Hey Folks,

It was just back in December (I know that seems like a long time ago) when I last talked about “Standard Size File Boxes.”

In fact, I actually made a video visually describing what exactly is a “Standard Size File Box.”

Well confusion is still Running Rampant…

As a matter of fact, just the other day, a caller to our office was arguing with Vanessa my office manager that we had the dimensions all wrong for a “Standard Size File Box.”

According to the caller is just didn’t seem possible to put 8 ½” x 11″ sheets of paper into a file box that measures 15″ x 12″ x 10″.

If you seem confused by this, don’t worry, take me at my word – THEY FIT!

Since we don’t argue with customers, Vanessa let the episode pass by with hardly blinking an eye.

However, I get New Ammo for the blog.

And then, a little earlier this month, I had to eat humble pie (and lose revenue) when an issue about box size reared its ugly head. (Again… customer’s always right!)

Well let me set the record straight… (Again)…

Standard Size File Boxes measure 15″ x 12″ x 10″.

If you multiply all those measurement together (that’s what that little “x” means) you get a total volume of 1,800 cubic inches (in³).

That’s pretty straight forward.

The problem is that there are a few different box sizes commonly used to store documents and this creates confusion.

Here is a list of some of the more common box sizes and types:

STORAGE FILE BOXES

1. Letter/Legal: 15″ (length) x 12″ (width) x 10″ (height); 1,800 in³
2. Letter: 24″ (length) x 12″ (width) x 10″ (height); 2,880 in³
3. Legal: 24″ (length) x 15″ (width) x 10″ (heigth); 3,600 in³
4. Check: 14 1/4″ (length) x 9″ (width) x 4″ (heigth); 513 in³

#1 is what the Shredding Industry considers the “Standard Size File Box”

Box #2 is approximately one and a half times as big as a #1. Let’s check the math -  2,880 divided by 1,800 equals 1.6. So considering these boxes as one and a halfs does make sense.

Now let’s look at box #3. This box has exactly double the volume of box #1. When we do the math and divide 3,600 by 1,800 we get exactly 2. Thus, we consider these boxes to be doubles.

Finally, if we look at box #4, we see that this box has about one third the volume of box #1. The math again shows that if we divide 513 by 1,800 we get 0.285. Not quite 0.333, but close enough that we would consider three box #4 to be equal to one box #1.

If your eyes still haven’t rolled back into your head at this point…

I’ve got a couple more boxes to go!

STORAGE DRAWERS

1. Letter: 23 ½” (length) x 12 ¼” (width) x 10 ¼” (height); 2,951 in³
2. Legal: 24 ½” (length) x 15 ¼” (width) x 10 ¼” (heigth); 3,830 in³

Now, since these boxes basically have one box that rides in another, the volume is just a little bit bigger than the STORAGE FILE BOXES. But for shredding purposes, we still consider these two sizes to be  “One And A Halves” and “Doubles.”

The point of all this (finally I get to the point) is that we price our shredding service based on the volume of the container you have your stuff in…

And the most common size file box (The Standard Size File Box) is the box we base all our prices on.

For example: You can bring a box down to our facility and watch it get shredded while you wait  for only $5.95. But that’s not for any box; that’s for a Standard Size File Box. Obviously the price of $5.95 wouldn’t apply if you brought in the box your refrigerator came in full of documents.

So any prices we list are based on Standard Size File Boxes unless posted differently.

Consequently, if you have any of these other size boxes, you will be charged accordingly.

Again, back to our example, if you bring in a “Letter Box” (24″ x 12″ x 10″) to get shredded while you wait down at our facility, you won’t get charged $5.95. You will be charged $8.93 ($5.95 x 1.5 = $8.925)

The same thing goes for when we come out to you and perform Mobile Shredding or Pick-Up Shredding.

And finally, (This is a real “Pet Peeve” of mine) “Bankers Box®” is a BRAND NAME.

If you tell me you have “Bankers Boxes” you are telling me absolutely nothing about what size file box you have sitting in the storage closet.

Again, I think I’ve rambled on way too long.

But please keep in mind what exactly you currently have your documents in when you give us a call.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Until next time.

Keep Totally Secure,

Mike