10 Office Cubicle Terms You Should Know

There are a number of parts that makeup a cubicle. Cantilevers, top caps, spines, flipper units and more are just a fraction of the parts of an office cubicle. All of these parts associated with an office cubicle aren’t necessarily important to you, so which parts or phrases should you be aware of? Let’s take a look at 10 important office cubicles terms for you to understand.

1. Cluster – A cluster referrers to a group of cubicles that share a center wall that divides them. Clusters are one of the most economical cubicle configuration because of the sharing of this center wall, referred to as a spine.

2. Spine – The spine of a cubicle refers to the adjoining center wall that links two cubicles together.

3. Connectors  – A connector is used to join multiple frames together. A connector can join frames together at a 60, 90, or 120 degree angle.

4. Frame – The frame of an office cubicle is like the cubicle’s skeleton. All other materials eventually are added on to the frame to create the cubicle.

5. P or D Top – A P top or a D top refers to the shape of the cubicle’s work surface.

6. Cantilever – A cantilever is a triangular shaped metal piece that connects to the frame of the cubicle and supports the work surface.

7. Wing Panel – A wing panel is an extra wall that helps enclose the cubicle, creating more of an entrance to the cubicle. If no wing panel is present a support panel may be utilized to cover up the exposed ends of the cubicle.

8. Trough – The trough is a plastic bed that lies at the back of a work surface. The trough is used to run and organize wiring in the cubicle and moves them out of site.

9. Keyed Alike – When a cubicle is referred to as keyed alike, that means the all of the various storage options in the cubicle all can utilize the same key for access.

10. Bullpen – A bullpen is a type of cubicle configuration where the cubicle is essentially one large cubicle, housing several occupants, that shares a center meeting area.

The 10 cubicle terms outlined above are only a fraction of the language office cubicle experts speak, but can be useful to a novice while researching your next purchase.