Vintage circa 1951 Royal Ordinance Factory Industrial Steel Card Index Filing

I think these are a particularly good industrial find and the markings actually give these cabinets a much more interesting story than a normal maker’s plate.

The markings found on these cabinets point to British government and military use rather than to a conventional commercial furniture manufacturer.

Displayed with other items for illustration purposes only and not included. Can be for sale separately.

Sold as a pair but may sell separately. Please contact us for pricing etc. Incredibly heavy, well made items, UK sale only and delivery by a specialist courier. They are not suitable for postage (collection may be possible).

One cabinet carries a circular plate stamped “ROF 3 1949”. ROF is the recognised abbreviation for Royal Ordnance Factory, the network of government-controlled factories established and greatly expanded during the rearmament period and Second World War to manufacture weapons, ammunition and associated military equipment. The factories continued operating into the post-war period under the Ministry of Supply.

The number 3 is particularly interesting. Royal Ordinance Factory Glascoed in Monmouthshire was designated Filling Factory No. 3, one of the purpose-built factories established for filling and packing munitions. Glascoed was planned as a permanent establishment and, unlike many wartime factories, continued in operation after 1945. Although the plate is strongly suggestive of a connection with ROF No. 3, we would describe this as a probable attribution rather than a confirmed manufacturer, as government equipment markings could also serve inventory or departmental purposes.

The second cabinet appears to carry the familiar W ↑ D marking together with the date 1951. The arrow between the letters is the British Broad Arrow, a centuries-old government property mark used on military stores and equipment; combined with W and D it is commonly encountered as a War Department/War Office ownership mark. The 1951 date places this example firmly in the early post-war period.

These markings therefore should not really be regarded as the names of the cabinet manufacturer. Rather, they provide compelling evidence of the cabinets’ British government, military and Royal Ordinance provenance, dating them to 1949 and 1951 respectively. Their heavy-gauge steel construction, simple label holders and practical drawer configuration are entirely consistent with robust institutional storage furniture intended for workshops, stores, offices or production environments. The ROF 3 / 1949 cabinet is the more intriguing of the two, particularly because of the possible Glascoed connection.

50 cm square

39 cm tall

Please note very slightly different sizes

A fabulous pair of original vintage industrial steel filing cabinets, each fitted with four drawers and retaining a wonderfully authentic timeworn painted finish.

Believed to have been used as indexing equipment, the cabinets have the wonderfully practical, no-nonsense construction associated with mid-20th-century commercial furniture. One retains a worn circular maker's plate which appears to carry the ROF name, together with a separate old inventory plate marked “D 196”.

Each cabinet contains four generously proportioned steel drawers arranged two over two. The fronts are fitted with their original combined pull handles and card-label holders – a classic feature of period index and records cabinets. Internally, the drawers retain their simple pressed-steel construction.

Originally intended for the organised storage of index cards, records or office paperwork, pieces like these have become enormously useful in today's home. They would make superb storage for an artist's studio, workshop, home office or shop, and are ideal for photographs, paperwork, stationery, craft materials, haberdashery, tools and collections of smaller objects.

The two cabinets can be positioned side by side or stacked, as photographed, creating a wonderfully characterful bank of eight industrial drawers.

Condition

These are genuine vintage industrial cabinets and their condition is very much part of their appeal. The painted surfaces have extensive age and use-related wear, including scratches, knocks, chips, areas of paint loss, surface oxidation and discolouration. The tops show particularly good honest wear, revealing earlier layers and bare metal beneath the paint.

They have deliberately not been restored or repainted, preserving the wonderful utilitarian character acquired through decades of use.

All eight drawers are present. Please study the photographs carefully as they form an important part of the description.

A superb piece of genuine vintage office furniture with bags of character – increasingly difficult to find as a matching pair.

Ideal for: industrial interiors, office storage, studio storage, shop fitting, prop use, collectors' storage, craft rooms or an interesting alternative to conventional bedside or occasional furniture.

Vintage item – described to the best of our knowledge from the construction, surviving marks and available historical information. Age-related wear is to be expected and forms part of the character of the piece.