Safe Ratings Explained: Cash Ratings, Fire Ratings, AS/NZS 3809 and SCEC

Safe ratings explained simply: a rating tells you what a safe has been tested or assessed to resist, and to what level. In Australia you will mostly see a cash rating (a dollar figure insurers use as a guide), a fire rating in minutes, a reference to a burglary standard such as AS/NZS 3809 or the European EN 1143-1, and, for government buyers, a SCEC Class A, B or C approval. Each rating answers a different question, so the right safe depends on which question matters most to you.

Buyers often treat these labels as interchangeable. They are not. A safe with a high cash rating may offer little fire protection, a fire safe may stop very little in a break-in, and a SCEC container built for classified files is not designed to hold cash. This guide is our reference page for the whole topic, with links to deeper articles on each part.

What This Guide Covers

• The four main types of safe rating and what each one measures
• Safe cash ratings and how insurers use them
• AS/NZS 3809, the Australian and New Zealand burglary standard
• European grades under EN 1143-1 and EN 14450, plus US UL ratings
• Fire ratings and why they are a separate test
• SCEC classes and the Protective Security Policy Framework (PSPF)
• The design features that sit behind a good rating
• How to check a rating is genuine, and how to choose the right one

Safe Ratings Explained: The Main Types at a Glance

Most confusion disappears once you separate the ratings by the job they do. The table below is a quick map. The sections that follow explain each one in more detail.

A single safe can carry more than one of these. Many of the home and office safes we sell list both a cash rating and a fire rating, while government containers are chosen by their SCEC class.

What a Safe Cash Rating Means

A safe cash rating is a dollar figure that suggests how much cash a safe is suited to hold. It reflects how well the safe resists attack, and in Australia it is generally quoted for an unsupported environment, meaning the safe is not backed by a monitored alarm or other extra security. A higher figure means a stronger safe.

The rating is a guide, not a promise of cover. Your insurer decides what it will pay, and its policy wording takes priority over anything printed on a label. Insurers can also treat jewellery, watches and other valuables differently from cash, so the figure that applies to your watch collection may not match the cash figure. Our older summary of how cash and fire ratings are assigned covers the basics, and the article on how a cash rated safe affects your insurance looks at premiums and claims.

Supported and unsupported environments

An unsupported environment is the baseline: the safe on its own. Extra layers such as a monitored alarm, a staffed site or a vault room can change what an insurer is willing to accept. Only the insurer can tell you whether that applies to your policy and by how much, which is why we put together a checklist of questions to ask your insurer before you buy a safe.

How cash ratings appear in our range

On our website, safes are grouped into cash rating bands, from $0 to $5,000 at the entry level up to $500,001 to $1,000,000 for some bank-grade and ex-bank units. A few real examples from our current range (prices change, so check the product page):

• The Stronghold Home Safe HD1 starts from around $1,099 and sits in the $40,001 to $60,000 band.
• The Stronghold LS1 starts from around $1,810 and is listed in the $100,001 to $200,000 band with a 90 minute fire rating.
• The CMI Commander range, sold as high security safes, starts from around $7,350 for the CR2 and is listed in the $200,001 to $300,000 band.

If you want to see how cash and fire protection trade off against each other for a typical buyer, our comparison of cash rating vs fire rating works through common scenarios.

AS/NZS 3809: The Australian and New Zealand Burglary Standard

AS/NZS 3809:1998, titled Safes and strongrooms, sets performance requirements and test procedures for secure storage units. Its scope covers free-standing safes, built-in floor and wall safes, strongroom doors and strongrooms, rated by their resistance to intrusion and forced removal when attacked with prescribed tools. It deals with burglary resistance only and does not include tests for fire resistance, so a reference to AS/NZS 3809 tells you nothing about how a safe performs in a fire.

AS/NZS 3809:1998 is no longer a current standard. The Standards Australia store lists it as withdrawn, a standards reseller gives the withdrawal date as 19 December 2019, and no replacement edition is listed. That does not make older ratings worthless. Many safes sold in Australia were designed and assessed with this standard in mind, manufacturers and insurers still refer to it, and the Australian Government’s own security framework still uses its language. The Protective Security Policy Framework Release 2026 refers to AS 3809 commercial, medium security, high security and very high security safes or vaults when it recommends commercial safes for valuable physical resources in government facilities.

If a seller says a safe is “tested to AS/NZS 3809”, ask which level it reached, who did the testing and whether the paperwork matches the model in front of you. Our earlier article on whether your safe meets Australian safe standards covers compliance questions for specific safe types.

