DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STAN DARD  DEAS 1156 :2023  
 
DRAFT EAST AFRICAN STANDARD  
Steel filing cabinets for general office purposes — Specification  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EAST AFRICAN COMMUNITY  
 
 DEAS 1156:2023  
 
  
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 DEAS 1156:2023  
Foreword  
Devel opment of the East African Standards has been necessitated by the need for harmonizing requirements 
governing quality of products and services in the East African Community. It is envisaged that through 
harmonized standardization, trade barriers that are e ncountered when goods and services are exchanged 
within the Community will be removed.  
In order to achieve this objective, the Community established an East African Standards Committee mandated 
to develop and issue East African Standards.   
The Committee i s composed of representatives of the National Standards Bodies in Partner States, together 
with the representatives from the private sectors and consumer organizations. Draft East African Standards 
are circulated to stakeholders through the National Standa rds Bodies in the Partner States. The comments 
received are discussed and incorporated before finalization of standards, in accordance with the procedures 
of the Community.  
East African Standards are subject to review, to keep pace with technological advan ces. Users of the East 
African Standards are therefore expected to ensure that they always have the latest versions of the standards 
they are implementing .  
DEAS 1156:2023  was prepared by Technical Committee EASC/TC 035, Steel and steel products . DEAS 1156:2023  
Stee l filing cabinets for general office purposes — Specification  
 
 
1 Scope  
This draft East African Standard specifies the requirements for materials, sizes, construction, finish and 
tests of steel filing cabinets for general office purposes.   
 
 
2  Normative r eferences  
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document , for dated 
references, only the edition cited applies , for undated references, the latest edition of the referenced 
document (including any amendments) appl ies; 
 
ISO 636, Welding consumables — Rods, wires and deposits for tungsten inert gas welding of non -alloy 
and fine -grain steels — Classification  
ISO 2560, Welding consumables — Covered electrodes for manual metal arc welding of non -alloy and 
fine grain st eels — Classification  
ISO 5184, Straight resistance spot welding electrodes  
ISO 4960, Steel strip, cold -reduced with a mass fraction of carbon over 0,25%  
ISO 6932, Cold -reduced carbon steel strip with a maximum carbon content of 0,25 %  
ISO 3574, Cold -reduced carbon steel sheet of commercial and drawing qualities  
ISO 5954, Cold -reduced carbon steel sheet according to hardness requirements  
ISO 1482, Slotted countersunk (flat) head tapping screws  
ISO 2009, Slotted countersunk flat head screws — Product grade A  
ISO 1518 -1, Paints and varnishes — Determination of scratch resistance — Part 1: Constant -loading 
method  
ISO 1518 -2, Paints and varnishes — Determination of scratch resistance — Part 2: Variable -loading 
method  
ISO 15184, Paints and varnishes — Determination of film hardness by pencil test  
ISO 17132, Paints and varnishes — T-bend test  
ISO 9227, Corrosion tests in artificial atmospheres — Salt spray tests  
 
 
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this standard, the following terms and definitio ns shall apply : 
 
3.1 Drawer  
A drawer is a part of filing cabinet piece of office furniture usually used to store paper documents in file 
folders, supplies, and accessories.  
 
3.2 Drawer Handle  
A drawer handle is the attached piece of hardware to the fili ng cabinet that is used to open and close a 
cabinet door or drawer.  
 
3.3 Label Holder  
Label holder is the attached piece of hardware to the filing cabinet that is used to show the contents of 
your drawer and file cabinet.  
 
4 Materials  
 
4.1 Electrodes  
Electrodes for gas, arc and spot welding shall conform to ISO 636, ISO 2560 and ISO 5184 respectively.  
 
4.2 Mild Steel Sheets  
Mild steel sheets shall conform to ISO 4960, ISO 3574, ISO 6932 or ISO 5954.  
 
4.3 Screws  
Screws shall conform to ISO 1482 or IS O 2009.  
 DEAS 1156:2023  
5 Types  
5.1 The filing cabinets shall be of mainly two categories:  
a) drawer type filing cabinet, and  
b) door type filing cabinet  
 
5.2 The drawer type filing cabinets shall be of three types, namely, two -drawer type, three -drawer type and 
four-drawer type.  
 
