Home fire is a great threat to your valuables and firearms, if you have them. Gun safes are an excellent method to protect firearms and valuables from the dangers of a fire. Gun safes are certified by either Underwriter’s Laboratory or ETL ltd.
Many people wonder how the safes get their fire ratings. When searching for a gun safe, gun owners come across safes with a multitude of fire ratings, but they don’t know what the fire ratings mean.
Gun Safe Fire Ratings: A Detailed Guide
What is a Fire Rating?
What are the Materials Used in the Gun Safes to provide Fire Protection?
1. Fireboard
2. Composite Material
3. K-Wool
How are the Gun Safes Tested for Fire Rating?
Fire Endurance Test
What is a Fire Rating?.
A fire rating describes for how long the safe can keep the contents safe from the fire and up to what temperatures. A fire rating is usually written as X minutes (or hours) / Y ?F (or ?C). This means that the safe can protect the contents for X minutes up to the temperatures of Y?.
What are the Materials Used in the Gun Safes to provide Fire Protection?
1. Fireboard
Nowadays, gun safes available on the market are layered with a fireboard. This fireboard can be 1/4 to 5/8 of an inch thick. It has a measure of moisture in it that when heated in a fire the moisture is released.
This process keeps the interior of the safe cooler for a longer period. The more layers of fireboard, the longer it will stay cooler.
2. Composite Material
Many safes are equipped with a composite material sandwiched between two layers of steel. This composite material is like a type of concrete, but is usually a bit lighter in weight.
This material acts as an insulator, keeping heat from penetrating into the interior of the safe in case of a fire.
3. K-Wool
A few manufacturers are using a product called K-wool in a blanket form as another type of insulator installed in safes. It is used to insulate pipes because it can be easily formed around a curved surface.
How are the Gun Safes Tested for Fire Rating?
Underwriter’s Laboratories (UL) is one of the most well-known and respected certifiers of gun safes for fire ratings. They provide U.L. Label/Class 350°F-one hour and Class 350°F-two-hour fire rating.
The safe will maintain an interior temperature less than 350°F when exposed to fire for a period of one hour at 1700°F or for a period of two hours at 1850°F. The safe must successfully undergo a host of tests for the fire rating.
Fire Endurance Test
Fire endurance test is one of the most important tests performed to certify fire rating. After heat sensors and paper are placed inside the safe, the unit is locked and exposed to a uniformly distributed fire.
The furnace is regulated to reach a maximum temperature of 1700°F for a period of one hour, or 1850°F for two hours, then allowed to cool without opening the furnace. The interior temperature is recorded throughout the test and during the cooling period until a definite drop is shown and must never exceed 350°F.
If you’re looking for a sturdy and secure gun safe with a reliable fire rating, look no further than Gunsafes.com. The store provides a variety of high quality gun safes from world renowned brands such as Winchester, Liberty, AMSEC, Fort Knox, Barska and many more.