European Grades: EN 1143-1 and EN 14450

EN 1143-1 is the European standard for burglary resistance of safes, ATM safes, strongroom doors and strongrooms. Products are graded on a Roman numeral scale from Grade 0 to Grade XIII, and each step up requires the safe to withstand more tool attack in testing. Free-standing safes sit in the lower part of the scale, while strongroom doors and strongrooms extend into the higher grades. The German testing body VdS, for example, publishes a guideline specifically for strongrooms of resistance grade V to XIII.

In the test, a laboratory attacks the safe with set categories of tools and records the effort needed to make a partial and a complete opening. The result is expressed in resistance units, and a grade is awarded only when the score clears that grade’s minimum. Because the method is standardised, a Grade III safe from one maker should resist roughly the same level of attack as a Grade III safe from another.

EN 14450 is a lighter companion standard for secure safe cabinets, with two levels, S1 and S2. These suit lower-value storage and sit below Grade 0 on the EN 1143-1 scale.

Who certifies European grades

Grades are awarded by independent certification bodies. The best known are ECB·S (European Certification Body), VdS in Germany and CNPP in France, which issues the A2P mark. Each issues a certificate tied to a model, and certified safes carry a label showing the grade and certificate details.

In our range, the Chubb Europa safes are sold by grade, including Grade II, Grade III and Grade V models. How European grades line up against Australian cash ratings, and why there is no official conversion table, is covered in our guide to European safe grades compared with Australian cash ratings.

Other Burglary Ratings You May See

UL 687 ratings from the United States

Some safes, particularly older imported or ex-bank units, carry a US rating under UL 687. Classes include TL-15, TL-30 and TRTL-30X6. TL stands for tool resistant and TR for torch resistant, the number is the minutes of net attack time in the test, and X6 means all six sides were tested rather than just the door. Our used range often includes these, such as the Pre-Used Lord 902 TRTL 30×6, which was listed from around $4,199 at the time of writing.

TDR safes

TDR stands for torch and drill resistant. It describes a style of high security construction rather than a single test standard, so a TDR safe should still come with a stated cash rating or grade. Our article on what makes a safe torch and drill resistant explains the construction in more detail.

Lock ratings

The lock is part of the security system. In Europe, high security locks are classified under EN 1300 in classes A to D, and a safe’s overall grade assumes a suitable lock class is fitted. Swapping to a lower-rated lock can undermine the rating. For the pros and cons of each lock style, see our piece on key locks versus electronic safe locks.

Fire Ratings Are a Separate Test

A fire rating tells you how many minutes the inside of a safe stayed below a set temperature during a furnace test. Ratings are quoted for a content type, usually paper or data, because digital media fail at far lower temperatures than paper. Common test standards include NT Fire 017, EN 1047-1 and the lighter EN 15659, which rates units at LFS 30 P or LFS 60 P. Products in our range are listed at 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes.

Fire and burglary are tested separately, and one does not imply the other. A safe can hold a strong cash rating with no fire rating, or the reverse. For a full breakdown of the minutes and the test limits behind them, read what 30, 60 and 120 minute fire ratings mean. Our older article asking whether fireproof safes are really fireproof explains why “fire resistant” is the accurate term, and you can browse our fire resistant safes by rating.

SCEC Classes and the PSPF

The Security Construction and Equipment Committee (SCEC) is a standing inter-departmental committee that evaluates security equipment for Australian Government use. Its evaluation program is managed by ASIO’s T4 Protective Security, and approved products are listed in the Security Equipment Evaluated Products List (SEEPL). According to the SCEC website, the SEEPL is available to government agencies, SCEC Security Zone Consultants, SCEC Approved Locksmiths and certain other approved users rather than the general public.

The PSPF describes three levels of SCEC-approved security container:

• Class A protects information with an extreme or catastrophic business impact level in situations assessed as high risk. These containers can be extremely heavy.
• Class B covers extreme or catastrophic impact information in low-risk situations, and high or extreme impact information in higher-risk situations. They are robust filing cabinets or compactuses fitted with combination locks.
• Class C covers information up to an extreme impact level in low-risk situations, and medium impact information in higher-risk situations. They use a SCEC-approved restricted keyed lock.

The PSPF is also clear that SCEC containers are for classified information and resources, not for other valuables. Their design gives a high level of tamper evidence and significant delay against covert attack, but limited protection against forcible attack. That is the opposite emphasis to a cash rated safe, which is built to resist force. Our guide to SCEC Class A, B and C containers explains zones, which class suits which classification, and how agencies buy them. For background on the scheme itself, see how SCEC standards protect national security.

We supply SCEC approved containers for government and accept official government purchase orders. Requirements change between PSPF releases, so always confirm the current requirement with your agency security adviser.

