put it together myself and found it fairly easy to do.  

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9
Coastal Library Card Cabinet

Coastal Library Card Cabinet

Highland Dunes

Made of mahogany manufactured wood with stainless steel hardware, this cabinet is hand-painted. It features a stunning grayish-white base with mid-blue detail. The back is finished, too, so you don’t have to place it against a wall.

Designer Advice:

Ideal for a farmhouse or coastal décor scheme, this cabinet will remind you of the seaside all year round. The subtle distressing only adds to its coastal charm, as do the metal ring pulls. As it measures just under thirty-two inches tall and slightly under twenty-seven wide, this cabinet is great for cramped hallways or small living rooms. 

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10
Best Portable Option
Brown Wood Index Card Drawers

Brown Wood Index Card Drawers

Trent Austin Design®

Perfect For: A modern farmhouse bedroom with a work area

What We Like: There’s a top open storage compartment that makes it handy to grab and store daily necessities

Not So Good For: Those who have a difficult time assembling their own furniture

Fully organize your home space with this rustic walnut brown MDF wood index card drawers unit that comes on four lockable caster wheels. It contains three drawers on rolling metal glides with a slatted wood finish and gold-finished index card holders.  

$215.99 $325.99

Designer Advice:

This 50-inch tall brown wood index card drawers unit would make an inspired addition to any industrial-style open-concept family room. You could place it next to your media center or roll it to a nearby desk set-up. Utilize the top space and display a few family photographs or even a small house plant. 

What Users Say:

I am very satisfied with this piece. The quality is very good. I like the appearance of the wood. The drawers are adequate. Overall rating is very good. 

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11
Silver Card Cabinet

Silver Card Cabinet

Willa Arlo™ Interiors

Silver in color, this hand-painted cabinet has a smooth metallic finish for a glam look. Crafted from solid and manufactured wood, it is completed with elegant silver-toned drop ring hardware. Assembly is required, though all tools are included.

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Jump to More Ideas
Card File Cabinets

Buying Guide

If you have a lot of file cards, you need something to keep them in. Shoe boxes might due, but card file cabinets are more durable.

Some libraries, organizations, and individuals use them for storage because their cards have important information on them. What is on them is sometimes a part of history. Card file cabinets are also insurance in case of loss, meaning that going digital does not have to be the ultimate storage solution. In 2015, Concordia College in Bronxville, New York received from the Online Computer Center the shipment of cards it had ordered as a backup to its card catalog. Other reasons to use card file cabinets are that they offer:

  • Stylish storage
  • Top-flight organization because each drawer can be labeled
  • Satisfaction for people who prefer to work with paper

On file cards you can catalog collections of recipes, phonograph records, newspaper clippings or whatever you started collecting before the digital age. If you have a small space and a relatively small number of cards, choose from one of two 1-drawer card cabinets with a capacity of 1,500 3x5 or 4x6 cards. You might also choose a two-drawer file cabinet. One is in gray with top-on-top boxes and another is mahogany-colored with side-by-side boxes.

  • If you have a lot of cards (or checks), one possible selection is a cabinet made of gray steel that has seven drawers. If you want to protect your cards from fire, choose the 6-drawer, beige-colored cabinet that is 1-hour UL fire rated. It can also survive impact from 30 feet and withstand a 2000 degree explosion. Another choice is a 7-drawer steel cabinet in gray that has the added protection of having drawers that can be locked.
  • If you have a large collection but not much space, try a slim-Jim solution in dark wood with a distressed finish. It hugs your wall while giving you 49 drawers of storage space. The look of it is comparable to the card files you find in older historical societies and libraries that have retained their physical card files.
  • If you really want to have a replica of one of the old card cabinets in your home or office, then get the 90-drawer file that has pulls. It also has a self-contained, pull-out table for ease in removing drawers and fingering through their contents.
  • If the colors gray or brown do not appeal to you, how about a card file cabinet in green-colored metal? It has 27 drawers and a door. One 30-drawer card file cabinet has four metal legs to give it a more contemporary look. To store large, flat materials such as blueprints and maps, choose a 9-drawer cabinet with a cobalt blue finish. It has two pulls on each drawer.

