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Fire resistant safes are a fantastic investment, but if you’re considering buying one to give your valuable items the best protection, you might be wondering just how long such a safe will protect the items stored inside it from the ravages of fire. If it’s a bad fire that rages out of control, will the safe even survive, or will it be completely destroyed?

With this in mind, here’s a short guide to help you purchase the most appropriate safe for your needs, and for more detailed advice and guidance, you can seek help from a safe specialist.

How long will a fireproof safe last in the event of a fire?

If the external temperature doesn’t exceed the limit for the particular model of safe that you have, and for a specified length of time, then your fire resistant safe will survive. Some safes can hold out and keep their contents protected for hours, while others will do so for days; it all depends on the model of safe, and the specific circumstances of the fire.

Let’s look at some more specific scenarios and outcomes:

The main reason that anyone buys a fire resistant safe is to keep their precious items protected in the event of a fire, so the most important thing is that the safe’s contents are not compromised. Even if a fire resistant safe shows signs of damage on the outside, such as burns and other visual traces, this doesn’t always mean that the interior of the safe is also damaged.

But how can you tell when buying a safe, how long it’s expected to be able to protect the contents in the event of a fire?

UL fire ratings

A UL (Underwriters Laboratory) listing specifies the standard of protection that fire resistant safes offer their contents. Safes are subjected to various test conditions that will ultimately expose all six sides to fire, and this is accomplished by placing the safe in a furnace that heats all exposed surfaces to the temperature conditions specified in the test standard.

Below are some of the different UL classifications given to fire resistant safes:

UL Class 125 2 hour certified safe

This will last for at least 2 hours provided the external temperature doesn’t go above 17oo degrees Fahrenheit (927 degrees centigrade). Average house fires typically reach temperatures of around 1000 degrees Fahrenheit, meaning that a fire resistant safe with this UL rating, can last even longer. The internal temperature will not rise above 125 degrees Fahrenheit (51 degrees centigrade), meaning that you can securely store electronic devices inside it and other computer media.

UL Class 125 1 hour certified safe

These fire resistant safes will last for at least an hour under the same conditions as those described above, but should the fire produce a heat that’s higher than the accepted temperature range, the safes interior will reach a higher temperature and the contents will potentially be damaged.

General guidance for buying a fire resistant safe

The higher the UL rating and the better quality of safe that you purchase, the better and longer it will protect its valuable contents. While UL ratings are designed to protect under average house fire conditions, it’s important to remember that not every fire will burn in the same way, or for the same duration.

For help buying a fire resistant safe to protect your valuables in the event of a fire, talk to a local safe specialist.