5.3 The door type filing cabinets shall be of three types, namely, one -door type, two -door type and four -door 
type.  
 
 
Figure 01: A Typical Four -Drawer Type Steel Filing Cabinet  
 DEAS 1156:2023  
 
Figure 02: A Typical Two -Door Type Steel Filing Cabinet  
 
6 Dimensions and Tolerances  
 
6.1 Dimensions drawer -type filing cabinets  
The overall dimensions, clearances and tolerances of the three types of drawer type lockable filing cabinets 
shall be as agreed between supplier and purchaser. The recommended dimension s are specified in Annex B.  
  
6.2 Dimensions door -type filing cabinets  DEAS 1156:2023  
The overall dimensions, clearances and tolerances of the three types of door type filing cabinets shall be as 
agreed between supplier and purchaser. The recommended dimensions and tole rances are specified in 
Annex B.  
  
7 Fabrications   
 
7.1 Sides and Back  
The sides and back shall be made from steel sheet not less than 0.8 mm thick and without any burrs or dents. 
The width of the side sheets shall correspond to the depth of the cabinet. The width of the back sheet shall 
correspond to the width of the cabinet. A top cover shall be provided and the sides and back shall extend from 
the bottom edge of the top cover to the floor.  
 
7.2 Top and Bottom  
The top and bottom shall be of steel sheet  not less than 0.8 mm thick. The width of the top and bottom shall 
cover the width of the cabinet and the length shall cover the depth of the cabinet.  
 
7.3 Filing Drawer  
The drawer shall be made from steel sheet not less than 0.63 mm thick. The drawer fr ont shall have a back 
cover secured to it to make it box type. The drawer shall have an arrangement on the sides to seat it on the 
slides and an arrangement by a locking mechanism to stop it when fully pushed in.  
 
7.4 Clutch Compressor Plate or Cradle Str ips  
The clutch compressor plate shall be made from steel sheet not less than 1.0 mm thick and shall be suitably 
guided throughout the depth of the drawer. It shall have an arrangement for clutching the drawer at any 
desired position. If instead of clutch compressor plate cradle strips are provided, they shall be fitted to each 
drawer in pairs extending over the depth of the drawer. They shall be of aluminium, galvanized steel or mild 
steel. In the case of mild steel cradle strips, they shall be either pain ted or provided with a plastic or aluminium 
cladding, or cadmium plated. 7.5 Checks  
Each drawer of the cabinet shall be removable but shall be fitted with a positive stop to prevent inadvertent 
withdrawal. The drawers may be fitted with an automatic check  to prevent rebound, if required by the 
purchaser.  
 
7.6 Drawer Suspension  
The drawer suspension shall be one of the following types to ensure withdrawal of the full depth of the drawer:  
a) Ball -bearing suspension,  
b) Solid -roller suspension, and  
c) Ba ll-bearing -roller suspension  
7.7 Handles  
7.7.1 Each drawer shall be provided either with a handle made from corrosion -resistant material and fixed to 
the front of the drawer or with a built -in pull.  
7.7.2 The drawer handle shall be strong enough to take a normal minimum pull of 50 N. There shall be no 
sharp corners or edges to avoid injury and damage to clothing.  
 
7.8 Label Holders  
The label holders shall be made from corrosion resistant metal sheet or mild steel sheet, not less than 0.63 
mm in thicknes s, to hold card of size 100 x 50 mm and shall be fixed to the front of the drawers. Mild steel 
label holders shall be properly finished as laid down in 9.  
 
