How much money should I put in a safe?
A Complete Guide to Safe Insurance Ratings and Capacity
Quick Answer
The amount of money or valuables you should store in a safe depends on its insurance rating, not just its physical size. Insurance ratings range from £1,000 cash (£10,000 valuables) for entry-level safes up to millions for Eurograde-rated safes. To determine what you need: calculate your total valuables' replacement cost, add 30% for inflation, round up to the nearest £10,000, and choose a safe with that valuables rating. Professional installation with certification is essential—DIY installation voids insurance coverage.
Understanding Safe Insurance Ratings: The Foundation
Safe insurance ratings are standardized measurements that quantify how much protection different safes provide. Independent testing facilities examine safes by attempting to break into them using typical burglar tools including drills, hammers, crowbars, and prying tools. Based on the safe's resistance to these attacks, it receives an official insurance rating.
The rating system uses two figures: a "cash rating" representing the maximum cash amount insurers will cover, and a "valuables rating" (10 times the cash rating) for jewelry, watches, electronics, and other non-cash items. For example, a £4,000 cash rating equals a £40,000 valuables rating.
These ratings are recognized by insurance companies, who will only provide coverage up to the safe's rated amount when it's properly installed. Cheap safes purchased from supermarkets for around £35 have no insurance rating and provide virtually no real security.
How to Calculate the Right Safe Rating for Your Needs
Follow this straightforward three-step formula to determine your required safe rating:
Step 1: Add up the total replacement cost of all items you plan to store in the safe
Step 2: Add 30% to that figure to account for inflation over time
Step 3: Round up to the nearest £10,000 to find your required valuables rating
Example: You have two luxury watches and jewelry worth £28,000 to replace. Adding 30% gives £36,400. Rounding up to the nearest £10,000 means you need a safe rated for £40,000 valuables (which corresponds to a £4,000 cash rating).
This calculation ensures you have adequate insurance coverage for your belongings while accounting for value appreciation over time.
Safe Rating Levels Explained: From Entry-Level to Eurograde
Entry-Level Safes (£1,000-£5,000 cash ratings):
- £1,000 cash / £10,000 valuables: Superficial protection only, minimal resistive strength
- £1,500 cash / £15,000 valuables: Can be opened with basic burglar tools
- £2,000 cash / £20,000 valuables (EN14450-S1): First meaningful improvement in resistance
- £4,000 cash / £40,000 valuables (EN14450-S2): Significant resistive strength, suitable for most households
- £5,000 cash / £50,000 valuables: Marginal improvement over £4,000 rating
Eurograde Certified Safes (EN1143-1 standard):
Eurograde safes undergo rigorous testing and certification, providing undisputed, universally accepted ratings:
- Eurograde 0: £6,000 cash / £60,000 valuables (heavier construction, large security leap)
- Eurograde 1: £10,000 cash / £100,000 valuables (minimum weight 70kg+)
- Eurograde 2: £17,500 cash / £175,000 valuables (minimum weight 180kg)
- Eurograde 3: £35,000 cash / £350,000 valuables (230kg+ "monster" safes)
- Eurograde 4: £60,000 cash / £600,000 valuables (300kg+)
- Eurograde 5: £100,000 cash / £1,000,000 valuables (675kg+)
- Eurograde 6-13: £150,000 to £3,500,000 cash ratings, primarily vault systems for high-end luxury homes, jewellers, and gem dealers, with valuables ratings reaching £35,000,000
The Association of Insurance Surveyors (AiS) logo on a safe indicates it's universally accepted at its quoted rating without dispute.
Why Professional Installation is Non-Negotiable
Your safe's insurance rating only applies if it's professionally installed with proper certification. This is a critical point that many safe buyers overlook. Insurance companies will not recognize safes that are:
- DIY-fitted by the owner
- Installed by general builders
- Installed by handypersons without safe-specific expertise
Why professional installation matters:
Professional safe installers possess specialized knowledge of anchoring systems suitable for different building materials (concrete, brick, wood, etc.). They understand which fasteners work best for walls versus floors and how to ensure maximum security. Installation requires experience that general contractors simply don't have.
