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Nowadays, it’s much easier for anyone wanting to purchase a safe, to be able to confidently select the right one to meet their needs, as the industry as a whole has evolved in terms of uniform ratings and classification. These tell customers exactly what they can expect from a safe, and help insurance companies determine the insurability of a safes contents.

UL (Underwriters Laboratory) is a not-for-profit independent testing entity, who, along with others such as Intertek-ETL, perform independent testing for fire resistant safes using two methods: Construction Ratings and Test Performance Ratings.

Construction ratings – these relate to theft protection and the safes material specifications are analyzed to help determine the most appropriate rating.

Test Performance ratings – safes must be built to a specified level of construction and be tested for their ability to withstand intense break-in attempts or fire to achieve a test performance rating.

What to look for when buying a high security safe

It’s imperative that you check for the authenticity of certifications in the marketing materials when purchasing a new safe, and this is particularly important if you intend to insure the contents. The manufacture of safes is an unregulated business, and some manufacturers (usually those from overseas) make claims that their safes are built to certification standards, when in fact, they’re not. Without third-party substantiation however, this is almost impossible to confirm.

Look out for these misleading manufacturers statements

Watch out for manufacturers that use phrases such as: “built to UL standards” or “factory fire rated”. While it isn’t in any way illegal or immoral to build a safe to testing specifications without ever having tested it, it’s important that as a customer, you know the difference.

Factory fire ratings

This can mean a couple of things, either that the safe was built to perform for a certain period of time, in accordance with the specifications set by UL, ETL, or that the manufacturers own factory safety tests were performed. 

Do be mindful of any safe that hasn’t been independently tested in a controlled laboratory environment, and of manufacturers who go out of their way to create their own rating system; assigning ‘levels’ of fire resistance to their safes in accordance with the price.

High security safes are the very best place to secure your most valuable items, but only if you check the veracity of the ratings and level of protection it will afford your most precious items, before you make a purchase. If you’re at all concerned about safe ratings, and what degree of protection you require from a safe, you can chat to a local safe specialist, who will be more than happy to guide you.