Fire ratings are a time and a temperature, and paper and drives differ · review
A document box with a published fire rating: Amazon Basics states UL 72 Class 350 for 30 minutes at 843 °C (1549 °F), in a 6.2-liter fire and water resistant case with a mechanical key lock.
The conclusion A published rating with both numbers, which is what to look for. Paper only, and keep the digital backup somewhere else.
A fire rating is two numbers, and a box that publishes only the word “fireproof” has told you nothing.
UL 72 Class 350, thirty minutes at 843 °C (1549 °F). That means the box was in a furnace at that temperature for that long, and the inside stayed below 350 °F — about 177 °C (351 °F) — which is the threshold below which paper does not char.
Both halves matter. A long duration with a high internal limit protects nothing; a low internal limit for five minutes protects nothing either.
Digital media. A hard drive, a memory card or a USB stick is damaged far below 177 °C (351 °F), and media-rated safes use a much lower internal limit and cost considerably more.
The better answer for digital backups is not a safe at all: keep a copy somewhere else entirely. Off-site storage survives the fire, the flood and the burglary simultaneously, and costs nothing.
The papers that cannot be reprinted or reissued easily: passports, birth and marriage certificates, deeds, wills. Not cash — a fire box is not a security safe, and it is portable.
Every household, for the small pile of paper that would be genuinely painful to lose.
On sale at $42 on the American Amazon store at the time of checking.
Prices and availability are what Keepa reported on the date this page was updated; both move.
Prices quoted in this text were read on September 2, 2026. The live price is at the top of the page.
| Capacity | 6.2 liters |
|---|---|
| Fire rating | UL 72 Class 350, 30 minutes at 843 °C (1549 °F), stated by the manufacturer |
| Water | Water resistant |
| Lock | Mechanical key, 2 keys supplied |
| Amazon reference | B0DPHT6M99 |
| EAN | 0840324427066 |
Two numbers. The furnace test ran for the stated time — thirty minutes here — and the internal temperature did not exceed 350 °F, about 177 °C (351 °F). That is the threshold below which paper survives. It is a manufacturer's stated classification and not a test performed here.
No. Class 350 is a paper rating. Drives and cards are damaged far below 177 °C (351 °F), and a media-rated safe uses a much lower internal limit. The honest answer for digital backups is off-site storage, which survives the fire, the flood and the burglary at once and costs nothing.
It is the time the box was tested for, and a house fire can burn longer. Thirty minutes covers the period in which a fire is discovered and dealt with in most cases, and it is the standard domestic rating. Longer ratings exist and cost considerably more.
7.2/ 10
A published rating with both numbers, which is what to look for. Paper only, and keep the digital backup somewhere else.
Between security devices of the same category and nearby price. Shown: what they all state. A half-filled column says nothing.
| Model | Price | Lock |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon Basics FP1401M | $40 | Mechanical key, 2 keys supplied |
| Master Lock L1200 | $140 | Privacy key lock, two keys supplied; keeps the lid shut in a fire |
| BURG-WÄCHTER FP 22 K | $425 | Key |
A reference exists on these Amazon stores: France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, United States. Listed is not the same as in stock — availability changes daily.
Details checked on September 2, 2026.
Passports, deeds and certificates — the papers that cannot be reprinted.
Amazon reports what buyers took in the month before this page was last checked: at least 100.
The figure is a floor, rounded by Amazon, and read through Keepa — it says what buyers picked, not what a maker claims.
Specifications: the manufacturer sheet for home security products and the matching Amazon product page. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure on this page names its source.
Double-walled · certified UL 72 fire protection, 30 min · key lock · bolts to the floor
A double-walled fire box with certified UL 72 fire protection for 30 minutes, from a safe manufacturer, and the only one in this hub that can be bolted to the floor.
Best for: Papers that need both fire protection and not to leave the house under somebody's arm.
≈ $425
A4 · 30 min fire protection · waterproof · 36.5 × 32 × 15.5 cm (14.4 × 12.6 × 6.1 in) · polycarbonate and cement fire material
An A4 fire and water resistant document box in thermoplastic polycarbonate with a cement-bonded fire layer, which HMF states protects papers for up to 30 minutes.
Best for: Full A4 documents that should lie flat rather than be folded.
Hard shell with fire-resistant lining · 13 compartments · 39 × 29 × 7.5 cm (15.4 × 11.4 × 3 in), expands to 10 cm (3.9 in) · shoulder strap
A hard-shell document case with a fire-resistant inner layer, thirteen compartments and a shoulder strap, expanding from 7.5 to 10 cm (3 to 3.9 in).
Best for: A household that keeps a lot of paper and wants it sorted, protected and portable.
