The tools got better. Then the standard did.
In April 2019 the European standard for safes gained a new test option called T2 — an attack with an amended set of tools. Tested against it, some high-grade models come out up to two grades lower than their older certificate suggests. Seven years on, most of the trade still sells against the old paperwork.
What changed
EN 1143-1 has always graded resistance in units, not minutes. The 2019 update did not rewrite that system — it added optional, harder tests on top of it:
| Option | What it adds to the attack |
|---|---|
| EX | Solid explosives |
| GAS | Explosive gas |
| CD | Core drilling |
| T2 | An amended tool set: thinner cutting discs, newer thermic lances, more powerful breaking hammers |
Grades are then written with the option attached: 0 T2, I T2, II T2 … XIII T2. The scale itself runs to XIII — the upper end being strongroom doors rather than anything a household ever meets.
Why a grade can fall
Resistance units are earned against specific tools, each carrying its own coefficient. Give the attacker a thinner disc that cuts faster, or a lance that burns hotter, and the same barrier yields more access per minute. The box is unchanged; the arithmetic against it is not.
The trade's own account of the change is blunt about the consequence: results for some models of high-grade safe would see the recommended security level reduced by as much as two grades.
If you already own one
- Read the plate inside the door It carries the standard, the grade, the body, the number and the year. If there is no T2 on it, the safe was graded against the older set — which is the normal case, not a defect.
- Check what your insurer actually wrote Policies refer to a grade, not to a tool set. Nothing changes automatically at renewal, but if you are increasing cover, this is the moment the question can surface.
- Do not replace anything on the strength of a web page Including this one. The sensible reaction is a question in writing to your insurer, not a purchase.
If you are buying now
- Is the certificate a T2 certificate?
The answer is a yes or a no with a document behind it. “Our safes meet the latest standards” is not an answer.
Ends the conversation: “T2 is only for banks.” - If not, when was the certificate issued?
A 2013 certificate on a 2026 product is two tool generations old. That is a negotiating position, not a scandal.
- Does the model designation on the certificate match the one on the price tag?
Makers revise fill, boltwork and locks between production runs. The name has to match letter for letter — see the questions page.