Document Scanning Price Calculator

Visualizing the number of documents in your office storage can be challenging, so we created a tool to simplify the estimation process. The document scanning calculator helps you determine how many documents you need to scan based on your current storage containers.

Each container type is mapped to an estimated document count, which you’ll see when you add an item in the calculator. This count is then multiplied by the industry-standard rate of $0.09 per sheet. For example, if you have a 4-drawer, 18-inch wide filing cabinet, entering “4” in the calculator will estimate (12,800 documents * $0.09) = $1,152.00.

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 is between $0.07 and $0.12 per page. However, several factors can impact this price, such as the condition of the documents and discounts for bulk scanning—larger volumes often result in a lower price per page.

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

The number of documents a filing cabinet can hold depends on its drawer dimensions, total drawer count, and the specific make and model. Different cabinet sizes offer varying capacities for storing documents.

Below are some simple calculations to help estimate the number of sheets of paper that fit in common types of filing cabinets.

When documents are stored loosely or in non-standard containers, a quick way to estimate the amount of paper is by using a ruler. The average sheet of paper is 0.05 to 0.10 millimeters thick, so a general estimate is around 175 sheets per inch. For each foot of paper, that’s approximately 2,100 documents. If your documents are tightly packed, it could be closer to 200 sheets per inch, or about 2,400 documents per foot.

A standard banker’s box holds around 2,500 documents. With an average cost for document scanning at $0.09 per document, scanning a standard box of records typically costs about $225.

The number of documents that fit inside a bankers box depends on the type of paper, use of file folders and spacers, and how densely packed the contents are. On average, a standard bankers box (12″ x 15″ x 10″) holds around 2,200 to 2,500 sheets of paper. You can multiply this estimate by the number of boxes you have to gauge the total documents to scan.

A long bankers box (24″ x 15″ x 10″), often called a transfer file box, can store approximately 4,500 to 5,000 documents.