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General Safe Purchasing Information
CUSTOMERS SHOULD ALWAYS CHECK
WITH THEIR INSURANCE COMPANY
FOR REQUIREMENTS BEFORE PURCHASING.
Here are two pages of information you may want to familiarize yourself
with before contacting your insurance company. This information will help
you be more knowledgeable of the terms they may use.
Ratings Guide (As copied from www.adesco.com)
Just like cars...
Safes have many purposes and ratings. While you can find one that will protect your
valuables in any given situation you may find that it is a little out of your price range.
Buying the right safe is easy once you determine what you're trying to protect, and from
what…
There are two basic classes of safes Fire and Burglar.
Fire Safes
Safes that protect against fire are usually made of thin steel sheets (or sometimes
plastic) molded together to form an inner and an outer shell. These units are filled with
an insulating material that will keep the temperature inside the safe below a certain
point for a fixed period of time. Fire safes prevalent in the market today are usually one
or two-hour rated safes.
There are several testing agencies throughout the world that certify these types of
safes. Tests vary somewhat from agency to agency but usually include a time
temperature test, explosion test, and impact or drop test. Every fire safe should be
clearly marked with the name of the testing agency and the tests that were passed. To
find out more about the testing of a particular safe refer to the sales literature or ask
your dealer for details.
Fire safes, because of their construction are best suited to store non-negotiable
documents and just a few valuables. Cash and high value items belong in a safe better
suited against a burglary attack.
Burglary Safes
Burglar safes are usually made of solid steel plate or a combination of solid steel and
composite fill material such as concrete. These safes are divided into categories based on
the level of protection delivered and the testing endured. Here we will discuss only four
classes, B-Rate, C-Rate, U.L. TL-15 and U.L. TL-30
B-Rate Safes
This is a catchall rating for essentially any box with a lock on it. The safe industry had an
unwritten standard of ¼ inch body, ½ inch door. As steel prices (and shipping costs)
increased manufacturers tried many things to reduce their costs. No tests are given to
provide this rating. When buying a B-rate safe, look at things such as lock work, hard
plates, and relocks.
C-Rate Safes
This is defined as a ½ inch thick steel box with a 1-inch thick door and a lock. As before
No tests are given to provide this rating. Look at the lock work, relocks and other
features when making your decision.
TL-15
Safes given a U.L. TL-15 rating have all passed standardized tests defined in UL
Standard 687 using the same tools and usually the same group of testing engineers. I
have personally worked with the same 5 people for 15 years. The label requires that the
safe be constructed of 1-inch solid steel or equivalent. The label means that the safe has
been tested for a NET working time of 15 minutes using "…common hand tools, drills,
punches hammers, and pressure applying devices." Net working time means simply
"when the tool comes off the safe the clock stops". There are over fifty different types of
attacks that can be used to gain entrance into the safe. Usually they will try only 2 or 3
based on what they know about the product, and they know a lot.
TL-30
These tests are essentially the same as the TL-15 tests except for, you guessed it, the
net working time. They get 30 minutes and a few more tools to help them gain entrance.
Keep in mind these engineers have the manufacturing blue prints and can disassemble
the safe being tested before the test begins to see how it works. They know their stuff.
Final Thoughts...
When you begin the search for a safe it is a good idea to speak to your insurance agent
and see if a particular type of safe will reduce your insurance costs. Many times you can
justify the additional expense of a higher security safe because of the premium reduction.
Remember no safe is burglar proof, you are buying time. The longer it takes to break in
the greater the chance to be caught, and thieves don’t like to get caught...
Safe Ratings
The following is a basic description of the different labels and rating used in describing
the ability of a safe to protect your valuables. To most people they mean little but to your
insurance company they mean quite a bit.
Safe Manufacturers National Association / UL
Labels used on Insulated Fire Safes / Vault Doors
These are safes that should only be used for the protection valuable papers against fire
and offer very little protection against burglary attempts. The following list contains how
long a safe can withstand a fire with little to no damage to its contents.
Class Hours
A 4
B 2
C 1
D 1
E 1/2
150 1,2,3,4 (depending on rating / used for protecting Data)
Insulated Fire Vaults can be found with a 2,4,6 hour rating.
Labels Use On Burglary Safes
These safes are designed to protect your valuables ( money, jewelry etc.) As a rule they
offer very little protection against fire. Burglary safes are rated on how long they will be
able to withstand an attack using power tools and in some cases cutting torches and
high explosives.
B rate - simply means your safe is equipped with a combination lock and some type of
external relocking device. Both door and body are 1/2 inch steel. Most are small safes
that can be easily carried off if not bolted down. It is not recommend that valuables be
left in these safes over night.
C rate - a safe with a door 1 inch thick door and body 1/2 inch thick.
E rate - a safe with a 1 1/2 inch thick door and a 1 inch thick body.
TL 15 - a safe that must weigh at least 750 pounds and resist expert attack using power
tools for a net working time of 15 minutes.
TL 30 - a safe that must weigh at least 750 pounds and resist expert attack
using power tools for a net working time of 30 minutes.
TRTL 15 / TRTL 30 - same as above but also must resist expert attack by a cutting torch
during the attack
TRTL60 - a safe that must weigh at least 750 pounds and be able to resist expert attack
by both power tools and cutting torch for a net working time of 60 minutes
TXTL60 - a safe that must weigh at least 1000 pounds and resist expert attack by power
tools , cutting torches and high explosives for a net working time of 60 minutes.
Net Working Time:
The actual time working. It does not include the time required to change worn out or
broken drill bits and saw blades, replace drill motors to hot to handle or any other of the
many things that takes place during these test.
Composite Body Safes
These are becoming the most widely use class of safe used in business today as they
offer both fire and burglary protection. With the TL15 , TL30 and TRTL 30 being the most
popular. There is also another rating this style safe can be found in. It is known as the
X6 (ie. TRTL30X6). This simply means that any barrier that can be found in the door to
resist attack can also be found in the top, bottom and sides offering even more
protection for your valuables.