7.9 Locks  
Locks, if provided, shall be of the automatic unit type having not less than 6 levers or  of the pin cylindrical type 
having not less than 4 pins, with duplicate keys of non -corrosive metal.  
7.10 Locking Mechanism  
7.10.1 The locking mechanism shall be made from steel sheet not less than 1.6 mm thick: The arrangement 
shall be such as to lock a ll the drawers simultaneously from the front of the cabinets.  
7.10.2 At the time of locking the whole cabinet if one of the drawers has not been pushed in fully and thus 
remains partly open, that drawer shall remain unlocked. As soon as that drawer is pus hed in fully, it shall get 
locked automatically without further operation by the user.  
 DEAS 1156:2023  
8 Assembly  
The components shall be joined  by either bolting, welding or riveting.  
 
9 Finish   
9.1 All dents, burrs and sharp edges shall be removed from the various comp onents. The components shall 
be individually pickled, scrubbed and rinsed to remove grease, rust, scale or any other foreign element.  
9.2 All other components shall be finished as agreed to between the purchaser and the manufacturer.   
 
10 Performance Requi rements of Finish   
10.1 Scratch and Hardness Test  
A sample of mild steel plate shall be subjected to scratch hardness test in accordance with ISO 1518 -1 and 
ISO 1518 -2 and ISO 15184. A scratch, showing the bare metal shall not be produced on the test samp le.  
 
10.2 Flexibility and Adhesion Test  
A sample of mild steel plate shall be subjected to flexibility and adhesion test in accordance with ISO 17132. 
The paint film on the test piece shall not show damage, detachment or cracking when examined under x 10  
magnification.  
 
10.3 Corrosion Test  
A sample of mild steel plate shall be subjected to Salt spray test in accordance with ISO 9227. The metal 
surface shall show no signs of corrosion after the test.   
 
 
11 Tests  
 
11.1 Drawer Suspension  
11.1.1 The suspe nsion slides shall not show any apparent distortion, cracks or failure to operate in a normal, 
smooth manner after running for 50,000 cycles at a rate of 1,000 cycles per hour with an evenly distributed 
load of 30 kg (excluding the weight of the drawer) in  any of the drawer. One opening and one closing of the 
drawer shall constitute one cycle. For guidance, the detail of the test apparatus and the procedure for the test 
is given in Annex A.  
11.1.2 When a drawer is loaded with a uniformly distributed load o f 20 kg, the cradle strips shall not deflect by 
more than 3 mm in the vertical direction. The operative edges of the cradle strips shall be smooth and 
rounded in order to facilitate easy movement of files.  
 
11.2 Ease of Drawer Operation  
With an evenly di stributed load of 30 kg (excluding the weight of the drawer) in any of the drawers, the force 
required to move the drawer from the position of rest shall not exceed 50 N.  
 
 
12 Packing  
 
All com ponent part of the cabinets shall  be packed in such a way that no damage is caused to them during 
transportation . 
 
 
13. Information to Be Supplied by the Purchaser  
 
13.1 The purchaser shall supply the following information to the supplier along with the order:  
a) Type required,  
b) Desired colour of finish,  
c) Whet her the drawers to be provided with clutch compressor plate or cradle strips, and  DEAS 1156:2023  
d) Whether corners to be rounded or not.  
 
13.2 Where alternative methods of construction and finish are specified they shall be clearly stated in the 
order.  
 
 
14 Marking  
 
14.1 All steel filing cabinets shall be marked legibly and indelibly with the following information:   
a) manufacturer ’s name or  registered trademark ,  
b) date of manufacture or batch number, and  
c) country  of origin.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 1156:2023  
ANNEX A  
 
(Normative)  
 
PROCEDURE AND APPARATUS FOR  DRAWER SUSPENSION TEST  
 
A-1 APPARATUS  
A-1.1 The testing apparatus (see Fig. 3) shall be capable of reciprocating drawer of a filing cabinet at a 
uniform speed so as to generate 1000 reciprocating cycles per hour. Eac h cycle comprises the activity from 
opening out to closing in of filing cabinet drawer. Drawer may open out to 90 percent of its total depth. Force 
applied per drawer reciprocation should be parallel to the direction of drawer sliding.  
 
