Home Safe Buying Guide: How to Choose the Right Safe for Your Home

The short answer from our home safe buying guide: the right safe is rated for the value of what you keep in it, has fire resistance if it holds documents, is big enough with room to grow, has a lock you will actually use, and is bolted down in a discreet spot. Price follows from those choices. In our range, home safes start from around $240 and run to around $5,800, depending on size, rating and fire protection.

This home safe buying guide sets out the process we use with customers at our Tullamarine showroom, where we have over 350 new and used safes on display. Our team has a combined 50+ years’ experience with safes, and the steps below are the questions we ask every buyer, in the order we ask them.

What this guide covers

• Working out what your safe needs to protect
• Burglary (cash) ratings and what they mean
• How much fire protection you need
• Choosing the right size
• Types of home safe: freestanding, in-floor, in-wall, jewellery and watch winder safes
• Key, combination, digital and fingerprint locks
• Where to put the safe and why it must be anchored
• Budget, and buying new or used
• Brands we stock
• Moving, servicing and opening a safe after you buy

Step 1: Work out what the safe needs to protect

Everything else follows from this. A safe for passports and certificates needs fire resistance more than a high cash rating. A safe for jewellery and cash needs the opposite. A safe for both needs a balance.

Write a list of what will go inside and estimate its replacement value. Most households end up with some mix of identity documents, property papers, a copy of the will, backup drives, cash, jewellery and spare keys. Our checklist of what most Australian households lock away runs through each category and, just as usefully, what should not go in a home safe.

Documents deserve particular thought. Originals such as wills, titles and certificates are hard to replace, and the best place for each one is not always the same. Our guide to keeping passports, wills and property documents at home covers fire-resistant storage, digital copies and who should know where things are.

If you are bringing items home because your bank is winding back its safe custody service, read what to do now that banks are closing safe deposit boxes. It sets out what NAB, Westpac and CommBank have published and compares private vaults with a home safe. If your main worry is leaving the house empty while travelling, our article on whether to use a home safe while you are away is worth a read too.

Step 2: Understand burglary (cash) ratings

Most safes sold in Australia carry an approximate cash rating. It is a guide to how much cash an insurer may accept you keeping in the safe overnight, and it reflects how well the safe resists a determined attack. Higher ratings come from thicker steel, composite or filled walls, hardened plates protecting the lock, relocking devices and heavier bolt work.

Insurers apply their own rules to jewellery and other valuables, so treat the cash rating as the starting point and ask your insurer what it requires for your level of cover. Ask, too, whether the safe must be anchored and whether an alarm is needed.

In our range, cash ratings fall into bands. As a rough guide to where common home safes sit:

• $0 to $5,000: entry-level home safes such as the Secuguard Home Safe SHS range, from around $270. Suitable for passports, some cash and everyday items.
• $10,001 to $20,000: the Platinum Safes Nova range starts from around $920, and the CMI HomeGuard range sits in this band too. A sensible level for many family homes.
• $40,001 to $60,000: the Stronghold Home Safe HD range from around $1,099 and the Guardall BFG S3 range from around $1,955, the latter with 60 minutes of fire resistance.
• $100,001 to $200,000: the Stronghold LS range from around $1,810 and Stronghold watch winder safes, for high-value collections.

Prices change, so check each product page for the current figure. Be wary of safes with no stated rating at all, or that rely on vague marketing terms. Our article comparing cheap safes with quality safes explains what you give up at the bottom of the market. For a deeper look at standards such as AS/NZS 3809, see the ratings guide listed under Related guides below.

Step 3: Decide how much fire protection you need

A house fire can destroy paper long before flames reach it, because the heat inside a closed steel box rises quickly. A fire-resistant safe uses insulation between its inner and outer walls to keep the interior cool enough to protect its contents for a rated time.

Home safes in our range are rated from 30 minutes up to 120 minutes of fire resistance. As a guide:

• 30 minutes is common on burglary-rated home safes and gives a basic level of protection for documents.
• 60 to 90 minutes suits households where the safe is the main store for important papers.
• 120 minutes is found on dedicated document safes, such as the Locktech ES-100 Document Safe, from around $2,433.

