Burglars hit American homes more than 1.5 million times a year, hauling off nearly $3.5 billion in cash and other valuables, and even sophisticated electronic home security systems don’t deter experienced thieves. The only real protection for homeowners is a home safe, the ultimate protection device to thwart even the most determined criminals. Home safes, available in a wide range of price categories, are designed specifically to protect the most-stolen items in a home burglary: cash, jewelry, guns, and easy-to-carry laptop computers and notepads.

FBI crime statistics reveal that burglars spend, on average, just 10 minutes inside a home looking for items they can easily carry and quickly unload for cash because that short time is about all they have before an alarm system will send help or arouse suspicion. For even the most wired home, with prominent signage of electronic protection, this analysis suggests the alarm system merely acts as a time clock for brazen thieves.

While the burglar alarm simply limits the time spent on-site by criminals to 10 minutes, even a seasoned safecracker would be hard pressed to crack a modern safe in twice that time… 

Making sense of safe ratings can be a little overwhelming to those looking to buy a home safe or a gun safe for the first time. During your safe search, you might run across home safes that are “B” rated or “C” rated, TL-15 or TL-30, TRTL15 or TRTL30, RSC safes, and 1 hour fire or 2 hour fire rated. Let’s try to make a little sense of these ratings.

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has been testing and certifying safes for more than 80 years, so they know a thing or two about what makes a good burglar-proof, fireproof home safe. They have devised a rating system that can be divided into three major categories; burglary resistance, fire resistance and impact resistance.

To test the burglary resistance of a home safe UL either uses tools (TL) or torches (TR). The instruments that can be used are anything that can be found in a hardware store or a constructions site, i.e., drills, hammers, wenches, power saws, crowbars, jackhammers, or even oxyacetylene welter’s torch. Ratings are then given to a particular home safe depending on how long it takes for the best safecrackers in the world to, well… crack the safe.

Here are the basic burglary ratings as specified by UL:

• B1 - Theft resistant (minimum security) 
• B2 - UL listed RSC (Residential Security Container)/TL-5 (UL tested Tool Rated for 5 minutes – door only)
• B3 - Non rated anti theft (incorporates features of security safes without a UL rating) 
• B4 - UL listed TL-15 (UL tested Tool Rated for 15 minutes - door only) 
• B5 - UL listed TL-30 (UL tested Tool Rated for 30 minutes - door only) 
• B6 - UL listed TL-30X6 or TRTL-30X6 (UL Tested Tool and/or Torch rated on all six sides for 30 minutes)

Now, as you may know, a home safe is also rated by the amount of time it can be expected to keep its contents below 350 degrees Fahrenheit (paper begins to burn at 400 degrees). Time and outside temperature are both considered in UL’s rating system as follows:

• UL Class 350- 1/2 hour fire rating. (Heated for 1/2 hour at 1,550 degrees) 
• UL Class 350 - 1 hour fire rating. ( Heated for 1 hour at 1,550 degrees) 
• UL Class 350 - 2 hour fire rating. ( Heated for 2 hours at 1,550 degrees) 
• UL Class 350 - 1 hour fire rating and impact testing label 
• UL Class 350 -2 hour fire rating and impact testing label 

For a UL listed safe to be labeled “Impact Rated” it is heated to 1,550 degrees Fahrenheit in a furnace, raised three stories and dropped onto a pile of bricks and then returned to the furnace and reheated. In order to meet the listing requirement, the temperature inside the safe can't have risen above 350 degrees Fahrenheit and sample papers left inside must be readable.

Finally, you might hear the term “B” rated or “C” rated. This merely refers to the thickness of the door. "B" rated safes are constructed of less than 1/2 inch thick steel walls, and doors less than 1inch thick steel. "C" rated safes are constructed of at least1/2 inch thick steel walls, and doors at least 1 inch thick steel. 

That’s all there is to it! We’ve focused this review on home safes and gun safes but the same ratings would apply to wall safes, floor safes, or any kind of burglary safe. Safe ratings are there to help you pick the home safe or gun safe that best suits your needs, so make sure to use them whenever available.

• Home safes are expensive. Often times people think of home safes as big, hulky and expensive vaults. The truth is, if you are looking for high-end security, you will find plenty of great high-end safes providing top notch security. However, most manufacturers now also offer mid-range to low-range safes for all budgets. A mid-range safe will set you back typically $300 to $400 and offer great theft and fire protection. An entry-level safe will cost as little as under $100.

• Home safes can be difficult to install. Safes in the mid-range and below are typically no more difficult to install than a coffee table or any other piece of furniture. High-end home safes are typically heavier and may require professional handling to avoid injury, just as you would with a home appliance such as a fridge. Such safes will typically come with so-called “white glove service”, meaning installers will bring your safe and install it professionally in the location of your choice. You will pay a modest fee for the installer’s time but it is recommended for larger home safes.

• It won’t happen to me. “My neighborhood is safe”… Is it? Many people don’t think about the risk of theft or burglary until it happens to them. A home safe is an insurance policy in the event of a fire or a burglary. You shouldn’t go without a home safe just as you shouldn’t go without a home insurance.

• I don’t have anything a burglar would want. Well, actually you probably do. While jewelry and artwork are obvious targets for thieves, many burglaries are crimes of opportunity where common items such as electronics and laptops get stolen. Is your laptop secure?

• I’ll just replace it with a new one. “Nothing is irreplaceable, I’ll just buy a new one”… What about those old family pictures and archives? How will you feel once they are burnt down? What about family heirlooms? Other documents can be replaced but with difficulty, such as legal documents, passports and the like. A good home safe will protect your hard-to-replace heirlooms and documents against fire and theft.

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