Do you own a safe? If not, it is something to seriously consider for many reasons. Keeping important documents or valuable items such as jewelry secure from the environment and intruders are just a few. Your safe should meet some important criteria, one of which being fireproof. What is a good fire rating for your home or business safe?
A trusted local locksmith can answer any questions about safes, however the following information about fire ratings is a good start.
Data shows that severe weather and climate disaster events are occurring more frequently in the United States. The average number of these events was 7.4 events per year from 1980 to 2021, but in the most recent five years (2017 to 2021) that number jumped to 17.2 events per year, with 20 weather/climate disaster events occurring in 2021.1 One of those events was the December 2021 Marshall wildfire in which nearly 1,000 homes and other buildings were destroyed in the towns of Superior and Louisville, Colorado.
It was reported that Rex Hickman, whose home was completely destroyed in the wildfire, was able to salvage only gold and silver coins from a safe his son cut open with a grinding tool.2 Credit cards stored in the safe melted and passports, also stored in the safe, were charred. The Hickmans’ experience illustrates how important a fireproof and waterproof safe could someday be for any homeowner which is why understanding the ratings on fire and waterproof safes are important to help ensure that your valuables have the best chance for surviving a disaster.
Testing Safes
The independent nonprofit organization that tests and certifies safes for fire resistance is Underwriters Laboratories (UL). They are the Gold Standard of independent product rating agencies globally.3 UL fire rated safes have two important numbers.
The first is the Class number which indicates what type of material (such as paper or media) the safe was rated based on and the degree of internal heat at which the safe will protect those contents, and the second number indicates the length of time for which the contents of the safe remained unharmed when tested.
Class and Temperature
The interior of Class 350 rated safes will remain below 350 degrees Fahrenheit (F) and will protect papers when exposed to external temperatures of over 1700 o F. Paper products will ignite at 451o F; will scorch at 410 o F; and will discolor at just above 350o F.4 So a safe that has a UL Rating of Class 3 – 1 HR has been tested to keep the paper contents of the safe at or below 350 o F for one hour when exposed to an external temperature of 1700 o F or more.
Most urban fire departments are able to respond to home fires quickly and home fires generally burn at about 1100 o F, so a 30 minute rating is usually sufficient to save important papers in a home safe for homes under 2,500 sf.5
Class 125 media safes protect computer hard drives, USB thumb drives, DVDs, CDs, and other electronic media and photographs. They are specifically designed to maintain an interior relative humidity less than 80 percent as well as keeping the media safe from magnetic fields and electrostatics. The items in a media safe can be destroyed or damaged at a much lower temperature than Class 350 safes for paper, which are rated to maintain an interior temperature below 350 o F.
Media actually degrades at temperatures above 125o F. A one hour Class 125 safe will protect the media inside for one hour when the external temperature reaches 1700 o F; a Class 125 – 2 Hr. rated safe will protect the media inside for two hours at external temperatures to 1850 o F; and, a three hour safe will protect for three hours up to 1925 o F.6 So, it’s important to store media in a safe designed for media.
Ask a Locksmith
While fire ratings for safes are complicated, it is important to make sure that you do your research and make an informed decision on which fire safe or safes will best meet your needs. A professional locksmith has the knowledge and experience to guide you in making the right decision.
Questions about a safe for your home or business? Action Locksmith can help! We have been committed to providing residential and commercial lock and security solutions for 30+ years, including safe repair and installation.
As a family owned and operated locksmith business, our hard work and dedication has made us one of Michigan’s best and most trusted locksmith companies. Keeping the residents and businesses of Michigan safe with peace of mind is what we do. Contact one of our locksmiths for a security consultation today!