ANCHOR TALL BOOKCASES AND FILE CABINETS
Protecting Your Property from Earthquakes
FEMA
April 2008

During an earthquake, large pieces of furniture such as tall 
bookcases and file cabinets can fall on you or others. Toppled 
furniture can also block exits and prevent you from escaping. 
Anchoring furniture so that it remains upright not only helps 
prevent injuries but also helps protect both the furniture and 
its contents.

You can anchor large pieces of furniture in several ways. The 
figure shows how to anchor a bookcase to a wall, but the same 
methods can be used for other pieces of furniture. As shown in 
the figure, a bookcase can be anchored with metal L brackets 
and screws along its top or sides (either inside or outside) or 
with screws through its back. 

[Begin illustrations]
There are 3 illustrations. The first one shows a bookshelf with 
brackets along the top or sides, interior brackets, and screws 
through the back to the wall. The second illustration shows a 
single file cabinet with latching drawers and clip angles with 
bolts attaching it to the wall on both the top and sides. The 
third illustration shows 4 file cabinets that form a square with 
clips securing them to each other on both the top and side, and 
clip angles attaching them to the floor.
[End illustrations]

BENEFITS OF UTILIZING THIS MITIGATION STRATEGY

* Helps to prevent toppled furniture from falling on occupants

* Helps to prevent toppled furniture from blocking exits and 
preventing escape from a structure

* Helps to prevent damage to furniture and the contents of the 
book cases and cabinets

TIPS

Keep these points in mind when you anchor large pieces of 
furniture:

* Make sure that all anchoring screws penetrate not just the wall 
but the studs behind it as well. Screws embedded only in drywall 
or plaster will pull out. Regardless of the anchoring method you 
use, the screws should be long enough to extend at least 2 inches 
into the wall and studs.

* Before anchoring a bookcase with screws through its back, make 
sure the back is sturdy enough and that it is securely attached 
to the sides, top, and bottom. Some bookcases have backs made of 
very thin materials that are held in place with only small screws 
or staples that can easily pull out. Those bookcases should be 
anchored with brackets.

* If you have two or more bookcases or file cabinets that sit 
next to each other, consider connecting them to one another as 
well as to the wall. They will be even more stable if you do.

* If possible, move all bookcases, file cabinets, and other large 
pieces of furniture away from exits so that if they do fall, they 
won't prevent you from escaping.

* To prevent the contents of your bookcases from falling out, you 
can install a thin metal or plastic wire, a wood dowel, or even 
an elastic guardrail across the front of each shelf. 

* Keep the tops of your bookcases free of heavy items, especially 
they are located near beds or desks, where persons could be 
injured from falling items.

ESTIMATED COST

The cost of anchoring a bookcase or file cabinet will depend on 
the size (height and width) of the bookcase or file cabinet. In 
general, if you do the work yourself, you can expect the cost to 
be approximately $5 per bracket. For example, anchoring a 3-foot 
wide by 6-foot high bookcase will cost about $30 for six 
brackets. This amount covers only the hardware you will have to 
buy and excludes the cost of any tools you use and the value of 
your time. If you hire a contractor or handyman to do the work, 
you will have to pay for time as well as materials.

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

FEMA 74, Reducing the Risks of Nonstructural Earthquake Damage: A 
Practical 
Guide, Third Edition, September 1994, 
http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=1574. 

FEMA 232, Homebuilders Guide to Earthquake-Resistant Design and 
Construction, June 2006, 
http://www.fema.gov/library/viewRecord.do?id=2103.

To obtain additional copies of FEMA documents, call the FEMA 
Publications Warehouse at 1-800-480-2520 or visit FEMAs Library 
online at http://www.fema.gov/library.