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What does Cash Ratings mean and why do they matter?
Theft and burglary resistant safes are tested and then rated by the amount of time an intruder takes to break into a safe. A cash rating will then be provided ranging from $5,000 – $500,000 in a non-supported situation (eg. no monitored alarm). If a monitored alarm is present the cash rating may be doubled (varying on your insurance company). In most instances insurance companies will cash rate a safe based on:
- Materials used to manufacture the safe and thickness of the walls, door & body
- Barrier materials used to fill the walls, body & door of the safe
- The type and quantity of the locks on the safe door
- The quality of the mechanism holding the door when in the locked position
- Re-locking devices attached to the mechanism to prevent forced entry
Standard cash ratings and certifications safes ,vaults and vault doors explained .
In order to attest to the quality of the certified product the information plate provides you with assurances that the safe has been manufactured in conditions that have been checked and approved by authorized certifying bodies .
Burglary Protection Certification
A high quality burglar resistant safe will have a certification plate ( see sample below ) affixed to the inside of the door that guarantees the product has been tested and graded to the latest industry standards and the appropriate rating level is given to the product based on the amount of time an intruder takes to crack open the safe.
This information plate will indicate the appropriate level of protection the safe or cabinet will provide if attacked.
The various certification tests are carried out by independent accredited institutes where the safes undergo tough analysis which will certify them for a certain level of burglary resistance . This level of resistance is given in grades starting at 0 and climbing to VI for safes and XIII for vaults .The grading system is particularly important for insurance reasons , as the contents of the safe will only be insured for the correct value if the safe carries the appropriate grade .To grade a safe ,a test must be conducted by an accredited institute . A Combination of factors are taken into consideration such as the safes specifications being the materials and security incorporated in the safes construction size – power and effectiveness of the attack tools used ,the time period , methods and skill of the technician breaking into the safe, these technicians are experienced safe engineers who are armed with an assortment of modern day power tools including high speed grinders & drills ,oxy -acetylene ,crowbars & sledge hammers and other various cutting equipment.
Burglary Protection Grades
Safes and vaults are awarded grades for burglary protection:
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- For security cabinets, there are Grades S1 and S2 (EN 11450).
- For safes, vaults and vault doors, they are rated from Grade 0 to Grade XIII (EN 1143-1) and from class TL-15 to class 3 (UL 687 and UL 608).
- High security locks are graded according to EN 1300 or UL 1034 and security doors sets, windows and partitions are ranked from RC1 to RC6 (EN 1127).
During the certification process, door panels of the products, bolt works, locks and handles are tested. The certification tests include an attack program that is devised so that various break-in attempts can be made using a selection of tools. A correlation between tool type and the time for which each one is used can be used to obtain a resistance score (resistance unit). The higher the score, the higher the level of resistance. Based on the results obtained, the safe is given a classification and then listed in a resistance grade.
Listed below are some of the most experienced and credible organisations who are recognised within the Security Industry as those who perform certification tests
AS/NZS 3809:1998 – SAI GLOBAL
Standards by Standards Australia / Standards New Zealand 01/01/1998.
Australian & New Zealand Classification and methods of test for resistance to burglary safes, strongrooms and strongrooms.
Europe’s leading safe certification body and recognised by all of the UK’s major insurance companies as a trustworthy test certificate.
The European Fire & Security Group is a group of independent test and certification bodies who have signed a multilateral agreement to moderate each other’s’ work and ensure that the various European safe standards are applied equally and fairly across the different institution.
Certification Test Standards & Grades
Listed below are some details of the various standards and what they attest to for their certification.
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EN1143-1
A European attack test standard for Safes and Strongrooms. There are various grades within the standard from 0-XIII. The higher the grade, the higher the security level. -
EN1143-2
A European attack test standard for Deposit Safes. This standard includes a fishing/extraction test through the deposit mechanism, in addition to the same attack tests performed under EN1143-1. -
EN1300
A European attack test standard for safe locks. There are 4 grades within the standard from A/1 (lowest) to D/4 (highest) -
EN14450
A European attack test standard for home safes and cabinets. This is a lower standard than EN1143-1. -
Euro grade safe
Refers to a safe which has been tested and certified to the European standards for testing safes and vaults, EN1143-1, EN1143-2 and EN14450. - EN14450
Security Cabinet, Grade S1 and Grade S2 - EN1143-1
Safes, ATM safes, vaults and vault doors from Grade 0 to Grade XIII - EN1143-2
Deposit Systems from Grade I to Grade IV - EN1300
High-security locks from Class A to Class B
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