How to choose a safe (Part 1)

Posted: Wed, 29 Nov 2017

What to consider when purchasing a safe

When considering purchasing a safe, whether for business or personal use, the quality of the safe is the first thing to be considered. Not all safes are tested and very cheap safes are no more than a lockable box, offering no protection.

Burglary safes come in differing qualities (resistance to attack) and those that are professionally and independently tested, by an approved body, are then given a cash rating (the amount of money that can be stored in the safe on an overnight basis, that an insurer would cover. The higher the level of cash or valuables to be stored in a safe, the better that quality should be. To be able to compare safes more easily, these cash ratings are known as Grades and safes come with the following ratings (European Standards).

S1 - £2000
S2 - £4000
Grade 0 - £6000
Grade 1 - £10,0000
Grade 2 - £17,500
Grade 3 - £35,000
Grade 4 - £60,000
Grade 5 - £100,000
Grade 6 - £150,000
Grade 7 - £250,000

For valuables (jewellery, watches etc) UK insurers, as a rule, multiply the cash rating figure by 10 (e.g £2000 x 10 = £20,000) to give a level of cover that they will offer.

It should be noted that as the quality of the safe improves, so the body and the door of the safe become thicker giving greater resistance to attack. By the same token, they also become heavier, which can greatly impact how suitable a safe maybe when considering installation.

Not all safes are tested!

Some companies try to deceive the buyer by stating that a safe has been manufactured in accordance with European Standards. This does not mean that it has been tested and could well prove to be a waste of money. Safes that are manufactured outside the EU, may well be acceptable in other countries, but unless they carry a comparable test certificate, should be referred to your insurer before buying or potentially avoided.

EUROSAFE UK is an accredited body of UK safe manufacturers and resellers, who sell properly tested safes that will meet all insurance requirements & buyers would be advised to purchase safes from these sources.

Maurice Still, Independent Safes Ltd

Email: maurice@independentsafes.co.uk