Digital media such as hard drives and USB sticks is more sensitive to heat than paper, so do not assume a document rating protects your backups. Keep a second copy off-site or in the cloud. You can compare models in our range of fire-rated safes, which starts from around $469 for a 60-minute Locktech Eagle Digital Home Safe. For most homes, a safe that combines a cash rating with 30 to 60 minutes of fire resistance is the practical middle ground.

Step 4: Choose the right size

Buying too small is an easy mistake to make. Families add documents, jewellery and electronics over time, and a safe that was full on day one quickly becomes a frustration.

Measure what you will store, compare it with the safe’s internal dimensions rather than the outside, convert to litres, and add about half again for growth. Thick walls and fire insulation can make a big difference between outside and inside size. Our guide on how to work out the right safe size walks through the method with real litre capacities and weights from our range, from compact 11-litre safes to extra-large models of over 180 litres.

Also check door swing, handle projection and the path into the house. A large safe that cannot get up the stairs or open fully in the robe is the wrong safe.

Step 5: Pick the type of home safe

Freestanding home safes

The most common choice. Freestanding safes come in the widest range of sizes, ratings and fire protection, and they can be bolted to the floor in a robe, cupboard or study. Browse our home safes category to compare brands, ratings and prices side by side.

In-floor safes

Set into a concrete slab, an in-floor safe is very hard to remove and easy to conceal under carpet or a floor panel. It suits valuables you do not need every day. In our range, safes that install into the floor start from around $532 for the Platinum Safes Floor Safe FL1, which sits in the $5,001 to $10,000 cash band. Our short guide on why floor safes are worth considering covers the basics.

The easiest time to fit one is before the slab is poured. If you are building, our guide on planning an in-floor safe for a new home build explains how to coordinate with your builder, deal with moisture and choose a model in time.

In-wall safes

In-wall safes fit between wall studs and can be hidden behind a picture or inside a robe. They are discreet and convenient, but wall cavities limit their depth and the strength of the fixing, so they suit smaller items. Our in-wall safe range starts from around $695 for the CMI In-Wall W1. Read our guide to wall safes before choosing one, and see how wall safes and floor safes compare if you are weighing the two.

Jewellery and watch winder safes

Jewellery calls for a suitable cash rating, a lined or drawer interior and, for collectors of automatic watches, built-in winders. Our article on selecting a safe for your jewellery collection covers insurer questions, drawer inserts and location. Our watch winder safe range starts from around $2,799 for the Stronghold Watch Winder Safe WLS1.

Step 6: Choose a lock you will use properly

The best lock is the one you will use correctly every day. The main options are:

• Key locks: simple and reliable, with no batteries. The weakness is the key itself, which must be hidden well away from the safe.
• Mechanical combination dials: no batteries or keys, but slower to open and harder to change.
• Digital keypads: fast, and codes are easy to change. Batteries need replacing on a schedule.
• Fingerprint (biometric) locks: very quick for daily access, with a backup code or key for when a fingerprint does not read.

Our comparison of key and electronic safe locks goes into the trade-offs. If you are drawn to fingerprint access, read our assessment of biometric safe security first. Remember that the lock is one part of the safe. Construction and rating matter more than the type of lock.

Step 7: Plan the location and get it bolted down

Where the safe goes affects how secure, discreet and convenient it is. A safe should be easy for you to reach, hard for a stranger to find in a hurry, away from areas that flood, and on a floor that can take its weight. Our articles on choosing a safe location at home and what to avoid and the top places to install a home safe go through the options room by room.

Anchoring is not optional. A safe that is not fixed down can be carried out and attacked somewhere else, and insurers may require anchoring as a condition of cover. Concrete gives the strongest fixing, while timber floors and upper storeys need more planning. We explain why in whether you need to bolt your safe down.

Renters and apartment owners have extra questions about consent, strata rules and floor loading. Our guide to safes in rental properties and apartments covers what to check before you drill. When you are ready, our safe installation team can deliver, position and anchor the safe in Melbourne, with installation available through our national network elsewhere.

Step 8: Set a budget, and consider new or used

A home safe is a long-term purchase, so it pays to buy the rating and size you need rather than the cheapest box that fits. Our article on home safe prices in Australia breaks down what drives cost. Here are real starting points from our range:

Prices change, so check the product page for the current price. Installation and delivery are quoted separately.

