How much capacity does a field armoury need?

Work back from compartments, not litres: list the heights required, then convert them into shelf count and drawers.

Single-point or three-point locking?

A single latch suits lower doors; use three-point linkage when the door is tall.

Why will a loaded field armoury not roll?

The castors were probably rated empty. Rate the four-wheel total at loaded mass and check diameter.

Does a field armoury need the highest sealing grade?

No. Match grade to exposure: splash indoors, a drip edge in shelter, two seals only in the open. ---

Field Armoury Selection: Capacity, Locking and Mobility

Quick answer: Choose a field armoury in a fixed order: deployment, capacity, lock type, then mobility and exposure. Deployment decides whether the cabinet needs floor anchors, castors or four lifting eyes. Capacity comes from usable compartments and shelf pitch, not outer volume. Lock type follows door width and seam length, while mobility rests on wheel load, lifting points and aisle clearance.

Field armoury deployment: fixed, semi-fixed or moved whole
Working out capacity: compartments and shelf adjustment
Locking and opening: single point, three point, dual hasps
Mobility: castor load, lifting points and aisle width
Exposure: dust, moisture and weather
FAQ

1. Field armoury deployment: fixed, semi-fixed or moved whole

Cabinets lining both sides of a store aisle, steel bench beyond

Deployment is the first decision because it fixes every later interface. A field armoury standing in one room wants floor anchors, shims and a wall bracket, and no castors. A semi-fixed unit moves between rooms, so braked castors and a doorway-sized footprint matter more. One that travels with a team must be lifted whole, putting corner eyes and a pallet base first.

Role	Test on site	Interface to specify
Fixed	Same room for years	Anchors, shims, wall bracket
Semi-fixed	Moves between rooms	Braked castors, door footprint
Whole-cabinet	Loaded out repeatedly	Corner eyes, pallet base

The roles are easy to tell apart, but their hardware is not interchangeable. Castors on a fixed-duty base leave the frame too thin for lifting, and eyes on a light base distort it. Anchors stop movement without straightening a twisted base, so shims fill the gap first.

2. Working out capacity: compartments and shelf adjustment

Single-door cabinet open, one shelf above four drawers

Count capacity in usable compartments rather than litres. Two field armoury cabinets of similar outline can differ by a third once uprights and runners are subtracted. Measure clear width after the uprights and depth behind the door panel.

Vertical layout decides how much of that space can be divided. A closer shelf pitch matches more heights, yet every added hole removes steel from the upright. Drawers cost depth and cannot be re-pitched, so they belong low, with shelves above.

3. Locking and opening: single point, three point, dual hasps

Two steel latches on the door seam, a padlock on one

Lock type follows door width and seam length, not price. Past roughly 1.5 metres, the corners sit too far from a single latch, so a three-point linkage is the only way to pull the leaf flat. A single latch suits a narrow field armoury door that opens often.

Dual hasps are hardware first: two hasps side by side take one padlock each, so the door cannot open until both are released. Specify centre spacing, shackle clearance and the leaf-to-frame gap. An exposed hinge pin that can be driven out from outside defeats the lock entirely.

4. Mobility: castor load, lifting points and aisle width

Forklift carrying a cabinet on a pallet down an aisle

Mobility for a field armoury rests on three numbers: load per castor, position of lifting points, and the narrowest clear width on the route. All three use loaded weight, never empty weight. Castor figures are usually static, while pushing adds starting, turning and threshold loads.

Lifting eyes are checked per point, not per cabinet. Four corner eyes are the minimum, and a wider sling angle raises horizontal force where a long side buckles first. Doors stay latched through the lift, and aisle width follows the diagonal.

5. Exposure: dust, moisture and weather

Exposure should be graded in three steps, not specified at the top by default. Indoor, sheltered and open ground call for different seals, hardware and coatings. Grading above that adds weight and opening resistance.

Exposure	Sealing	Hardware
Indoor	Single lip, straight seam	Zinc-plated body
Sheltered	Double lip, drip edge	Stainless latches
Open ground	Two seals, sloped top	Stainless fittings

Dust enters through the seam, keyway and any vent, so a louvre panel cancels a good gasket. Moisture follows temperature difference: a field armoury moved from cold into humid air condenses inside, and a tighter seal traps that water. Weather resistance sits in coating and fittings.

Before delivery, check:

Deployment role matches the base fittings
Clear width, depth and height suit the compartment plan
Lock type matches door width, hasp spacing checked
Four-wheel rating at loaded weight

Conclusion

Select in four steps: fix the deployment role, derive capacity from compartments, choose the lock by door width, then check mobility and exposure. Each step feeds the next, and interfaces are what a field armoury cannot change after delivery.

This article covers container-side specifications and design implications only.