As such, the higher the maximum external temperature, the more likely your items are to survive. (Note that a fire safe’s maximum external temperature is a different figure than its internal temperature.) The average temperature in a burning building varies depending on a range of factors including the distance from the ground, the building construction, and any fuel or accelerants present, but it can reach as high as 1,500☏ to 2,000☏. The majority of fire safes can keep their contents unharmed up to a maximum external temperature of between 1,000☏ and 2,000☏. It's possible that your safe could protect your items for slightly longer than the listed time. In terms of time, fire safes can offer protection for anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours.
Manufacturers should list the amount of time a particular fire safe could protect your items from a blaze and at what external temperature. It's also around this temperature (or slightly higher) that film degrades, so any negatives of microfiches should be kept in a safe rated for magnetic media. To protect these items - hard drives, cassette tapes, floppy discs - the internal temperature of your safe must stay below this. Magnetic media will be damaged by temperatures of 125☏ or greater. The majority of fire safes rated for digital media maintain internal temperatures of 240☏ or below. Paper combusts at 350☏, so the internal temperature of your chosen fire safe would need to remain below this in order to protect important paperwork or documents.ĭigital media, such as USB drives, CDs, DVDs, and SD cards, start to degrade at 248☏. The reason why the internal temperature is so important is that it needs to be low enough to protect the types of items you want to store. However, you can find some pricier fire safes that are able to maintain a lower internal temperature. The majority of fire safes maintain an internal temperature of between 120☏ and 340☏. It's important to know what internal temperature a fire safe can maintain while a fire is raging around it. If you choose a safe that's heavy, it would be all the harder for a thief to pick it up and walk off with it.