What size safe do you really need?

Choosing a safe for your home or business is an important decision. Security is an essential consideration to protect your family and belongings, or to safeguard your employees and the assets of a business. When you have made the decision to invest in a safe, you have to make sure it is effective and this means considering lots of different factors, including the size of the safe. Choosing the wrong size of safe can start to compromise your security as you may have to leave valuable items outside of it, or you may not be able to locate it in the position you want to, for maximum security. This leaves you vulnerable to theft and defeats the entire point of investing in a safe in the first place.

Different sizes of safe

With most styles of safe you can choose the dimensions that suit your needs, so in most cases you have the option of choosing correctly. You just need to establish what size you need. There are various sizes available, but for easy comparison purposes let’s categorise them into three sizes:

Small – This would be ideal for a small number of documents, passports and maybe some jewellery. A business might look to store USB sticks containing personal data, or important digital information such as contracts, product specs or trademark details.
Medium – In a medium safe you would essentially be looking at storing larger quantities of these same items, perhaps for a larger family or a larger business where there is more activity and more of a security need.
Large – A large safe would be suitable for storing cash, larger electrical equipment such as laptops and tablets and multiple documents. You might choose a larger safe if your security storage needs are changing all the time and you are unsure of the volume of storage you are going to need. Going large is playing it safe.

What to think about when choosing the right size safe

So let’s now look at what you need to think about when choosing the right size safe:

What do you need to store? Quite simply, what are the items you consider valuable and which you think pose a security risk. Physically pile these together and work out a rough overall dimension. Bear in mind that safes have thick internal walls for maximum security, but this should be reflected in the dimensions made available in a spec. So you need to remember that the internal dimensions won’t be as large as the external space you will need to store the safe.
Future needs – Are your security storage needs likely to change in the future? It is sometimes hard to predict this and therefore people tend to go one size larger to allow for a possible change in circumstances. The cost differential of going larger will be minimal, particularly when you consider the security risk it prevents.
Location – Where are you planning to locate the safe? Do you have floor space for a freestanding safe that can be bolted to the floor or wall? Would you prefer to conceal the safe in a wall recess or a floor recess? What space do you have to achieve this? People also like to conceal a safe in a cupboard, but this does restrict the size of safe you can accommodate. So you need to balance location with security risk and that should give you a rough size solution.
Insurance – What does your insurance policy say in terms of what you are covered for? This might dictate what insurance cash rating you need for the safe, and therefore how big it will need to be.
Fire and flood protection – Is your property vulnerable to fire and/or flooding? Most safes are built to protect your valuables from these threats, and while they don’t have too much bearing on size, you need to check the safe you have identified has these features.
Portable – Do you need the safe to be portable? A freestanding safe can be useful if you need to periodically move it. In most cases you can bolt the safe down – to floor joists, a stud wall or to solid floors/walls – to prevent a thief picking it up and taking it away, but this does enable you to remove the bolts and move the safe if you ever need to, perhaps if you are moving home or offices, or if you are changing the layout and function of a room. A freestanding safe will still be heavy, but if you want it to be portable you might also need to think about size if you think you will have a need to periodically move it.

Order your safe online from MB Direct

At MB Direct we have a range of safes of many different types and sizes. You can choose the right safe to suit your needs and order online today.