TL-15, TL-30, TRTL-30×6, RSC, B-rate: the letters on an American safe tell you who tested it, with what tools, on which sides and for how many minutes. Or, in the case of B-rate, that nobody tested it at all. Here’s how to read them.
Key takeaways
- TL-15 and TL-30 are UL 687 burglary classes: the safe resisted expert attack with tools for 15 or 30 minutes of net working time, on the door and front face only.
- TR adds a cutting torch, TX adds explosives, and X6 means all six sides were attacked. TRTL-30×6 is tools and torch, 30 minutes, every side.
- RSC is a different, much lighter standard (UL 1037): five minutes, one tester, hand tools and a small drill. It’s the usual label on gun safes.
- B-rate and C-rate are insurance construction classes (steel thickness), not tests.
- Trust the physical label inside the safe and the certifier’s listing, not the box or the model name.
In This Article
A note on method: we haven’t tested any safe, and we don’t. Everything below comes from the standards themselves, the certifiers, insurers and, where nothing better is public, dealers’ summaries, which we flag as such. Our page on how we research modern safes explains the approach.
US safe burglary ratings at a glance
| Main standard for safes | UL 687, Burglary-Resistant Safes, edition 15, reaffirmed 1 July 20251 |
| Classes | TL-15, TL-30, TRTL-30 (door and front face); TL-15X6, TL-30X6, TRTL-15X6, TRTL-30X6, TRTL-60X6, TXTL-60X6 (door and body)1 |
| Home and gun safes | UL 1037 Residential Security Container (RSC), attack levels I to III2 |
| Who certifies | UL Solutions; Intertek (ETL) also lists products to UL standards23 |
| Insurance classes | B, C and E by steel thickness; higher classes by UL label4 |
| Vault doors | UL 608, a separate standard5 |
| Europe | EN 1143-1 grades, a different system (see below)6 |
| Where to check | The label inside the safe, then the certifier’s online listing3 |
What a UL rating actually measures
The number in a UL burglary class is minutes of net working time. The clock runs only while tools are actually on the safe; changing a drill bit, planning the next move or taking a breather doesn’t count.7 A TL-15 safe, then, held out against 15 minutes of real work, which takes a good deal longer than 15 minutes on a wall clock.
The attackers aren’t strangers to the safe either. UL’s residential container test says the testing party is familiar with the construction of the safe it’s attacking, and dealers describe the same for UL 687 work: engineers can study the drawings and take a sample apart before the attack begins.27 That’s a harsher test than a burglar meeting the safe for the first time, and a fairer way to compare two safes.
“Entry” has a precise meaning. For TL-15 and TL-30 it means opening the door or making a 6-square-inch opening right through the door or front face. For the torch and explosive classes the bar is lower for the attackers: opening the door or making a 2-square-inch opening through the door or body.8 In other words, a hole not much bigger than a postage stamp fails a torch-rated safe.
Europe grades safes differently, under EN 1143-1, with grades set by resistance units rather than minutes, so there’s no exact conversion; our guide to Eurograde and cash ratings covers that system.6
UL 687 classes: from TL-15 to TXTL-60X6
Read the code from left to right. TL is tool-resistant, TR torch-resistant, TX resistant to explosives; the number is minutes; X6 means the test covered all six sides, not just the door and front face.19 The tools below are listed at the level the class descriptions themselves publish, and no further.
| Class | Sides attacked | Net working time | Attack tools allowed (as published) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TL-15 | Door and front face | 15 min | Common hand tools, picking tools, portable mechanical and electric tools, grinding points, carbide drills, pressure-applying devices |
| TL-30 | Door and front face | 30 min | As TL-15, plus abrasive cutting wheels and power saws |
| TRTL-30 | Door and front face | 30 min | As TL-30, plus impact tools and an oxy-fuel cutting torch (with a capped gas supply) |
| TL-15X6 / TL-30X6 | All six sides | 15 / 30 min | As TL-15 / TL-30 |
| TRTL-15X6 / TRTL-30X6 | All six sides | 15 / 30 min | Tools and cutting torch |
| TRTL-60X6 | All six sides | 60 min | Tools and cutting torch |
| TXTL-60X6 | All six sides | 60 min | Tools, cutting torch and high explosives, in charges capped by the standard |
Classes and sides from UL 687 section 1; tool lists from a dealer’s transcription of the UL class descriptions.18
Two things trip people up. First, a plain TL-30 is not a six-sided safe: the attack is on the door and front face, and the body only has to meet construction rules. Dealers summarise those rules as a body equivalent to at least 1 inch of open-hearth steel (or, for composite bodies, one that resists a five-minute attack with TL-30 tools), a UL-listed combination lock (Group 2, 1 or 1R), and a weight of at least 750 lb (340 kg) or anchoring instructions.57 Second, TRTL-30 is the only torch-rated class that tests just the door and front face; every 60-minute class is six-sided.1
So what does “TL-30 safe” mean when you see it in a shop? It should mean a safe carrying a UL 687 TL-30 label. A model name, a brochure line or “built to TL-30 standards” isn’t the same thing, and we come back to that under the label.
