Durham 534-43 White Cold Rolled Steel 9FX Industrial Empty First Aid Cabinet Review (2026)

Is the Durham 534-43 Empty First Aid Cabinet the right buy for a facility that stocks its own kit?

Short answer: Yes — if your safety program already owns a defined fill list and just needs a permanent, industrial-grade steel box to hang it in. The Durham 534-43 is a cold-rolled steel cabinet sold empty, at $59.39, with no ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 fill included. That makes it the wrong pick for a buyer who wants to unbox a compliant kit, and the right pick for a facilities or EHS team that sources its own supplies and only needs durable, wall-mounted storage. Compare it against the Rapid Care 3-Shelf empty cabinet and the Medique 712MTM before you buy — all three compete on the same "bring your own fill" proposition, and price and shelf count are what separate them.

Most of the stations in our first aid cabinets collection ship with a stated ANSI Class A, B, or B+ fill baked into the price. The Durham 534-43 is a different product category entirely: it is industrial cabinetry — cold-rolled steel, a white finish, built to the same durability standard as the shop and warehouse fixtures Durham is known for — sold as an empty enclosure. Nothing in the listing claims an ANSI class, a person rating, or included medical supplies, and we are not going to claim one on its behalf.

This review covers who that trade actually suits, how the 534-43 stacks up against the other bring-your-own-fill cabinets we stock, and what it costs in practice to bring it up to a documented standard once it is on the wall. The stocked alternatives it is not competing with are ranked separately in our best first aid cabinets buyer's guide.

Editorial verdict: 3.9/5. The Durham 534-43 is honest industrial cabinetry at a fair price: cold-rolled steel construction and a wall-mount format for $59.39, with zero fill included and zero fill claimed. It is the right buy for a facility that already has a compliant kit sourced and just needs somewhere durable to put it — and the wrong buy for anyone expecting a ready-to-hang ANSI station.

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Who should buy the Durham 534-43

• Facilities/EHS teams that already maintain an approved supply list and just need a mounting enclosure
• Programs consolidating loose first aid supplies out of a drawer or bin into permanent steel storage
• Buyers price-shopping the cheapest durable steel cabinet in the first aid cabinets collection
• Sites that will restock from the first aid kit refills collection rather than a bundled fill

What the Durham 534-43 does well

Cold-rolled steel is a real durability spec, not marketing copy

"Cold rolled" describes the manufacturing process — steel run through rollers at room temperature to tighten tolerances and improve surface finish versus hot-rolled stock. Durham builds industrial shelving and storage cabinets on this same process line, so the 534-43 inherits shop-grade construction rather than the thinner sheet metal some budget first aid cabinets use.

The price makes sense once you separate box from fill

At $59.39, the 534-43 undercuts every stocked cabinet in our lineup, including the Medique 712MTM at $71.69. That gap is the fill you are not paying for — reasonable, as long as you go in knowing it and budget the fill separately from the refills collection.

White finish suits clinical and admin environments

Unlike the safety-orange or red cabinets common in the category, the white finish reads more like clinic or lab equipment than a shop tool box — a small but real fit consideration for offices, medical suites, and front-of-house spaces.

It solves a real problem: loose supplies with no fixed home

A surprising number of sites have first aid supplies scattered across desk drawers, a break-room shelf, and a car. The 534-43 gives them one permanent, mounted location — the organizational win of a cabinet even without a bundled fill.

Where the Durham 534-43 falls short

You are buying an empty box — say it plainly

There is no ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 Class A or B assortment in this listing, no bandages, no gauze, nothing. If your plan was to unbox a compliant kit, this is not that product — the EVERLIT CARE 203SFAK100 or the First Aid Only 90575 ship with a stated fill instead.

No published shelf count or capacity spec

The listing does not state how many shelves or how much usable interior volume the 534-43 offers, which makes it harder to plan fill volume in advance versus a cabinet like the Rapid Care 3-shelf, which at least names its shelf count.

No lock, no restock-reminder system

Like most traditional steel cabinets, there is no documented locking mechanism and no built-in restock alert — audits are a manual, calendar-driven task, same as every unfilled cabinet in this comparison.

Comparison: bring-your-own-fill cabinets on WC Safety

• Buy the Durham 534-43 if you want the lowest-price full-size steel cabinet and already have a fill sourced.
• Buy the Rapid Care 3-Shelf if you want a named shelf count at a similar price point.
• Buy the Medique 712MTM if door pockets for high-turnover items matter to your workflow.
• Buy the KYODOLED locking cabinet if access control (a lock) matters more than steel-cabinet capacity.

Check prices on Amazon → Durham 534-43 Rapid Care 3-Shelf Medique 712MTM

Fill it right: refills and companions for the 534-43

Because the Durham 534-43 ships empty, the whole compliance question lives in what you put on the shelves. If your program targets ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 Class A, the Urgent First Aid Class A refill 25-person at $24.95 is a straightforward starting fill; for a Class B target, the Urgent First Aid Class B refill 50-person at $49.95 does the same job at the higher tier. Full detail on which class your facility actually needs lives in our OSHA first aid kit requirements reference. Round the station out with an eyewash station from the eyewash stations collection and a CPR mask combo from CPR rescue supplies mounted nearby.