What Sits Behind a Good Rating

A rating is the result of design choices you cannot see from the outside. Higher rated safes typically combine several layers of defence:

• Barrier materials: composite walls that combine steel with dense fill materials, which are harder to cut or drill than plain steel.
• Hardplate: hardened material protecting the lock and bolt mechanism.
• Relockers: secondary locking devices that hold the bolts shut if the safe is attacked. Our guide to how safe relockers work covers glass plate and thermal types.
• Bolt work and door design: heavy bolts, tight door gaps and hinge-side protection that resist prying.
• Weight and anchoring points: so the safe cannot simply be carried away.

These features exist because safes face a fairly predictable set of threats, from opportunistic removal to tool attack. We outline those threats, and the features that resist each one, in our defensive overview of how safes are attacked and which features resist each method.

A rating assumes proper installation

Almost every rating assumes the safe is fixed in place. A rated safe that is not bolted down can be removed and attacked elsewhere, and many insurers make anchoring a condition of cover. Our article on whether you need to bolt down your safe explains why, and our professional safe installation service handles delivery and anchoring in Melbourne and through our national network.

How to Check a Safe Rating Is Genuine

Marketing words such as “heavy duty”, “high security” and “insurance approved” are not ratings. A genuine rating can be traced from a label or plate on the safe, to the manufacturer’s documentation, to the test or certification body. Our step-by-step guide on how to check if a safe is genuinely rated explains where to find the plate, what it should show and what to send your insurer.

Used safes need extra care, because labels can be missing and repairs or lock changes may affect how an insurer views the original rating. Before buying second-hand, read our used safe buying checklist, or browse our pre-owned safes with known ratings, many of which are ex-bank or ex-commercial units.

Choosing the Right Rating for Your Situation

Work through these steps before you shortlist safes:

1. List what you will store. Add up cash, jewellery, watches, bullion and documents separately, since each may be treated differently.
2. Ask your insurer first. Find out the cash rating or grade it requires for your amounts, and any anchoring or alarm conditions.
3. Decide whether you need fire protection. If you store originals that cannot be replaced, choose a safe with both a cash rating and a fire rating suited to paper or data.
4. Match the safe to the setting. For homes, start with our home safes; for shops, offices and cash handling, look at commercial safes; for larger amounts, our high security safes carry higher cash ratings. For lockable storage of equipment and files without a cash rating, see security safes and cabinets.
5. Government buyers: choose by SCEC class according to your agency’s requirements, not by cash rating.
6. Plan installation. Confirm where the safe will go, the floor type and access for delivery before you order.

Over-buying slightly is usually sensible. Valuables tend to accumulate, and moving up a cash rating band later means buying a new safe.

Related Guides

• Home safe buying guide: size, location, lock types and budget for household safes.
• Fire-resistant safe guide: protecting documents, data and valuables from heat.
• Commercial safe guide: deposit, drop and high security safes for businesses.
• Safe services guide: installation, moving, removal, repair and opening.

Frequently Asked Questions

What cash rating do I need for a home safe?

There is no single right figure. Add up the cash and valuables you plan to keep inside, then ask your insurer what rating it requires for that amount and whether jewellery is treated differently. Our home safe range spans cash rating bands from entry level up to $100,001 to $200,000, so most households can find a safe that meets or exceeds their insurer’s requirement.

Is AS/NZS 3809 still a current standard?

No. Standards Australia lists AS/NZS 3809:1998 Safes and strongrooms as withdrawn, with a withdrawal date of 19 December 2019 and no replacement edition. It still matters in practice, because many safes in Australia were assessed with it in mind, insurers and manufacturers still refer to it, and the federal PSPF still uses its commercial, medium, high and very high security categories for commercial safes.

Is a SCEC approved container better than a cash rated safe?

They do different jobs. SCEC containers are approved for storing security classified government information and are designed to show evidence of covert tampering and delay surreptitious attack. The PSPF notes they provide limited protection against forcible attack and are not intended for other valuables. For cash and jewellery, a cash rated or graded safe is the right choice.

Does a higher burglary rating mean better fire protection?

No. Burglary and fire ratings come from separate tests. AS/NZS 3809 and EN 1143-1 do not test fire resistance at all, so a safe can carry a high cash rating and no fire rating. If you need both, check that the safe lists a fire rating in minutes, the content type it protects and the test standard it was certified to.

Can a used safe still carry its original rating?

Often yes, if the safe is genuine, unmodified and identifiable from its label or model number. Problems arise when labels are missing, the safe has been drilled and repaired, or the lock has been replaced with a lower-specification unit. Before relying on an older rating, send the details and photos to your insurer and ask whether it will accept the safe.

See Rated Safes Side by Side

Ratings are easier to understand when you can see the difference in door thickness, bolt work and weight in person. Our showroom at 38 Barrie Rd, Tullamarine has over 350 new and used safes on display, from entry-level home safes to high security and SCEC models, and our team has a combined 50+ years’ experience in safes. Call 0409 860 011 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) or contact our team about safe ratings and we will help you match a rating to what you need to protect.