UL 1037 RSC: the gun safe label
Most American gun safes and home safes carry a different label: Residential Security Container, under UL 1037, a standard whose full title is Antitheft Alarms and Devices. The basic test, now called attack level I, is short and deliberately limited.2
- Time: 5 minutes, to stop the door being opened or a hand-sized hole (4 inches across) being made in any surface.
- People: one operator who is familiar with the construction.
- Tools: ordinary hand tools no longer than 18 inches, hammers with heads up to 3 lb, and an electric drill with bits no larger than 1/4 inch.
- Portable containers: also dropped from about 1 metre onto concrete, on every side and corner.
The 6th edition of UL 1037 added two tougher tiers, effective 23 August 2020. Level II is 10 minutes by two operators with larger drills, against the door and front face, on a container of 750 lb or one that’s anchored. Level III adds abrasive cutting wheels and power saws and treats a 2-square-inch hole through the door or body as failure.2 On paper, Level III starts to look like a TL-30 test held for a third of the time.
That’s the honest comparison: an RSC Level I label is a useful minimum against a smash-and-grab with household tools. It isn’t a TL-15, and an insurer won’t treat it as one.
B-rate and C-rate: insurance descriptions, not tests
“B-rate” and “C-rate” sound like UL classes. They aren’t. They come from the insurance industry’s own safe classes, set out in the Insurance Services Office (ISO) Manual of Burglary Insurance, and they describe how a safe is built, not how it performed under attack.4 One large dealer calls B-rate “a catch-all” for essentially any box with a lock, and notes that no test is given for either B or C.5
| ISO mercantile class | What qualifies |
|---|---|
| B | Steel or iron door less than 1 in thick, body less than 1/2 in |
| C | Steel door at least 1 in thick, body at least 1/2 in |
| E | Steel door at least 1 1/2 in thick, body at least 1 in |
| ER | UL label: tool-resisting safe TL-15 |
| F | UL label: TL-30 (or the older TR-30 and X-60 labels) |
| G | Steel doors one behind the other, each at least 1 1/2 in, together at least 3 in |
| H | UL label: TRTL-30 (or the older TX-60 and TR-60) |
| I | UL label: TRTL-15X6 |
| J | UL label: TRTL-30X6 |
| K | UL label: TRTL-60 or TXTL-60 |
Classes as reproduced from an older edition of the ISO manual; each safe also needs a combination lock, unless it carries UL’s key-locked safe (KL) label, which itself counts as class C.4 Your insurer’s current manual may differ, so ask for theirs.
Notice the jump in the middle. Up to class E the insurer is measuring steel with a ruler; from ER upwards it’s reading a UL label. That split is the whole history of this subject in one table, and we’ll come back to it.
How insurers and jewellers in the US use the ratings
For a business, the safe’s class is an underwriting input: it decides how much stock or cash the policy will cover overnight, usually together with the alarm. The jewellers’ insurer Jewelers Mutual tells its customers to buy a safe with a UL or ULC (Canadian) burglary rating because those containers “have been tested in a controlled environment”, to size it for future growth as well as today’s stock, and to settle the choice with their agent and underwriter.9 It also tells them to check that the floor can carry the weight and to keep the safe off exterior and shared walls.9
There’s no public, universal table of limits. One large dealer publishes these as “general industry guidelines”, based on its conversations with insurers including Jewelers Mutual:7
| Rating | With monitored alarm | Without alarm |
|---|---|---|
| UL TL-15 | Up to $200,000 | Up to $100,000 |
| UL TL-30 | Up to $375,000 | Up to $195,000 |
| UL TL-30X6 | Up to $500,000 | Up to $275,000 |
| UL TRTL-30X6 | $1,000,000 and up | $500,000 and up |
Dealer’s indicative figures, May 2026, not coverage commitments.7 The pattern matters more than the numbers: an alarm roughly doubles what a given safe can hold, and each step up the UL ladder raises the ceiling.