A-1.2 The essentia l parts of one testing apparatus which has been found suitable are reciprocating rod 
actuated by pneumatic hydraulic cylinder through mechanical linkages (alternatively motorized crank 
mechanism converting rotary motion into reciprocating one can be used).  The stroke of reciprocation can be 
adjusted with the intermediate links connecting oscillating slotted arm and pneumatic/hydraulic cylinder to suit 
different depths of drawers of filing cabinets.  
 
A-2 PROCEDURE  
A-2.1 Connect the free end of reciprocatin g arm of apparatus to centre of front end of the drawer which is to 
be tested.  
A-2.2 Adjust speed of reciprocation of drawer to give 1,000 cycles per hour.  
 
A-2.3 Test the drawer for 50,000 cycles and check for any functional or material failures during a nd at the end 
of the test.  
 
 
Figure 03 : Apparatus for Drawer Suspension Test  
 
 
 DEAS 1156:2023  
ANNEX B  
 
(Informative)  
 
DIMENSIONS AND TOLERANCES  
 
B.1 DIMENSIONS  DRAWER -TYPE FILING CABINETS   
B.1.1 The overall dimensions of the three types of drawer type lockable filing c abinets shall be as given in 
Table B.1.  
Table B.1: Overall Dimensions of  Drawer Type Steel Filing Cabinets  
S/No.  Dimensions, mm  Two-Drawer 
Type  Three -Drawer  
Type  Four -Drawer  
Type  
1 Overall height from finished floor 
level to top of the cabinet 
including p edestal  750 1080  1380  
2 Depth from face to back  700 700 700  
3 Width  
 470 470 470  
NOTE:  
Other dimensions may be applied as agreed between supplier and purchaser.  
 
B.1.2 The minimum clearances required for the filing cabinets to be put into recesses or openings, where 
required, shall be as follows:  
a) For top of cabinet – 20 mm,  
b) For each side of cabinet – 10 mm, and  
c) For depth of cabinet – 5 mm.  
B.1.3 Drawer Dimensions  
The minimum clear internal dimensions of the drawers for all the three types shall be s uitable for holding a 
standard suspension holder running on cradle strips having centre to centre distance of 385 mm, the height of 
the largest holder being 255 mm including 15 mm high tab. The depth of the drawers shall be not less than 
600 mm. The bottom  of the lowest drawer shall be minimum 75 mm above the floor level.  
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 1156:2023  
B.2 DIMENSIONS DOOR -TYPE LOCKABLE FILING CABINETS  
B.2.1 The overall dimensions of the three types of door type lockable filing cabinets shall be as given in Table 
B.2. 
Table B.2: Over all Dimensions of  Door -Type Lockable Steel Filing Cabinets  
S/No.  Dimensions, mm  One-Door  
Type  Two-Door  
Type  Four -Door  
Type  
1 Overall height from finished floor 
level to top of the cabinet including 
pedestal  1800  1850  1850  
2 Depth from face to back  450 400  400 
3 Width  380 900  900 
NOTE: Other dimensions may be applied as agreed between supplier and purchaser.  
 
B.2.2 The minimum clearances required for the filing cabinets to be put into recesses or openings, where 
required, shall be as follows:  
a) For top of cabinet – 20 mm,  
b) For each side of cabinet – 10 mm, and  
c) For depth of cabinet – 5 mm.  
 
B.3 TOLERANCES  
All dimensions specified in 6.1 and 6.2 shall not vary by more than ± 5 mm.  
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 1156:2023  
Bibliography  
1) US 1908 :2019 , Furniture — Steel filing cabinets for genera l office purposes — Specification . 
2) TZS 3191: 2021 , Steel filing cabinets for general office purposes — Specification . 
3) IS 3313, Steel filing cabinets for general office purposes — Specification . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 DEAS 1156:2023  
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