What is difference between letter and legal and vertical and lateral file cabinets?

The most common sizes of paper used for printing documents are letter (8.5″ x 11″) and legal (8.5″ x 14″). Consequently, file folders and file cabinets have been standardized to accommodate these two sizes. Vertical file cabinets are either letter- or legal-size, typically have two-five drawers and store folders from front-to-back. Vertical file cabinets are more narrow in front and deeper in depth than lateral file cabinets which are wider in front and shorter in depth. Most lateral file cabinets are letter or legal-size in depth, 30″ – 48″ in width and have two-five drawers. Filing in a lateral file cabinet is usually side-to-side; although, with the right hardware brackets, a lateral file cabinet can be set up to accommodate front-to-back filing. A lateral file cabinet can store an average of one-third more documents than a vertical file cabinet. ... more