The Ins and Outs of Protecting Your Valuables
While fireproof safes don’t exist, safes with a high fire rating can offer enhanced protection in the event of a forest fire or house fire.
So you’re looking for a fireproof safe are ya? We’ve got bad news for you, there is no such thing. No gun safe is fireproof because no gun safe can withstand a blaze indefinitely.
There are however fire rated safes. Different safes have different ratings based on temperature and duration of time. The fire rating on a gun safe indicates how long it should protect valuables inside the safe for a given amount of time and a given temperature. To help you navigate this sensitive topic, we're going to cover the following:
- Fireproof Gun Safe vs Fire Rated Gun Safe
- How Trustworthy is a Fire Rated Gun Safe?
- Living Near a Fire Department Doesn’t Guarantee Protection
- Forest Fires Overwhelm Fire Departments
- How a Fire Rated Gun Safe is Built
- The Best Fire Rated Gun Safes
- Fireproof Gun Safe FAQ
Fireproof Gun Safe vs Fire Rated Gun Safe
There are no fireproof gun safes because nothing can withstand untold amounts of heat indefinitely. Fire rated gun safes are safes designed to withstand standard house fires for a predetermined amount of time.
The highest fire rated safes are tested to withstand temperatures in the 2,000 degree range for up to 4 hours, maintaining an internal temp of 125 degrees or less. These safes are designed for sensitive media, film and irreplaceable files that have to stay much cooler (125 degrees or less) than paper, cash, or firearms.
Most Fire Rated Safes Designed to Keep Internal Temp Below 350 Degrees
Most customers do not have sensitive media or film they need to store and are more concerned with protecting their paper, cash, and firearms. Paper combusts at 451 degrees. To offer a dependable level of fire protection, fire rated gun safes are typically designed to keep valuables and firearms under 350 degrees for a certain amount of time with external temperatures of 1,200 - 1,500 degrees.
How Trustworthy is a Fire Rated Gun Safe?
It’s not apples to apples when you compare fire rated gun safes. You don’t simply want to take a fire rating at face value. The following are some of the key considerations to weigh when evaluating a fire rating.
Gun Safe Fire Ratings Aren’t Regulated - Who Tests Matters
Another confusing element of fire ratings is who does the testing and how truthful it is. There are no regulations when it comes to fire ratings in the gun safe industry — meaning manufacturers can assign any rating they want to a safe.
Why does this matter? Because those fire ratings don’t always represent a real house fire. In addition to testing their own safes, Liberty Safe has tested the safes of their competitors. In a 2019 review of Liberty Safes published in Eastmans' Hunting Journals, video snippets of a side-by-side competitor comparison test with similar fire ratings. The interior of the Liberty Safe is relatively unblemished. The competitor’s safe was on fire.
The discrepancy between the testing results and the fire rating is likely due to the fact that the manufacturer ramped up the temperature over 90 minutes, only reaching 1600 degrees at the end of the test. The concern with this kind of testing is it does not mimic an actual house fire.
According to data reported in 2024 by insurance research company The Zebra, “In less than five minutes, the heat from a house fire can reach over 1100 degrees Fahrenheit.” Furthermore, a 2019 article published on NBC, reported that the average response time in Bellevue is “about five and a half minutes when the department is staffed at the building. But, the Chief says it can take upwards of 14 minutes to get to a house call when employees have to be called in.”
Accurate testing is designed to mimic a house fire. Temperatures inside a testing furnace reach full temp within 10 minutes or less. The internal temp of the safe stays at 350 degrees for the duration of the test, plus a 10 minute cool down period.
UL RSC Rating vs UL TL Rating vs. UL Fire Rating
Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is a third-party testing agency. Founded in 1894, UL ratings are the most highly respected throughout the world. But not all UL ratings are equal and it’s easy to confuse UL ratings. In fact, it’s easy to confuse UL fire ratings with other UL ratings that don’t relate to fire.
Here’s the quick breakdown:
UL RSC Rating
This is NOT a fire rating. The UL RSC (Residential Security Container) rating indicates that the safe can withstand a beating by one individual wielding a screwdriver and small hammer (of no more than three pounds) for up to five minutes.
UL TL Rating
UL TL Ratings are also NOT a fire rating. These ratings range from TL-15 to TRTL-30x6. These ratings are assigned to commercial safes designed to withstand much more gruesome attacks using any number of tools and torches.
UL Fire Rating
The UL fire rating IS a fire rating. (YAY, we got there!) The most common UL fire rating is the UL Class 350°F-one hour. This rating indicates that the safe can withstand 1700 degrees for one hour without the internal temp rising above 350 degrees. Furthermore, following the fire test, the safe must withstand a three-story fall while maintaining its internal temperature.
It’s important to note how stringent the UL fire rating test is. How a test is conducted greatly impacts the outcome.
Testing Methods Skew Outcomes
The location of the temperature gauges (aka thermocouples) inside of the safe during testing is also a variable that should be taken into account. If a test places the couples at the lower portion of the safe vs. the middle or top where heat rises, then the test can be skewed to favor a higher rating and duration.
Living Near a Fire Department Doesn’t Guarantee Protection
Just like burglary ratings, fire ratings and what people deem appropriate can be somewhat subjective. We often hear, “I live by the fire department. If they can’t put it out in 30 minutes then there’s a problem.”
In our 36 years of selling, installing, and servicing safes we've literally seen homes burn down across the street from fire departments. Now that's not to say the fire department did a bad job. In one of the most recent incidents we encountered, the electrical fire that didn’t get called in for 30 minutes and it took an additional 20 minutes to respond and actually get water on fire. This means the home and its belongings were in extreme heat for almost an hour.
