Start with what the cabinet has to do, not with the catalogue. Answer three questions in order and each answer narrows the choice until a single type is left. Tap through the tool below to see the recommendation for your space.

School display cabinets fall into four broad types: wall mounted, freestanding, counter and plinth. The table below compares what each is best for and what to watch out for, so you can match the type to the space rather than the other way round.

Frames come in black, silver, white and wood effect finishes, so you can match a cabinet to an existing reception scheme or to house colours. The finish does not change the specification. The glass, the lock and the shelf loading are what matter for a school.

Put cabinets where people already stop or slow down, and where what is inside does a job. Below are the positions schools most often fit, with the type that usually suits each one. Treat it as a starting point and confirm the fixings and the route width for the specific position.

Size the cabinet by what goes in it and by the route it sits on, not by the wall it could fill. Three measurements decide it.

As a reference point, a wall mounted cabinet such as the 1000mm model in the Displaysense range measures 600mm high by 1000mm wide by 250mm deep and weighs 22kg, with adjustable tempered glass shelves rated in the region of 5 to 10kg each. Full-height freestanding units are typically 1800mm high and come in widths from around 400mm up to 1200mm, so a narrow 400mm unit fits a pier between doors while a 1200mm unit anchors a foyer wall. Always confirm the figures on the product page for the model you choose.

In practice, yes. No single regulation names display cabinets, but glazing in a space pupils use should be impact safe. Toughened glass made to BS EN 12150 resists impact and, if it does break, crumbles into small blunt granules rather than long sharp shards. That behaviour is the whole point in a corridor full of bags and elbows.

The reasoning comes from the building regulations. Approved Document K, which absorbed the old glazing safety rules, expects glazing in critical locations, meaning anywhere people are likely to collide with it, to break safely, resist impact, or be protected and marked. Those rules cover the building rather than its furniture, which is why no rule names cabinets, but schools apply the same principle in a corridor.

Two further checks belong in the same conversation. Fixings should suit the wall construction, and a full-height unit should be secured so it cannot be pulled or climbed over. Fire matters too, since a cabinet in a corridor sits on an escape route. Selected Displaysense display cabinets are fire tested to BS 5852:2006, Section 12, Ignition Sources 0, 1 and 5, with the certification published so you can file it. Not every cabinet in the range is fire tested, so check the product page and ask before you order.

Yes, in almost every school position. A cabinet in a corridor, reception or sports hall is reachable by hundreds of people a day, and a lock is what separates a display from an honesty shelf. Integrated cylinder locks recessed into the frame are the norm and are harder to defeat than a padlock and hasp.

Museums use enclosed cases for the same reason, to reduce handling, keep dust off and protect objects from accidental damage rather than because a case looks smart. The exception in a school is a supervised, low-traffic space such as a library corner or classroom, where an open display or a felt noticeboard may serve better because staff and pupils can change it in seconds.

Lighting is what makes a trophy cabinet look like a trophy cabinet rather than a glass box. Integrated LED spotlights pick out the shine on metal and glass, and they matter most in the places schools care about, namely receptions and foyers seen by visitors and prospective parents on open evenings. LEDs run cool, which is the reason they are used, since heat is what damages certificates, ribbons, photographs and older artefacts.

Two positioning points are worth more than any lighting spec. Keep cabinets out of direct sunlight, since UV fades certificates, ribbons and printed photographs over a school year. And think about what is behind the glass, because a cabinet facing a bright window will show more reflection than contents.

Cost is driven by four things: size, whether the unit is wall mounted or full height, whether lighting is integrated, and whether there is a lockable storage base. A compact wall mounted cabinet is the lowest-cost way into a proper glazed, lockable display. A full-height freestanding unit with LED lighting and a storage base sits at the top of the range, because you are paying for the frame, the glass area, the lighting and the extra cabinet below.

Prices change, so check the current figure on the product page rather than relying on a guide. Two things are worth knowing before you build the business case. Displaysense accepts official purchase orders from state funded schools, academies, multi-academy trusts and colleges on 30-day credit terms, subject to account approval, and volume discounts apply from two units upward, which is worth a call if you are fitting out a corridor or a whole block at once.

These three map to the main decision, which is a wall unit where the floor must stay clear, a full-height unit with storage for a foyer, or a slim full-height unit for a narrow pier or corridor bay.

They do different jobs, and most schools need both. A cabinet protects and elevates things that are finished, valuable or three dimensional, and it is the right answer when the display should last a year or more. A noticeboard communicates, and it is the right answer when the content changes weekly and staff need to update it in seconds without finding a key.

Our display cabinets vs noticeboards guide works through that decision use case by use case. If it is the boards you are specifying rather than the cabinets, start with our school noticeboard buying guide, which covers felt, lockable and fire rated boards and where each one belongs.

See how schools put these cabinets into practice. Scroll through the examples below.