At home it works differently. A standard US homeowner’s policy has a low theft limit for jewellery, “generally about $1,500”, and the usual answer is to schedule valuable pieces on a floater after a professional appraisal.10 A rated safe still makes sense, but read your own policy before assuming it changes the cover.
What the label looks like, and where to find it
A real rating is a physical label or plate fixed to the safe, usually inside the door, on the door frame or on the body near the hinges. It should show three things: the certifier’s mark (UL, or ETL for Intertek), the standard (UL 687 for TL classes, UL 1037 for RSC) and the level. A serial number ties it to that particular safe.3 Older UL labels spelled the class out in words, for example “Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. Inspected Tool Resisting Safe TL-15 Burglary”.4
The photograph at the top of this page shows the kind of thing you’re looking for, though on a lock rather than a safe body: a worn Underwriters’ Laboratories label on the back cover of a Mosler combination lock, with its own serial number.
Check before you buy
- Ask to see the label, not the spec sheet. No label on the safe means the rating is unverified.3
- Be wary of “tested to UL standards”, “meets UL standards” or “UL quality construction”: none of them is a listing.3
- Search the maker and model in UL’s online certification directory, Product iQ.3
- On a used safe, a missing label, a replaced lock or extra holes may mean you no longer have what was tested. Our guide to buying a second-hand safe goes through the checks.
How we got here: from Hobbs to the yeggmen to UL
For most of the 19th century a safe’s security was whatever its maker claimed, tested in public contests. In 1851, at the Great Exhibition, the American locksmith Alfred Charles Hobbs picked Bramah’s famous challenge lock, which took him 51 hours spread over 16 days and won him 200 guineas, and then picked a Chubb detector lock too.11 We tell that story in A. C. Hobbs and the Great Lock Controversy.
Contests were a poor substitute for a test. At the Paris Exhibition of 1867 Silas Herring of New York challenged any other safe on show, and Samuel Chatwood of Bolton took him up. Chatwood’s men had the doors of Herring’s safe open in 29 minutes with ordinary burglars’ tools, but the committee still found for Herring, after the two English arbiters had withdrawn; a Paris tribunal declared the verdict void the following year.12 Rules agreed on the day, judges with a stake, a winner decided in court: everything a laboratory standard was later built to avoid.
In America the pressure came from the yeggmen, the safe-blowers who by the early 1900s were using nitroglycerine. Scientific American complained in 1906 that it let the burglar’s trade gain a step on the safe-maker’s.1314 Insurers priced the risk the only way they could, by construction: a 1924 handbook on bank vaults noted that the lowest burglary insurance rates applied to any vault door 10 inches thick.15 Steel thickness as a proxy for security is exactly what B, C and E still are.
Underwriters’ Laboratories was set up by the National Board of Fire Underwriters. By 1921 its stated object covered “theft and accident prevention” as well as fire, and its Casualty department had a section for safety and burglary appliances.16 The insurance manual’s older class names, such as KL, TR-30, X-60 and TX-60, are the remains of the UL labels that came before today’s set.4 For the attacks those labels answered, see our history of safe-cracking; for the biggest doors of all, which UL rates under a separate vault standard, see bank vault doors.
Timeline
- 1851 Hobbs picks the Bramah and Chubb locks in London.
- 1867 The Herring v Chatwood “Battle of the Safes” in Paris.
- 1906 Scientific American on the yeggman and nitroglycerine.
- 1921 UL’s Casualty department lists safety and burglary appliances.
- 1924 Lowest bank burglary insurance rates tied to a 10-inch vault door.
- 2011 UL 687 edition 15 published.
- 2020 UL 1037 RSC levels II and III take effect.
- 2025 UL 687 reaffirmed as an American National Standard.
Myths about safe ratings
A TL-15 safe stops a burglar for 15 minutes.
It resisted 15 minutes of net working time by expert testers who knew its construction. Real elapsed time is longer, and real burglars differ.
A TL-30 safe is tested on every side.
