Fireproof safes for office documents protect all of your valuable documents if you happen to have a fire at your home or work office. You need to consider how long it can protect your documents and other items in the case of a fire, as well as up to what outside temperature your office documents could survive. The AmazonBasics Fire Resistant Safe is a first-class option.
Most fireproof safes maintain inside temperatures of 120-340 degrees, but some high-end safes maintain lower inside temperatures. Keep in mind that paper combusts at 350 degrees, so you need a safe with an internal temperature lower than 350 degrees to protect your crucial office documents.
If you’re storing any digital media, like SD cards, DVDs, CDs or USB drives, in your safe, these items begin to degrade at 248 degrees. Most safes that are rated for digital media have an internal temperature of 240 degrees or less. And if you want to store any magnetic media, like floppy discs, cassette tapes or hard drives, you need a safe with an internal temperature of less than 125 degrees.
Fireproof safes can usually protect for about 30 minutes to 2 hours. Most of these safes can keep your documents and items unharmed up to a maximum outside temperature of 1,000-2,000 degrees.
Keep in mind that the maximum external temperature of the safe is different from the internal temperature. The average temperature of a burning building can reach as much as 1,500-2,000 degrees.
Fireproof safes for office documents come in a wide range of sizes. There are miniature office document safes that can only hold a tiny stack of papers, but there are also some full-size fireproof safes that can hold anything from boxes of old CDs and cassettes to artwork. You need to choose the right size of fireproof safe for your particular situation and needs, considering both the external and internal dimensions.
The best fireproof safes for office documents are water-resistant. Water-resistant safes preserve your things from fire hoses and protect things in the case of a home or office flooding.
Having a separate lockable compartment in your fireproof safe for office documents provides a second line of defense for your important documents and other things. Even if someone does break into your safe, there is a second lock within the fireproof safe that’s difficult to break into without a key.
A fireproof safe for office documents usually has a cash rating, which tells you how secure the fireproof safe is. The cash rating tells you how much cash your insurance company would cover in the case of a burglary if there was cash inside your safe.
Fireproof safes range from about $50-$1,000.
A. Some safes include a backup mechanical lock, so you can open it with a key if you can’t remember your combo. If your safe doesn’t include this feature, you should select a memorable combo that you will remember. The manufacturer might also be able to give you an override combo if you can offer proof that you own the safe.
A. As long as you select a high-quality fireproof safe that has been tested independently, it will protect all of your documents and things in the case of a fire, up to the maximum temperatures and time limit listed.
A. A safe with wheels is simpler to move from one place to another, which can be helpful if you have to use it in more than just one place. That being said, if your fireproof safe has wheels, a thief can easily wheel your safe off with them, so you need to decide if having the wheels are worth that risk.
AmazonBasics Fire Resistant Safe
What you need to know: This versatile fireproof safe from AmazonBasics allows you to store papers, weapons, jewelry, media and medications.
What you’ll love: It includes a roomy interior and a bolting kit to secure the safe to a floor and an emergency key in case you can’t remember the keypad code.
What you should consider: This safe is only fire-resistant for about 20 minutes.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Honeywell Fire-Resistant Steel Security Safe Box with Key Lock
What you need to know: This fireproof safe is great if you need a place to store your medications, paperwork and media like USBs and DVDs.
What you’ll love: This safe is scratch-resistant and perfect for securing passports and prescriptions. It features a double steel wall construction that makes it fairly sturdy.
What you should consider: It is not quite large enough to hold documents that are the size of a letter without folding them.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
SentrySafe Fireproof Safe and Waterproof Safe with a Dial Combination
What you need to know: This model offers options for both key entry and combination entry.
What you’ll love: This safe features live locking bolts, steel construction and a pry-resistant hinge bar. It also has a capacity of about 1.23 cubic feet and is fireproof for up to 1 hour at 1,700 degrees.
What you should consider: The locking mechanism can fail sometimes.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
Sign up here to receive the BestReviews weekly newsletter for useful advice on new products and noteworthy deals.
Alex Kilpatrick writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
