When you’re ready to start your document scanning project, it can be difficult to visualize the number of documents that need to be converted, especially when stored in various containers and filing cabinets around your office.

In order to simplify this estimation, we created this tool to help you determine how many documents you need to scan based on your current storage method.

Each available container type is mapped to an estimated document count ( as you will see when you add a single item in the calculator ) which is multiplied by the industry-standard rate of $.09 per sheet scanned. This makes it easy to take inventory of each storage container you have to get an estimated total cost for your scanning project.

For example, assume you have a 18″ W4 Drawer File Cabinet. Simply input 4 into the matching filing cabinet ( 4 drawers at 18″ each ) to get a rough estimate of (12,800 documents * $.09) = $1,152.00 cost.

Depending on how full your filing cabinets are, you may find that the estimate in our calculator is higher than what you’ll actually pay, assuming that some boxes or drawers are naturally only partially full. You may also receive discounts for bulk scanning which are not accounted for in this tool.

The national average cost to scan a paper document ranges from $0.07 to $.0.12 per page. There are a number of other factors that can affect the price, including the condition of the documents and discounted rates applied for bulk scanning (large volumes = reduced price per page).

The rages below shows the average document scanning prices per page based on the type of material scanned.

Average Cost: Paper Scanning = 0.07 to $.0.12 per page

Large Format Scanning = $1.25 to $1.75 per page

Whether you choose to store your files at home or in your office, you'll find a wide array of choices when it comes to selecting the right file cabinet size. The storage capacity of a filing cabinet can vary based on factors such as the dimensions of its individual drawers, the total number of drawers it contains, and the specific make and model of the cabinet.

Here, we provide some straightforward calculations that can help you estimate how many sheets of paper can be accommodated in the most commonly used types of filing cabinets.

18″ Vertical File Drawer Cabinet = 3,200 sheets per drawer

24″ Vertical File Drawer Cabinet = 4,200 sheets per drawer

36″ Lateral Drawer Cabinet = 6,300 sheets per drawer

48″ Drawer File Cabinet = 8,400 sheets per drawer

In cases where documents are kept loose or stored in non-standard storage containers, it may be easier to calculate the amount of paper to be scanned based on a ruler measurement.

The average sheet of paper is 0.05 to 0.10 millimeters thick depending on the gauge, but a good rule of thumb is approx. 175 sheets of paper per inch. That means for every foot of paper, you will have approx. 2,100 documents. If your documents are tightly packed, you could have up to 200 sheets per inch, or 2,400 documents per foot.

A standard banker’s box stores around 2500 documents. The average industry standard cost for document scanning is .09 per document. Scanning a standard box of records typically costs about $225.

The number of documents that fit inside a bankers box varies depending on the type of paper stored, the presence of file folders and spacers, and the density of documents inside the box.

On average, you will find approximately 2,200 to 2,500 sheets of paper inside a standard bankers box (12″ x 15″ x 10″). You can multiply this number by the number of boxes you have to get a rough estimate of the total number of documents you need to scan.

A long bankers box (24“ x 15“ x 10“), sometimes referred to as a transfer file box can store approximately 4,500 – 5,000 documents.