What are cash ratings?
Cash ratings represent the maximum amount to which an insurance company will cover the contents of a safe. Better quality safes have higher cash ratings and insurance companies will be willing to cover more cash as a result. Every safe’s cash rating is decided by the thickness of the safe walls, the quality of the lock and the amount of locks included. It also takes into account the protection installed around the lock.
What about valuables?
Cash ratings also signify the value of other items which can be covered by these safes. As a rule of thumb, each safe covers valuables to ten times the amount of cash, so if a safe has a cash rating of £1,000 it will cover valuables to the tune of £10,000.
Who decides?
The Association of Insurance Surveyors (AiS), who are the UK’s accreditation body, award cash ratings from £1,000 to £4,000. This means that in the event of damage or theft, a person’s insurance company will likely insure the content of the safe up to the amount certified by the cash rating.
These cash ratings are:
• Cash rating: £1,000 & Valuables: £10,000
• Cash rating: £2,000 & Valuables: £20,000
• Cash rating: £4,000 & Valuables: £40,000
The AiS also provide their stamp of approval on Eurograde safes with cash ratings ranging from £6,000 to £250,000. This brings us nicely to the Eurograde system.
What, or who, is Eurograde?
The Eurograde system is a security numbering system used throughout Europe to certify high security safes which have been attack tested and suitable for the protection of cash and valuables. Suitable for home use and domestic use, Eurograde safes are approved with theft and burglary in mind. Fire ratings are assessed and certified separately. If your safe is approved by Eurograde, you know that crooks have their work cut out for them.
What are the Eurograde Ratings?
According to the EN1143 Eurograde system, certified safes can be approved to a numerical rating between 0 and 7. The level awarded indicates the level of premier defence against a physical attack. Eurograde 7 safes are the strongest but that does not mean that a Eurograde 0 safe will not offer protection. In fact, a Eurograde 0 safe can be considered as enough protection for domestic use; storing large amounts of money and even more in valuables. The higher we ascend in Eurograde levels, the more suitable safes become for commercial use. Eurograde cash ratings are awarded by national testing agencies such as the VdS and ECBs. Depending on the amount of time required to gain partial or full entry to the safe, a Eurograde level is awarded.
The Eurograde cash ratings are:
• Eurograde 0 - Cash rating: £6,000 & Valuables: £60,000
• Eurograde 1 - Cash rating: £10,000 & Valuables: £100,000
• Eurograde 2 - Cash rating: £17,500 & Valuables: £175,000
• Eurograde 3 - Cash rating: £35,000 & Valuables: £350,000
• Eurograde 4 - Cash rating: £60,000 & Valuables: £600,000
• Eurograde 5 - Cash rating: £100,000 & Valuables: £1,000,000
• Eurograde 6 - Cash rating: £150,000 & Valuables: £1,500,000
• Eurograde 7 - Cash rating: £250,000 & Valuables: £2,500,000
Eurograde safes certified Eurograde 4 and above feature two locks with different keys, designed to be provided to two different employees. Both keyholders must be present to unlock the safe. Understandably these safes are manufactured with commercial usage in mind.
One More Thing! Now that you know all about cash ratings, it’s worth pointing out that if your safe weighs less than 1,000kg you can forget all of the above -- unless you have your safe securely bolted to the floor. Cash ratings only apply when safes of less than 1,000kg in weight are securely locked into place.