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Terrifying in the level of destruction they can cause, fires cost home and business owners billions of dollars in property damages every year. In a frightening statistic reported by global, non-profit organization The National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), a home structure fire takes place as often as every 85 seconds.

With this in mind, it’s little wonder that there’s a continuing need for fire rated safes, but how do you know if the safe you’re about to purchase (or have already purchased), will give you adequate protection against the ravages of a house fire? While a conversation with anyone specializing in the manufacture or sale of safes, will answer all of your fire rated safe questions for you, it can be helpful to understand a little bit yourself, before buying one:

What to look for in a fire rated safe

Offering the ultimate in fire protection, a safe constructed with inner and outer steel plates that enclose a poured fire insulating material to create a seamless fire barrier, will have been tested by Underwriters Laboratories (UL rating) or Intertek (ETL).

Next in terms of the level of protection they offer, are fire safes built with between 2 and 4 layers of gypsum board that are positioned throughout the interior body and door. These are typically tested and verified by Intertek (ETL).

Offering adequate protection, fire safes that are built with 1 or 2 layers of gypsum board positioned throughout the interior body and door, have a manufacturers independent fire rating.

Fire labels explained

Safes with a UL Label/Class 350 degrees Fahrenheit- one hour and Class 350 degrees Fahrenheit-two hour, are designed to maintain a temperature less than 350 degrees Fahrenheit inside the safe, when exposed to fire for a period of one hour at 1700 degrees Fahrenheit or for a period of two hours at 1850 degrees Fahrenheit.

These safes must have successfully undergone all other necessary requirements for the Fire Endurance Test, Explosion Hazard Test and the Fire/Impact Test. See below for more details about all three of these tests:

Fire endurance test

The safe is locked and exposed to what is described as a uniformly distributed fire, with heat sensors and paper placed inside. Controlled to reach a maximum temperature of 1700°F for a period of one hour, or 1850°F for two hours, the furnace is then allowed to cool without being opened. Recorded throughout the test and during the cooling period, a definite drop in temperature must be illustrated; never exceeding 350°F.

When the safe has cooled, it’s opened and all of the locking mechanisms and parts fastenings are examined, along with the interior, which is checked for any evidence of undue heat transmission.

Explosion hazard test

Locked and placed inside a furnacepreheated to 2000°F, the safe is kept there for 30 minutes, and in the event of no explosion, is left to cool without opening the furnace doors. When cool, the safe is examined using the same process as the Fire Endurance Test.

Fire Impact Test

Once the explosion hazard test is finished, the safe is taken out of the furnace and within two minutes, is dropped from a height of 30 inches onto a heavy concrete base. The safe is then examined for signs of deformation, parts rupturing, and damaged insulation. When cool, the safe is inverted and reheated to 1550°F for 30 minutes.

Once cool again, the safe is examined, just as with the previous two tests.

For more detailed guidance on purchasing a fire rated safe for your home or business, reach out to a local safe specialist, who can help you get the best deals, for the best safes.