Safes are sold on the word fireproof. No safe is fireproof. What a certified safe gives you is a measured, tested period during which the inside stays cool enough that paper survives - and that period is the number you should be shopping on.
What the certification actually tests
The two standards that matter on Godrej products sold here are NT FIRE 017, tested by RISE in Sweden, and UL-72 Class 350, listed by UL in the United States.
Both work the same way. The safe is loaded with paper, put in a furnace and taken through a standard fire curve for a set time. To pass, the interior must stay below 177 degrees Celsius - the point at which paper begins to char. Class 350 refers to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the same threshold.
So a 60-minute rating means: in a standardised fire, for one hour, your documents stayed readable. It does not mean the safe is undamaged, and it does not mean it can be opened afterwards.
Sixty minutes, ninety, or a hundred and twenty?
The honest question is how long a fire in your building would burn before it is brought under control.
- 60 minutes - a house or a small office in an area the fire service reaches quickly. The Safire range sits here.
- 90 to 120 minutes - larger commercial premises, upper floors, buildings with a lot of combustible stock, or anywhere access is difficult. The Centiguard range sits here.
If your records are irreplaceable - title deeds, share certificates, original contracts - buy the longer rating. The price difference is small measured against reconstructing documents that cannot be reconstructed.
Fire resistance is not burglary resistance
This is the distinction that catches people out. A fire-resistant safe is built to insulate. A burglary-resistant safe is built to resist attack. They are different tests and, often, different products.
Godrej is explicit about it, and so are we: the Safire range is certified fire resistant and is not certified burglar resistant. It will deter a casual intruder. It is not a strongroom. If theft is your main concern rather than fire, tell us and we will point you at the right product.
Safe, locker or filing cabinet?
- Home safes (NX Pro 15L to 40L, Ritz) - cash, jewellery, passports, a handful of documents. Digital keypad or biometric. Bolt them down.
- Fire-resistant safes (Safire 20H, 30H, 40V; Centiguard FR560, FR720, FR1060) - documents you cannot replace, plus valuables. Choose horizontal for shelf and cupboard installation, vertical for floor standing.
- Fire-resistant filing cabinets (FRFC 2-drawer, 4-drawer) - volume. If you are protecting hundreds of files rather than a few, a cabinet is the right shape and each drawer is individually insulated.
Two practical points
Bolt it down. An unanchored 15-litre safe can simply be carried out. Every Godrej home safe we supply has a pre-drilled base.
Mind the weight. A Centiguard FR1060 weighs 236 kg and the 4-drawer FRFC weighs 470 kg. Floor loading and access matter. Godrej safes are collected from our Colombo showroom; call us before you travel so we can have staff on hand to help you load.
Talk it through
Tell us what you are protecting and where it will sit, and we will recommend a rating and a size. Call +94 11 250 0823 or visit 35/3 Nawala Road, Narahenpita. Elite Radio is the authorised Godrej Security Solutions distributor in Sri Lanka.