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Security levels and resistance grades

Security for your safe afforded by certified quality.

The security level or resistance grade indicates the type and extent of a safe’s anti-burglary protection and fire safety class. This degree of protection is certified by independent institutions that are recognised throughout Europe, such as VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH or the European Security Systems Association (ESSA) e. V. This involves carrying out comprehensive tests with a wide variety of tools to check how long a safe can withstand break-in attempts. The most important standards for a safe’s anti-burglary protection are EN 1143-1 and EN 14450.

The resistance grade and security level of a safe are both important factors when it comes to the insurance category of the safe contents. Further details can be found in the overview table.

Insurance cover
for your safe

Security level / Resistance grade Short description Security feature Insurance category: private* Insurance category: commercial* A according to VDMA 24992** Double-walled door, single-walled body Limited anti-burglary protection In consultation with the property insurer In consultation with property insurer B according to VDMA 24992** Double-walled and triple-walled door and corpus, wrap-around fire insulation Limited anti-burglary protection, fire protection according to DIN 4102 In consultation with the property insurer In consultation with property insurer S 1 according to EN 14450 Double-walled door, single-walled corpus and locking mechanism Tested anti-burglary protection according to EN 14450 Up to €5000 Up to €2500 S 2 according to EN 14450 Double-walled door, corpus generally double-walled Tested anti-burglary protection according to EN 14450 Up to €30,000 Up to €2500 N (0) according to EN 1143-1 Multi-walled door and corpus, wrap-around fire insulation Tested anti-burglary protection according to guaranteed RU 30/30 resistance unit Up to €40,000 Up to €10,000 I according to EN 1143-1 Multi-walled door and corpus, special door filling, wrap-around fire insulation Tested anti-burglary protection according to guaranteed RU 30/50 resistance unit Up to €65,000 Up to €20,000 II according to EN 1143-1 Triple-walled door and corpus, wrap-around fire insulation RU 50/80 Up to €100,000 Up to €50,000 III according to EN 1143-1 Door and corpus with special filling RU 80/120 Up to €200,000 Up to €100,000 IV according to EN 1143-1 Filled entirely with special concrete RU 120/180 Up to €400,000 Up to €150,000 IV KB according to EN 1143-1 Filled entirely with special concrete RU 120/180, KB: RU 1000 In consultation with the property insurer Up to €250,000 V according to EN 1143-1 Filled entirely with special concrete RU 170/270 In consultation with the property insurer Up to €250,000 V KB according to EN 1143-1 Filled entirely with special concrete RU 170/270, KB: RU 1000 In consultation with the property insurer Up to €375,000

*The specified levels of insurance cover are non-binding guideline values based on the VdS publications VdS 0961, VdS 2333 and VdS 3134. The insurance amounts increase – and generally double – after connecting the safe to a burglar alarm system.
** Statistics as of 05/95. The VDMA Standard Sheet 24992 was retracted by the VDMA on 31/12/2003.

European standards
for anti-burglary protection

Resistance grades
according to EN 1143-1

The EN 1143-1 and EN 1143-2 standards define the requirements and testing procedures used to test strongboxes, strongroom doors and strongrooms (EN 1143-1) and deposit systems (drop-down safes, EN 1143-2) in terms of their anti-burglary protection.

These certifications are based on comprehensive burglary tests carried out by independent institutions such as VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH using various different mechanical and thermal break-in tools. Only safes that have successfully passed these tests receive the relevant inspection sticker as a quality seal from certification bodies such as the VdS or ESSA (European Security Systems Association) with their ECB-S testing institute.

Various resistance grades are then assigned depending on how long the safes are able to withstand the burglary tests. Generally speaking, these range from N (0) to 10 and are usually expressed in Roman numerals (from N (0) to X). The term “VdS class” is frequently used as an alternative to “resistance grade”.

Security levels
according to EN 14450

The EN 14450 (VdS 2862) standard is what defines the testing procedure for security cabinets. A distinction is made here between security levels S1 and S2. The security requirements for this standard are less stringent than those stipulated by EN 1143-1, but more stringent than VDMA 24992.

