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Safe room · Choose, anchor and protect safes · secure-13

Choose safes by certified ratings, not by looks

A safe's protection is only known if an independent lab has tested it. Match the rating to what you store: fire ratings protect contents from heat, burglary ratings measure resistance to attack.

How

  1. Fire (US example): UL 72 is the standard behind the classes. Class 350 (177 C) is for paper records; Class 150 (66 C) adds magnetic tape and photographic records; Class 125 (52 C) adds flexible disks. The class is the highest inside temperature reached in the test, and the time rating (half hour, 1 hour or 2 hours) is how long it stayed below that. An optional impact rating adds a 30 ft drop then more fire exposure.
  2. Fire (Europe example): EN 15659 rates light fire storage for paper only, in classes LFS 30 and LFS 60 (30 or 60 minutes of fire), tested at conditions up to 170 C; protection beyond that is covered by EN 1047-1, which rates paper (S 60 P, S 120 P) and data media (S 60 DIS, S 120 DIS). Chubbsafes notes paper deteriorates around 170 C and data media around 50 C.
  3. Burglary (US example): UL RSC (residential security container) has a 5 minute test; UL TL-15 and TL-30 resist expert tool attack for 15 or 30 minutes net working time.
  4. Burglary (Europe example): EN 14450 security cabinets (S1, S2) and EN 1143-1 graded safes from Grade 0 upward. Higher grades resist more attack.
  5. In the UK, police advise choosing safes tested and approved by Sold Secure and fitted by a Master Locksmiths Association member.
  6. Check the certification label is inside the door. Some insurers ask about safe ratings and the value of contents stored; check with yours.
  7. You may need two safes: a fire safe for documents and data, and a burglary-rated safe for cash and metals, unless one safe carries both ratings.

Do these first

Sources

  1. Safe Burglary and Fire Ratings Explained. Dean Safe Company, accessed 2026-11
  2. Burglary Ratings Explained. American Security (AMSEC), accessed 2026-11
  3. Security standards. Chubbsafes, accessed 2026-11
  4. Security levels (EN 1143-1 and EN 14450 grades). Safes.co.uk, accessed 2026-11
  5. Keeping your belongings safe. Avon and Somerset Police (UK), accessed 2026-11
  6. ANSI/CAN/UL 72:2026 Tests for Fire Resistance of Record Protection Equipment (standard listing). ANSI Webstore / UL Standards and Engagement, accessed 2026-11
  7. Turning up the heat: a sneak peek at UL's fire testing of safes. UL, accessed 2026-11
  8. SS-EN 15659:2019 Light fire storage units: classification and methods of test for resistance to fire (abstract). Swedish Institute for Standards (SIS), accessed 2026-11

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