Insurance Ratings Explained
Insurance Ratings Explained
Cash rating, valuables rating, EN 14450, EN 1143-1 and Eurograde can all sound complicated. This page explains what the terms mean and how they relate to choosing the right safe.
The basic principle is simple: some safes resist attack better than others, so the industry needs a consistent way of expressing the level of security they provide.
Four phrases worth understanding
These are the terms customers most commonly encounter when comparing safes.
The base insurance figure
A cash rating is the amount of cash associated with a particular level of safe security.
Usually 10× the cash figure
For the purposes of this guide, the valuables or jewellery rating is shown as ten times the cash rating.
S1 and S2 security levels
EN 14450 is a recognised security standard used for lower-rated certified safes.
The Eurograde system
Eurograde safes sit within EN 1143-1 and move through progressively higher grades of burglary resistance.
Some safes are simply stronger than others
A very inexpensive light-duty safe may provide only superficial protection. At the other end of the scale, certified Eurograde safes are designed to resist increasingly serious attack.
To compare the relative security of different safes, properly tested products are subjected to attack using tools and methods intended to assess how well the safe resists being opened.
The resulting security level is then expressed as a rating or recognised standard.
£1,000 cash = £10,000 valuables
At the lower end of the scale, a safe with a £1,000 cash rating is shown in this guide as suitable for up to £10,000 of valuables.
This 10:1 relationship is why you will often see both a cash rating and a valuables or jewellery rating quoted for the same safe.
How much protection do you need?
One practical way to approach it is to work from the replacement value of the items you want to protect.
The original example on this page uses valuables with a replacement cost of £28,000. It then adds 30% as an allowance for inflation and rounds up to the next £10,000 band.
Important: if your insurer has specified a particular rating or standard, use the insurer’s requirement rather than relying only on a general calculation.
Certified S1 and S2 safes
EN 14450 provides recognised security levels for certified secure storage products at the lower end of the insurance-rated market.
Eurograde safes
Eurograde safes use progressively higher grades. As the grade rises, the expected resistance to attack also rises.
Insurance-industry recognition
The original page also refers to safes assessed by the Association of Insurance Surveyors. Where a safe carries relevant recognised approval, that can help make its quoted rating easier to establish.
The rating is only part of the story
The original page correctly emphasises that buying an insurance-rated safe is not the end of the process: the safe also needs to be installed correctly and anchored using a fixing method suitable for the structure of the property.
When London & Home Counties Safes installs a safe, we provide an installation certificate or receipt recording the installation. Keep that document, together with any relevant safe paperwork, in case you ever need to demonstrate how the safe was installed.
Safe insurance ratings at a glance
The figures and opinions below are retained from the original page you supplied.
Not sure which insurance rating you need?
If your insurer has specified a cash rating, valuables rating, EN standard or Eurograde, use that as your starting point. If you are still unsure, speak to us before ordering.