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What does a fire rating on a safe mean?
Fire Rating. Fire ratings are evaluated by testing to see if safes withstand varying furnace heat for specific amounts of time. For example, the UL Class 350 1-hour fire rating means that the internal temperature of the safe will not exceed 350°F for at least 1 hour when exposed to external temperatures over 1700°F.
What is a Class C fire rating on a safe?
Class A – Flame-spread 0-25, smoke developed 0-450. Class B – Flame-spread 26-75, smoke developed 0-450. Class C – Flame-spread 76-200, smoke developed 0-450. NFPA 101 primarily applies this classification to interior wall and ceiling finish materials.
What does 40 minute fire rating mean?
When the internal temperature of the safe begins to go beyond 350° F, the test is considered to be over. Sometimes the furnace ramp-up time may take 40 minutes to reach 1,200°, is then only maintained for another 20 minutes, and the safe comes out with a one hour fire rating.
Is a 30 minute fire-safe good?
For home safes, 30 minutes of protection is most common, although you can also find safes that offer one or more hours’ worth, typically with higher price tags. Generally speaking, 30 minutes should be sufficient, Bonsib says. “Fires tend to move through a home, so 20 minutes is about the average in a room or an area.”
What does Class C fire rating mean?
A Class C or Class 3 fire rating has a flame spread rating between 76 and 200. This rating incorporates building materials like plywood, fiberboard, and hardboard siding panels. It also includes any of the faster burning whole woods.
What is a Class 3 fire rating?
What is a Class C or Class 3 fire rating? A Class C or Class 3 fire rating has a flame spread rating between 76 and 200. This rating incorporates building materials like plywood, fiberboard, and hardboard siding panels. It also includes any of the faster burning whole woods.
What should the fire rating of a home safe be?
If the rating is 90 minutes at 1,680°, then the interior of the safe should remain lower than 350° for at least 90 minutes during a 1,680° fire. Thirty minutes at 1,200° means exactly that. Certain contents of safes are more susceptible to heat than others. Paper begins to discolor at just above 350° F and scorch at approximately 410° F.
What’s the fire endurance rating of a gun safe?
If you buy a safe with a UL 72 Fire Endurance rating, you can have confidence that you have a good level of protection in a fire. Unfortunately, virtually no gun safes are UL 72 Listed. Those that are UL 72 listed are actually true safes with B-Rate or higher burglary ratings.
How is the temperature of a fire rated?
As an example, a safe rated for 60 minutes at 1,200° F means that if you were to have a 1,200° fire for 60 minutes, the inside of the safe stays below 350° for at least a 60 minute period during a normal house fire.
What do you need to know before buying a fire safe?
Fire ratings are often overlooked but should be one of your top considerations. We recommend that you purchase a minimum 1 hour fire rated safe. Safes with less than a 1 hour fire rating will not provide adequate protection to survive a typical home or business fire.