Top fill options on Amazon → Class A refill Class B refill PhysiciansCare eyewash

Where the empty-cabinet category fits

Buying steel infrastructure and fill separately is not a lesser strategy than a bundled cabinet — it is standard practice for facilities that already run an approved supply list or want a specific vendor's fill for reasons a bundled cabinet cannot match (formulary rules, a preferred refill contract, a state or corporate program that specifies exact contents). OSHA 29 CFR 1910.151 cares about the adequacy of the supplies against your hazards, not whether the box arrived pre-stocked — see the full breakdown in our OSHA and ANSI Z308.1 requirements reference. What an empty cabinet cannot do is save you the compliance work; someone still has to pick a class, buy the fill, and document it.

Total cost of ownership

The steel enclosure is the one-time cost — $59.39, expected to serve for a decade or more with no recurring spend of its own. The fill is where the real budget lives: a Class A refill runs about $25 and a Class B refill about $50 per restock cycle, and a low-consumption site might only need one or two cycles a year. All-in, a Durham 534-43 program can land near the price of a stocked Class A cabinet in year one and cheaper every year after, provided someone actually manages the restock calendar — the tradeoff for the lower sticker price is that nothing prompts you to do it.

Final verdict: 3.9/5

The Durham 534-43 earns 3.9/5 as honest, well-built industrial cabinetry at the lowest entry price in our bring-your-own-fill comparison set. It loses points only for what it never claimed to include — there is no fill, no shelf-count spec, and no lock, so the entire compliance burden sits with the buyer. If you want a stocked, documented fill instead, start with the EVERLIT CARE Class B+ cabinet or the best first aid cabinets buyer's guide; if you already have a fill and just need the box, the 534-43 is a clean, low-cost way to get it on the wall.

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Durham 534-43 empty first aid cabinet — FAQ

Does the Durham 534-43 come with a first aid kit inside?

No. The 534-43 is sold as an empty cold-rolled steel cabinet with no ANSI Class A or B fill included. You supply the contents yourself, for example from the first aid kit refills collection.

Is the Durham 534-43 OSHA compliant?

The cabinet itself has no compliance status because OSHA 29 CFR 1910.151 governs the supplies, not the enclosure. Compliance depends entirely on what fill you install — see our OSHA first aid kit requirements reference.

What does "9FX" mean in the Durham 534-43 listing?

It is part of the manufacturer's model designation on the current listing; Durham does not publish a public decode of the code beyond the product title, so treat it as a SKU identifier rather than a spec claim.

How many shelves does the Durham 534-43 have?

The listing does not publish a shelf count. If a named shelf count matters to your planning, the Rapid Care 3-Shelf states three shelves at a similar price.

Durham 534-43 vs Rapid Care 3-Shelf — which empty cabinet should I buy?

Both ship empty and both are wall-mount steel. The Rapid Care 3-Shelf publishes a shelf count for $69.95; the Durham 534-43 is $10 cheaper but does not state one. Pick Rapid Care if shelf planning matters, Durham if price is the deciding factor.

Is cold-rolled steel better than the sheet metal on cheaper cabinets?

Cold-rolled steel generally offers tighter tolerances and a cleaner surface finish than hot-rolled alternatives, which is one reason Durham uses it across its industrial shelving and cabinet lines. It is a genuine durability signal, not a marketing term.

What fill should I buy for a Durham 534-43 used in an office?

A Class A assortment matches office and lower-risk exposure. The Urgent First Aid Class A refill 25-person at $24.95 is a straightforward starting fill.

What fill should I buy for a Durham 534-43 on an industrial floor?

A Class B assortment fits higher-risk environments. The Urgent First Aid Class B refill 50-person at $49.95 covers that tier.

Does the Durham 534-43 lock?

The listing does not state a locking mechanism. If access control is a requirement, compare the KYODOLED locking medicine cabinet, which is built around a lock.

Is it cheaper to buy an empty cabinet and fill it myself, or a pre-stocked cabinet?

It depends on volume and whether you already own the fill. A DIY Class A build (534-43 plus a $24.95 refill) lands under $85 total, cheaper than most B+ stocked cabinets, but you take on the sourcing and documentation work a bundled cabinet handles for you.

Can the Durham 534-43 be used to store an AED or naloxone kit instead of a standard fill?

The listing describes a general-purpose empty first aid cabinet, not specialty AED or overdose-response storage. For those use cases, purpose-built options like the ZIPOWEY AED cabinet or the Windy City overdose emergency cabinet are the better-fitted choice.

How do I know if my facility needs Class A or Class B fill in this cabinet?

Run the hazard assessment described in our which first aid kit do you need decision guide: common workplace injuries point to Class A, higher-risk or higher-headcount environments point to Class B.

Is the Durham 534-43 worth it compared to building a wooden or plastic box?

Steel outperforms improvised storage on durability, wall-mount stability, and how the station reads to inspectors and staff during an audit. At $59.39 it is priced close to what a DIY enclosure would cost in materials and labor.

What should I mount next to the Durham 534-43?

An eyewash station and a CPR mask combo close the two most common capability gaps around any first aid station.

How often should I audit a self-filled cabinet like the 534-43?

Monthly for stock levels, quarterly for expiry dates — the same cadence recommended across every cabinet in our first aid cabinets collection, since nothing here triggers an automatic restock reminder.

Is the Durham 534-43 a good value overall?

For the specific buyer it targets — a program with its own fill and a need for low-cost, durable steel storage — yes. It is the cheapest full-size steel cabinet we carry. Buyers who want the fill included should look at a stocked cabinet from our best first aid cabinets buyer's guide instead.