Used safes can be excellent value, particularly older heavy safes from well-known makers that would cost far more new. Stock changes constantly, so browse our current pre-owned and antique safes or ask us what has just come in. Before buying any second-hand safe, privately or from a dealer, read our checklist on what to check before buying a used safe.

Brands we stock

We sell safes from CMI, Guardall, Platinum, Chubb (Chubbsafes), Stronghold, Secuguard, Diplomat, Locktech, Yale and Lord Safe Co, among others. Each brand has its strengths: some focus on fire protection, some on high cash ratings, and some on compact, affordable home safes. Our review of top-rated safe brands in Australia gives an overview, and our team can compare specific models for you in the showroom. For a short summary of the essentials covered here, see our five key tips for buying a home safe.

After you buy: moving, servicing and opening

A good safe will outlast several moves and plenty of battery changes. We support customers well after the sale:

• Moving house: heavy safes need the right equipment and experience. Our safe relocation service moves safes between homes and properties.
• Getting rid of an old safe: when you upgrade, our safe removal service takes the old one away.
• Lock problems and lost codes: if a safe will not open or a lock is failing, our safe repair and opening service can help. Never try to force a safe yourself, as it can damage both the safe and what is inside.

Simple habits keep a safe working: change batteries before they go flat, record codes somewhere secure and separate from the safe, and check that anchor bolts stay tight.

Home safe buying guide checklist

1. List what you will store and its total value.
2. Ask your insurer what rating and anchoring they require.
3. Choose a cash rating comfortably above your total.
4. Add fire resistance if the safe will hold documents.
5. Measure, compare internal dimensions and allow room to grow.
6. Choose the type: freestanding, in-floor, in-wall or specialist.
7. Pick a lock you will use correctly every day.
8. Plan the location, access path and floor type.
9. Have it professionally delivered and bolted down.
10. Record codes and keep an inventory outside the safe.

Related guides

• Safe Ratings Explained: cash ratings, fire ratings, AS/NZS 3809 and SCEC in plain English.
• Fire-Resistant Safe Guide: protecting documents, data and valuables from fire.
• Gun Safe Requirements in Australia: storage rules for licensed firearm owners, state by state.
• Safe Services Guide: installation, moving, removal, repair and opening.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a good home safe cost in Australia?

In our range, home safes start from around $240 and go up to around $5,800. Rated entry-level safes start from around $270, safes in the $10,001 to $20,000 cash band from around $920, and safes in the $40,001 to $60,000 band from around $1,100. Fire resistance, size and brand affect price, and delivery and installation are quoted separately.

What cash rating should a home safe have?

Choose a rating comfortably above the total value of what you will store, then confirm with your insurer, since insurers set their own rules for cash and jewellery. Many family homes suit a safe in the $10,001 to $20,000 band, while households with significant jewellery or watches often need $40,001 to $60,000 or higher.

Does a home safe need to be bolted down?

Yes. A safe that is not anchored can be carried away and attacked elsewhere, which defeats the purpose of its rating. Insurers may also require anchoring. Concrete floors give the strongest fixing. Timber floors, upper storeys and rental properties need more planning, and professional installation is recommended.

Is a fireproof safe enough to protect my documents?

A fire-resistant safe protects contents for its rated time under test conditions, commonly 30 to 120 minutes in our range. No safe is completely fireproof. For important documents, choose 60 minutes or more where possible, keep scanned copies off-site, and remember that hard drives and USBs need more protection than paper.

Can I see home safes in person before buying?

Yes. Our showroom at 38 Barrie Rd, Tullamarine, Victoria has over 350 new and used safes on display, and visitors are welcome Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Seeing safes in person helps you judge size, door weight, lock feel and interior layout. You can also call us on 0409 860 011.

Visit Our Tullamarine Showroom or Talk to Our Team

The quickest way to choose a home safe is to see the options side by side. Visit Precision Safes at 38 Barrie Rd, Tullamarine VIC 3043, where over 350 new and used safes are on display, or call 0409 860 011 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). We deliver Australia-wide and install in Melbourne and through our national network. You can also contact us online with your list of what you need to store, and we will suggest safes that fit.