In my last article about fire resistant safes, I neglected to explain how to read the safe ratings. The first number of the rating, which will be 350 or 125, will be the maximum internal temperature of the safe for the time period listed in the second number. So a 350-2 rating for a safe means that it kept a maximum internal temperature of 250°F for two hours against a fire of 1700°F to 2000°F.
There are also classifications which are shorthand for a particular numerical rating:
- Class A - 4 hour at temperatures up to 2000°F.
- Class B - 2 hour at temperatures up to 1850°F.
- Class C - 1 hour at temperatures up to 1700°F.
As a point of reference, a typical house fire burns at 1200°F for less than one or two hours.
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