You do not have to use the latest technology to get organized. Choose from one of the large variety of card file cabinets available.

Best Ideas

Drawer Card Cabinet Holds 4500 3 X 5 Cards 19 7/8 X 18 1/8 X 7

Stylish and efficient, this Functional 3-Drawer Card Cabinet in Black & Silver Finish fits offices, studies, dens, and receptions. Each drawer is decorated with a stylish handle, and offers an ample storage able to hold up to 4.500 3x5 cards.

Library card file cabinet 1

High-quality low-profile card cabinet constructed from wood and finished in a beautiful light brown stain. The cabinet offers six pull out drawers, each accentuated with stunning silver-coated pulls for impeccable beauty. You will also get a huge countertop for more décor accessories and other storage needs.

Card cabinet

Vintage library card catalog cabinet with a raised design. The cabinet sits atop four wooden legs, leaving enough space at the bottom for additional storage. It also has enough filing storage too and beautiful metal pulls that add to its design.

Vintage oak library index filing card cabinet

Vintage Oak Library Index Filing Card Cabinet

Amazing antique industrial wood 23 drawer library card catalog cabinet

Amazing antique industrial wood 23 drawer library card catalog cabinet

Unique dark brown storage cabinet repurposed from an old library card catalog cabinet. The result raises eyebrows in a positive sense. 23 wooden drawers await to organize all kinds of stuff. One of them even serves as a plant pot stand.

Mayline Steel Flat File - 5-Drawer - 46-3/4 X35-3/8 X15-3/8" - Blue - Blue

File cabinets tend to be terribly practical and all but nice-looking, but this adorable blue piece is different. It offers multiple drawers and it looks a treat thanks to rather unusual cobalt blue finish.

Home retro style wooden multimedia library file cabinets

Home : Retro-Style Wooden Multimedia Library File Cabinets

Gray catalog in a white craft room

Gray catalog in a white craft room |

Card file cabinet

A wonderful transformation of a card file cabinet. Originally the piece featured a vintage character in a plain color. It was painted in a plenty of vivid colors that gave the piece a new life. Now it's a funky accent of the room.

Tennsco Card Cabinet With Lock - 28" x 15" x 52" - Steel - 8 Drawer(s) - Security Lock, Heavy Duty, Ball-bearing Suspension - Black

Standing sleek and tall, this 8-Drawer File Cabinet For 3x5 & 4x6 Cards in Black Finish offers a durable steel construction consisted of center dividers, a follower block and a thumb latch. The cabinet is able to hold up to 43,400 cards!

Dishfunctional designs vintage library card catalogs transformed into awesome furniture

Dishfunctional Designs: Vintage Library Card Catalogs Transformed Into Awesome Furniture

Cd drawers

Thanks to this storage cabinets, your large CD collection will be properly stored and organized. It's made of oak-finished wood and stands on a powder-coated metal frame, offering number of small drawers with name plaques and metal pulls.

Vintage library card file cabinet

Leslie Dame Library Card File Media Cabinet by OJ Commerce$199.95 - $ ...

Request a custom order and have something made just for

Request a custom order and have something made just for you.

Card File, 7-Drawer, for 5" x 8" Cards, Light Gray TNNCF758LGY

Card file cabinet. Made of heavy duty steel in light gray color. Seven drawers, each of them lockable and with double label holder at the front. Very solid construction. Perfect for storing magnetic cards or other media.

Card file cabinets 1

Beautifully crafted with a stylish design, the card file cabinets are astonishing in every décor in traditional style. The whole is beautifully combined with every decor, and the beautiful shade of warm wood brings to the interior coziness.

Card filing cabinet

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Fire King SixDrawer Fireproof Card and Check File

Excellent addition for offices, studies, dens, and receptions. This 6-Drawer Fireproof Card & Check File in Beige Finish offers benefits such as 1 hour UL fire rated, 30' UL impact rated, and 2000 degree explosion hazard rated.

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Vintage 90 drawer card file cabinet ebay 1

Vintage 90 Drawer Card File Cabinet | eBay

Vintage oak wood wooden 4 drawer library index card file

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Tennsco card files media storage cabinet 19 x 28 x

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Leslie dame library card file cd cabinet by oj commerce

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