Security levels
according to VDMA 24992

Steel cabinets can be designated as security level A or B according to VDMA 24992 as long as the requirements of the VDMA Standard Sheet 24992 (issued May 1995) have been fulfilled as building regulations for these cabinets. The retraction of the Standard Sheet by the issuing VDMA on 31/12/2003 also put an end to market surveillance on this basis. Compliance with requirements is, however, still confirmed through a rating plate that features on our safes (own declaration of conformity). Further information on this subject can be found on the ESSA website.

VdS classes
according to VdS 2450 and VdS 2528

The term “VdS class” is also commonly used to describe anti-burglary resistance grades – particularly in Germany. This stems from risk management company ‘VdS Schadenverhütung GmbH’, which is one of the best-known testing and certification bodies in the world. If a safe is tested and certified by VdS, you will often see references to its “VdS class” rather than its “resistance grade”.

The most essential VdS directive for strongboxes and strongrooms is the VdS 2450 standard, which is based on EN 1143-1. The VdS 2450 standard lays out the testing procedures for strongboxes, which correspond to those stipulated in EN 1143-1. The VdS 2528 directive also applies as a test specification for security cabinets in accordance with EN 14450. The VdS classes according to VdS 2450 range from 0 to 10 and are synonymous with resistance grades N (0) to 10 according to EN 1143-1.

The “Safe tests” page contains further information on VdS Schadenverhütung and the testing procedure for safes.

Fire security and fire protection
Double the protection for your valuables

Safes with tested fire protection offer effective protection of the contents against fire, smoke and extinguishing water. Just like with the anti-burglary protection levels and resistance grades, a distinction is also made between the various standards of fire protection with different characteristics. The most important of these are EN 1047-1 and EN 15659.

At HARTMANN TRESORE, you can browse our range of duplex cabinets, as they’re known, which offer both certified anti-burglary protection and fire protection in many different combinations of fire protection classes and anti-burglary protection classes.

The most important information relating to fire protection can be found in the table.

Fire protection class Short description Security feature Insurance category S 60 P according to EN 1047-1 High level of fire protection, protection against smoke and extinguishing water thanks to special fillings and seals. Available in combination with various anti-burglary protection classes 60 minutes of fire protection for paper In consultation with the property insurer S 120 P according to EN 1047-1 High level of fire protection, protection against smoke and extinguishing water thanks to special fillings and seals. Available in combination with various anti-burglary protection classes 120 minutes of fire protection for paper In consultation with the property insurer S 60 DIS according to EN 1047-1 High level of fire protection, protection against smoke and extinguishing water thanks to special fillings and seals. Available in combination with various anti-burglary protection classes 60 minutes of fire protection for data carriers In consultation with the property insurer S 120 DIS according to EN 1047-1 High level of fire protection, protection against smoke and extinguishing water thanks to special fillings and seals. Available in combination with various anti-burglary protection classes 120 minutes of fire protection for data carriers In consultation with the property insurer LFS 30 P according to EN 15659 Light protection against fire, smoke and extinguishing water thanks to special fillings and seals. Available in combination with various anti-burglary protection classes 30 minutes of light fire protection for paper In consultation with the property insurer LFS 60 P according to EN 15659 Light protection against fire, smoke and extinguishing water thanks to special fillings and seals. Available in combination with various anti-burglary protection classes 60 minutes of light fire protection for paper In consultation with the property insurer

Safes with fire protection
in accordance with EN 1047-1

Safes with fire protection in accordance with EN 1047-1 protect the contents of the safe against fire, smoke and extinguishing water for 60 or 120 minutes. They must be capable of withstanding the fire test conducted by Braunschweig University of Technology’s material testing institute. This involves heating the safe to 1090 °C for 60 or 120 minutes before dropping it onto a gravel bed from a height of 9.15 m. This is equivalent to falling from the third floor of a burning building. During the test, the temperature inside the safe is only permitted to increase by a certain number of degrees. For more information on the Braunschweig test, click HERE.

Fire-protected safes
according to EN 15659

Fire-protected safes according to EN 15659 (for light fire storage) protect documents and valuables against the effects of heat (LFS 30 P and/or LFS 60 P) for 30 or 60 minutes. This means the requirements are below those of S 60 P according to EN 1047-1.

A cabinet with security level A according to VDMA 24992 (05/95) is already more secure than a living room cabinet or wardrobe, for example. In the case of security level B, the fire protection level according to DIN 4102 reduces heat generation within the safe.