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A safe is a security product useful and effective for protecting personal possessions and items, valuable objects or documents, liquidity or bank notes, or simply memorable letters or objects.
Before buying a safe, start with the following questions: do I chose a built-in or a free-standing safe? Should I prefer a key or a code locking system? What amount of storage do I really need? What is the level of security that I seek? And – where will I install my safe?
There are many models and features detailed on this page that need to be taken into account to answer these questions and make the right choice of a safe.
Depending on the type of valuable objects or documents to protect, the size (dimensions and volume) is going to be a first consideration to be taken into account when making your choice. For passport-type papers or a small but valuable object it may not be necessary to have a large safe, whereas to store and protect larger items or various objects and documents, you will need a sufficiently large safe. The door opening must also be large enough to put in the items for safe storage.
A safe, however, may soon become too small, therefore it is important to think carefully and list everything that might need to be stored in your safe (cheques, passports, family archives, a hard drive, a computer, jewellery, money…). It is therefore essential to carefully assess your needs as well as anticipate other items that may need to be protected in the future, and not to hesitate to choose a safe model of greater storage capacity, planning for the future.
NB : these dimensions are also important to consider in terms of the expected location (see the page Choosing your safe location)
The weight of the safe is important as it affects the support gear to which the safe will be attached and the place of installation of your safe. In other words, the weight of the safe is a defining parameter with respect to the location, and will determine your choice between a built-in and a free-standing safe.
The safe can be built-in or fastened to the floor or to a wall to avoid any risk of removal.
Safes to be installed on the floor or on a wall :
Depending on the weight, your safe cannot be placed and fixed on any floor or wall. The support must be strong enough to hold the weight of the safe. Preference should be generally given to a concrete floor or wall. If your floor has a finish, we recommend to put a sheet metal plate under the safe.
Free-standing safes are not as easy to conceal as built-in safes. It is therefore preferable to cement them both to the wall and to the ground using expansion sleeves with appropriate bolts.
A built-in safe :
Your safe can be built either into the floor or into a particularly strong wall. It is important to ensure that the thickness of the wall that will house your safe is large enough to embed it (minimum 15 cm more than your chest depth). A major factor to consider is the resistance of the door exposed to break-in attempts, the part of the door that remains exposed. One should pay special attention to the door thickness and type. Usually, built-in safes wall are camouflaged to hide their presence.
NB : The location chosen to install your safe can determine your choice between a free-fixed or built-in safe
The location of your safe is an important factor to consider among your arrangements, which is too often overlooked. For this reason, Thirard created a page exclusively dedicated to this issue: Explore our page that includes a video Board: Choosing your safe location
There are 4 types of locking systems for safes:
The domain of use and the desired level of security will determine the lock type for your safe.
The security level of your safe is assessed according to:
– the protection type (against tearing, against prying, against sawing) – the quality of reinforcement elements (thickness of the frame and the door…) – applicable standards (EN 14450 and EN 1300)
the type of door protection : – Protection against tearing to prevent the tearing of the door with a crowbar. – Protection against prying to prevent the door from being pried with a weight or a hammer – Protection against sawing of the door panel and the adjacent walls of the safe
The shape and the number of bolts are also to be taken into account for good resistance to tearing and sawing. For added security, some models of safes are equipped with sawing-resistance bolts.
quality of reinforcements The thickness of the frame and the door is a defining factor in determining the level of resistance to break-in In addition, the door can be equipped with reinforcement features against the prying of the door and hinges in order to prevent the insertion of a blade between the chamber and the door
applicable standards (EN 14450 and EN 1300)
– EN 14450 standard
The EN 14450 standard is an approval granted after passing a test of resistance to break-ins. Safes are tested against tearing and detaching by simulated attack attempts commonly used by thieves. Other ongoing activities include tests and regular checks of the finished product, the quality system and the production process. (To learn more, see our complete reference page on the EN 14450 standard)
– EN 1303 Standard
The EN 1303 standard defines performance and other requirements of the cylinder and the respective key
Among these criteria, the following 3 are critical in defining the level of security and quality of the cylinder of your safe:
Endurance, security of possessions depending on the key and the resistance to attack (to learn more, see our complete reference page on the EN 1303-2005 standard)