Only the door and front face are attacked. All six sides means an X6 class, such as TL-30X6.
A B-rated or C-rated safe has passed a test.
They are insurance construction classes based on steel thickness. No attack test is involved.
“UL listed” means burglary rated.
UL lists locks, fire safes and RSC containers too. Look for the standard and the class on the label.
Frequently asked questions
What is a TL-30 safe?
A safe certified under UL 687 to resist 30 minutes of net working time by expert testers using hand and power tools, including abrasive cutting wheels and power saws, on the door and front face.
What is the difference between a TL-15 and a TL-30 safe?
Twice the net working time, and a heavier tool list: TL-30 testers may also use cutting wheels and power saws. Both attack the door and front face only, and both need 750 lb of weight or anchoring.
What does TRTL-30×6 mean?
Torch- and tool-resistant for 30 minutes of net working time, with all six sides of the safe attacked, not just the door.
Is an RSC safe a UL rated safe?
Yes, but under UL 1037, not the UL 687 burglary standard. RSC Level I is a five-minute test by one person with hand tools and a small drill.
What is a B-rated safe?
An insurance class for a safe with a steel door under 1 inch thick and a body under 1/2 inch. It describes construction; nothing has been tested.
How do I know if my safe is UL rated?
Open the door and look for a UL or ETL label showing the standard and class, then check the model in UL’s Product iQ directory. If you’re locked out of an old safe, call a qualified safe engineer rather than forcing it.
Sources:
- UL Standards & Engagement, UL 687, Burglary-Resistant Safes, edition 15 (published 19 July 2011, reaffirmed as an American National Standard 1 July 2025), section 1 “Scope”. ↩︎
- Intertek, Standards Update Notice for UL 1037, Antitheft Alarms and Devices, 6th edition, issued 13 December 2019, effective 23 August 2020, clauses 54.2 to 54.4 (residential security container attack levels I to III). ↩︎
- Norcal Safe & Vault, “How to Read a Safe’s Burglary Rating and Know If It’s Real”. A dealer’s guide. ↩︎
- “Mercantile safe insurance classifications as per the Insurance Services Office Manual of Burglary Insurance”, reproduced by The Key Shop, Jacksonville, Florida. The page gives ISO’s former New York address, so it reflects an older edition of the manual. ↩︎
- Safe and Vault Store, “Burglary ratings” (UL 687 construction requirements, UL 1037, B-rate and C-rate). A dealer’s summary. ↩︎
- BSI, BS EN 1143-1:2019, Secure storage units: safes, ATM safes, strongroom doors and strongrooms, scope (grades set by minimum resistance unit values). ↩︎
- Dominic Schwebs, “TL-15 vs TL-30: Which High-Security Safe Do You Need?”, Safe and Vault Store, 15 May 2026. A dealer’s guide; its insurance figures are stated as general guidelines, not coverage commitments. ↩︎
- Allied Safe (Safe & Vault Store), “Underwriters Laboratories (U.L.) Guide”, burglar-resistant classifications and entry test definitions. A dealer’s transcription of the UL class descriptions. ↩︎
- Logan Moore, “Safes 101: Decoding the Underwriters Laboratories Rating System & More”, Jewelers Mutual, 17 February 2015. ↩︎
- South Carolina Department of Insurance, “Insurance for expensive gift items”. ↩︎
- Linda Hall Library, “Scientist of the Day: Alfred Charles Hobbs”. ↩︎
- safeman.org.uk, “Battle of the Safes: safe-breaking contest, Paris Exhibition 1867”. ↩︎
- Scientific American, “The Ungentle Art of Burglary” (27 January 1906), excerpt reprinted as “Want to Crack Open a Safe? Try Nitroglycerine” (the reprint is misdated 1856). ↩︎
- Grammarphobia, “Scrambled yeggs” (January 2020), on the origin of “yegg” and the date of the Scientific American article. ↩︎
- The Rivet-Grip Steel Co., The Rivet-Grip System of Bank Vault Reinforcement: Handbook on the Design and Construction of Modern Bank Vaults (Cleveland, 1924), section “Burglary Insurance and the Rivet-Grip System”, via Internet Archive. ↩︎
- Underwriters’ Laboratories, The Organization, Purpose and Methods of Underwriters’ Laboratories (Chicago, 1921), statement of objects, organisation chart and label specimens, via Internet Archive. ↩︎