In addition, speaking with local fire marshals and overviewing laws and policies of fighting residential fires, many times all that is allowed is containment and preventive methods so as to not lose additional homes in the neighborhood.
Simply put, it is extremely likely your house will burn down or be severely damaged. And even homes that aren’t completely destroyed often need to be torn down and rebuilt due to smoke, soot, and water damage.
Forest Fires Overwhelm Fire Departments
Wildfires have been plaguing the West Coast for more than five years. Raging fires have destroyed homes and entire communities. Swallowing thousands of acres of forest, the untamed blazes are known to overwhelm fire departments.
Both the location and availability of a fire hydrant are variables that can curtail a fire department from suppressing home or wildfires. In 2020, the Sumner Grade Fire burned several homes to the ground and burned more than 800 acres. As the flames blazed, the news consistently reported that the fire crews' resources were strained with lack of resources.
We recommend removing the variables you can’t control when determining the right fire rating for your situation. Which brings into another critical factor when looking at safes for fire protection.
How a Fire Rated Gun Safe is Built
Just as important as the duration and temperature rating for fire, the overall structural integrity of the safe. The following three elements play the biggest role in a fire rating.
1. Door Fit
One of the most important features of a safe is door fit. Keeping those aforementioned culprits (smoke, soot, and water) out is imperative if you want your belongings to make it through a fire without damage.
2. Heat Tolerance
Furthermore, the construction of the door and how it will respond to heat is just as important. We’ve seen lightweight, sheet metal doors buckle and warp during a fire, resulting in extensive (if not complete) loss and damage to valuables and firearms. A solid plate steel door WITH fire insulation will do a better job of staying structurally intact and help seal the door off.
Expanding fire seals on the frame and the door are also extremely important in keeping your safe clean inside. Safes like the Superior Master series provide a plate steel, double step door and frame to allow for 2 expanding Palusol seals. Palusol is an intumescent fire seal that will activate between 100-120 degrees to 5 times its thickness.
3. Insulation
Insulation type is yet another variable to consider when looking at safes and fire ratings. Most manufacturers use sheet rock which allows the gaps between layers to act as a weak spot in the armor against fire.
Generally, manufacturers will list their fire rating on a sticker located on the inside of the door. In our experience, Liberty’s Fire Rating Sticker is the most transparent. In addition to providing the fire rating, the sticker displays how particular safe you’re looking at stacks up against a more expensive and less expensive safe.
The best fire insulation is a poured concrete or composite material that eliminates those weak spots. Safes like the American Security BFX or a Graffunder safes use a poured insulation in addition to heavy, plate steel doors with very tight tolerances. This combination gives you the best chance of surviving a serious home or wildfire.
The Best Fire Rated Gun Safe
Here are some basic guidelines to determine a starting point for what fire rating may be appropriate for your needs.
Entry Level Gun Safes
Traditional gun safes have a 10 gauge steel body (or thicker). In order to meet the consumer demand for less expensive safes, lighter weight gun safes with 12 gauge and 14 gauge bodies were introduced to the market.
These entry level gun safes are a good option for keeping firearms secure from curious fingers and run-of-the-mill thieves. However, we wouldn’t recommend them for protecting valuables from fire. And yes, we say that even though they have a fire rating.
Minimal Fire Protection
When it comes to some fire protection, the first place we would recommend you start is with some minimal fire protection.
Fire Rating: 60 minutes
Best For: Those with $10K or less in value and nothing sentimental or irreplaceable.
Top Minimal Fire Protection Safes:
Mid-Grade Fire Safes
Mid-grade fire safes will give you a fighting chance in a common residential home fire.
Fire Rating: 60-75 minutes
Best For: Those storing $15K or less in value
Top Mid-Grade Safes:
Above Average Fire Safes
Fire Rating: 90-110 minutes
Best For: These above average fire rated gun safes start to give you the chance of items surviving in a complete loss to your home. $30K or less in value
Top Above Average Safes:
High End Fire Rated Safes
Fire Rating: 2 Hours (or more)
Best For: These safes are for customers who have irreplaceable and sentimental items of more than $75K - $100K in value.
Top High End Fire Rated Safes:
Fireproof Gun Safe FAQ
Are there additional steps I can take to protect my valuables?
Definitely. If fire is your primary concern, you can layer safes and other products to increase your fire protection. Layering products in this way creates additional barriers between your valuables and heat.
When it comes to cash and important documents, we always recommend Liberty’s Cool Pocket, which can keep valuables 50 degrees cooler with a unique heat shield. Fire King Media Chests, which have a UL Class 350 minute fire rating, are another product that offers a high layer of fire protection. In the case of firearms, Sack Up products have also been shown to help prevent damage from heat, smoke, and water.
Can you store ammo in a fire rated gun safe?
Yes, you can store ammo in a fire rated gun safe. That being said, you’ll want to carefully inspect any ammo that’s withstood a fire before firing it.
Why do some people say safes are fireproof?
The term fireproof is used a lot because it assuages fear. And, because people Google, “fireproof gun safe.” If you are one of said people, zero judgment. We get it. Fires are scary business and you want to be protected.
Unfortunately, anyone who tells you they sell a fireproof gun safe is lying. And if we were you, we’d question the validity of what else they may be telling you.
Remember, Fireproof Gun Safes Don’t Exist
Each fire is unique and burns at different temperatures for different times which reinforces the message of this article, there is no such thing as a “FIREPROOF” gun safe.