Salvus Torino

The stated fire resistance of a safe (for example 30, 60, or 120 minutes) refers to the duration of the test phase in a controlled fire laboratory test. In practice, the contents often remain protected for much longer, as some fire-resistant safes go through a cool-down period after the fire is extinguished. During this phase, the internal temperature may continue to rise, but well-designed safes keep it below the critical level at which documents or data media would be damaged.

Not all testing standards include this cool-down phase — it depends on the fire-resistance standard and the specific test method used.

Learn more about the different fire-resistance standards and testing methods for safes on this page.