Types of Safes

Burglary Safes

• Safes designed to protect valuables from theft are classified as burglary safes. Some of these types of safes can be installed in the walls or floors of a building to prevent a thief from taking the entire safe. The locks on the safes are designed to prevent advanced attacks.

Fire Safes

• A fire safe is designed to protect temperature-sensitive items. In many cases, this is paper. A safe designed to protect paper must prevent paper from reaching 451 degrees Fahrenheit, the temperature at which paper burns. Fire safes use a special mix inside of them that releases moisture to protect documents when the safe is heated. Fire safes come with different ratings that estimate how much protection they provide.

Gun Safes

• Gun safes are available in a wide variety of sizes and ratings. Some offer higher levels of security against theft and fire while some are simply designed to prevent children from accessing the weapons within. Not all gun safes carry UL ratings. If you are interested in specific gun safe features, such as theft and fire protection, look for a label indicating the specifications of the safe.

Safes for Businesses

• Businesses have unusual needs that can be filled using multiple types of safes. Depository safes are intended to protect money from theft but may not offer fire resistance. Data safes are similar to fire safes, but offer a higher level of protection by keeping temperatures even lower then fire safes to protect sensitive data equipment, such as backup tapes.