Safe Rating Details
Unless the safe has been tested & classified by Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.), the rating standards are completely up to the individual manufacturer and can vary greatly. Generally those non-U.L. tested ratings, in ascending levels of security, are:
"B" Rate
Most of the safe industry recognizes a B-rated safe as having a 3/16" to 1/4" thick steel body with a 1/2" thick steel door. The steel thicknesses are a combined total. For example, a safe may have an insulating material in between 2 pieces of 1/8" steel in the body and it can still be considered a B-rated safe. There are no formal written standards to which manufacturers must adhere.
"C" Rate
A majority of the industry recognizes a C-rated safe as having a 1/2" thick steel body with a 1" thick steel door. As with the "B" Rating, the steel thicknesses are a combined total after deducting any insulating materials. There are no formal written standards to which manufacturers must adhere.
"E" Rate
It is generally agreed that an "E" Rated safe has a 1" thick steel body with a 1-1/2" thick steel door. As with the "B" & "C" Ratings, the steel thicknesses are a combined total after deducting any insulating materials. Here too, there are no formal written standards to which manufacturers must adhere.
Underwriter’s Laboratories (U.L.) has been rating products and services from around the world, instilling confidence in purchasers, for over 100 years. To ensure that a safe continues to uphold the U.L. certification standards initially met during the U.L. testing process, a U.L. representative will periodically visit the manufacturing facilities to perform random inspections.
Highly trained U.L technicians work to forcibly enter the safe under ideal laboratory conditions, unlike those a real burglar would encounter. They use a wide variety of tools depending on the U.L. rating that is being sought. Successful "entry" is defined as opening the safe’s door or creating a 6 inch square hole. The "net working time" is the total time tools actually touch the safe while trying to gain entry. In reality it may take a burglar hours to accrue only 15 minutes of "net working time."
FOLLOWING ARE ALL OF THE U.L. SAFE RATINGS IN ASCENDING LEVELS OF SECURITY
As you would expect, as the level of protection increases, so does the weight and cost of the safe.
UL Residential Security Container (RSC) Rating
The RSC rating is based on a net working time of 5 minutes using common household tools such as a crow bar, a drill with a 1/2 HP motor, a hammer and chisel against the door. The safe body is not tested. The RSC rating also requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of "Group 2." RSC rated safes are good for residential applications that don't require protection from professionals with high-powered tools.
UL TL-15 Rating
The TL-15 rating is based on a net working time of 15 minutes using a wide variety of high powered tools that would be employed by professional burglars or locksmiths against the door, such as high-speed drills with tungsten-carbide drill bits, grinders, hole saws, pry bars, a wedge and sledge hammer. The safe body must made of material equivalent to at least 1″ open hearth steel with a minimum tensile strength of 50,000 P.S.I., which should provide a minimum of 8 minutes of net working time protection. This rating requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of Group 2M.
UL TL-30 Rating
The TL-30 rating is based on a net working time of 30 minutes using a wide variety of high powered tools that would be employed by professional burglars or locksmiths against the door, such as high-speed drills with tungsten-carbide drill bits, grinders, abrasive wheels, power saws, hole saws, pry bars, a wedge and sledge hammer. The safe body must made of material equivalent to at least 1″ open hearth steel with a minimum tensile strength of 50,000 P.S.I., which should provide a minimum of 8 minutes of net working time protection. This rating requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of Group 2M.
UL TRTL-30 Rating
The TRTL-30 rating is based on a net working time of 30 minutes using a wide variety of high powered tools that would be employed by professional burglars or locksmiths against the door, such as high-speed drills with tungsten-carbide drill bits, grinders, abrasive wheels, power saws, hole saws, pry bars, a wedge and sledge hammer, plus an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. The safe body must made of material equivalent to at least 1″ open hearth steel with a minimum tensile strength of 50,000 P.S.I., which should provide a minimum of 8 minutes of net working time protection. This rating requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of Group 2M.
UL TL-30X6 Rating
The TL-30x6 rating is based on a net working time of 30 minutes using a wide variety of high powered tools that would be employed by professional burglars or locksmiths against all six side of the safe, such as high-speed drills with tungsten-carbide drill bits, grinders, abrasive wheels, power saws, hole saws, pry bars, a wedge and sledge hammer. This rating requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of Group 2M.
UL TRTL-30X6 Rating
The TRTL-30x6 rating is based on a net working time of 30 minutes using a wide variety of high powered tools that would be employed by professional burglars or locksmiths against all six side of the safe, such as high-speed drills with tungsten-carbide drill bits, grinders, abrasive wheels, power saws, hole saws, pry bars, a wedge and sledge hammer, plus an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. This rating requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of Group 2M.
UL TRTL-60X6 Rating
The TRTL-60x6 rating is based on a net working time of 60 minutes using a wide variety of high powered tools that would be employed by professional burglars or locksmiths against all six side of the safe, such as high-speed drills with tungsten-carbide drill bits, grinders, abrasive wheels, power saws, hole saws, pry bars, a wedge and sledge hammer, plus an oxy-acetylene cutting torch. This rating requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of Group 2M.
UL TXTL-60X6 Rating
The TXTL-60x6 rating is based on a net working time of 60 minutes using a wide variety of high powered tools that would be employed by professional burglars or locksmiths against all six side of the safe, such as high-speed drills with tungsten-carbide drill bits, grinders, abrasive wheels, power saws, hole saws, pry bars, a wedge and sledge hammer, plus an oxy-acetylene cutting torch, plus the use of 8 ounces of nitroglycerin explosives, generally focused on the lock. This rating requires a lock with a minimum U.L. rating of Group 2M.
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