The Installation Certificate:
After professional installation, you receive a certificate of installation that documents exactly where and how your safe was secured. This certificate is essential if you ever need to make an insurance claim. Without it, your insurer may refuse to cover losses even if you have an appropriately rated safe with valuables within its limits.
Be cautious of online retailers: Many online safe retailers don't install safes themselves but subcontract to whoever they can find locally. This often results in improper installation without the vital certification, leaving you without insurance protection despite purchasing an expensive safe.
Multiple Safes: Cumulative Ratings for Flexibility
If you cannot physically fit a large, high-rated safe in your desired location due to space constraints, doorways, staircases, or weight limitations, consider installing multiple smaller safes instead. Insurance ratings can be cumulative across multiple safes within one property.
Example: If you need £175,000 valuables coverage (Eurograde 2 rating) but cannot fit a 180kg+ safe in your location, you could install two or three Eurograde 1 safes instead. Each Eurograde 1 safe is rated for £100,000 valuables, so three would provide £300,000 cumulative coverage, exceeding your requirement.
This approach provides flexibility for properties where large safes are impractical while maintaining full insurance coverage.
Standards and Certifications to Look For
EN14450 Standard: Applies to lighter-duty security storage units with two levels:
- S1 rating: £2,000 cash / £20,000 valuables
- S2 rating: £4,000 cash / £40,000 valuables
EN1143-1 Standard: The European standard for high-security safes, covering all Eurograde ratings from 0 through 13. These ratings are universally accepted across insurance companies.
AiS (Association of Insurance Surveyors) Logo: Indicates the safe has been assessed by the Association of Insurance Surveyors and its rating is generally undisputed and universally accepted.
Safes without these certifications may have ratings assigned by the manufacturer or retailer themselves, which may not be as rigorously tested or widely accepted by insurers. Always verify with your insurance company before purchase.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don't rely on physical size alone: A large cheap safe offers less protection than a smaller certified safe. Security comes from construction quality and testing certification, not dimensions.
Don't skip professional installation: Even the highest-rated safe becomes uninsurable if improperly installed. The installation cost is a small fraction of what you're protecting.
Don't underestimate future value: Adding 30% to your calculation accounts for inflation and value appreciation. What's worth £30,000 today might be worth £40,000 in several years.
Don't forget to inform your insurer: After installation, provide your insurance company with the safe's rating and installation certificate. Confirm they accept the rating for your coverage needs.
Don't trust supermarket safes: Safes purchased from supermarkets or discount retailers for under £50 have no meaningful insurance rating and provide virtually no security against determined thieves.
Recommendations by Value Range
Under £10,000 valuables: Entry-level safe with £1,000-£2,000 cash rating provides basic protection, though security is limited
£10,000-£40,000 valuables: EN14450-S2 rated safe (£4,000 cash rating) offers significant resistive strength suitable for most households
£40,000-£100,000 valuables: Consider Eurograde 0 or Eurograde 1 certified safes for substantially stronger protection
£100,000-£500,000 valuables: Eurograde 2 or 3 safes provide high security for valuable collections
Over £500,000 valuables: Eurograde 4+ or vault systems designed for serious collectors, jewelers, or high-net-worth individuals
Final Considerations
The amount of money or valuables you should store in a safe is ultimately determined by matching the safe's certified insurance rating to the total value of what you're protecting. Never exceed your safe's rated capacity—doing so voids insurance coverage for the excess amount.
Invest in quality, certified safes from reputable manufacturers. Cheap safes are a false economy that provide minimal actual security. Always use professional installation services that provide certification. Keep your installation certificate with your insurance documents.
Remember that safe ratings are designed to work in conjunction with insurance coverage. The rating indicates what insurers will cover—it's not a guarantee that thieves cannot breach the safe, but rather a measure of how difficult it would be and how much time it would take, which factors into insurance risk calculations.
For optimal protection, combine a properly rated safe with other security measures including alarm systems, security cameras, and discrete placement that doesn't advertise valuable storage locations to potential thieves.