Fire filing cabinets are similar to fire safes in that they have been designed to protect contents from high temperatures and even actual fire.
Fire proof cabinets are rated by the amount of time that they can withstand high temperatures that a fire produces without damaging the contents. Levels of protection range from 30 minutes to 2 hours.
Check what testing has been carried out on the product to give it its fire rating, particularly if you have very important documents and records that are vital and would be catastrophic if you lost them. Independently tested to NT, UL & ETL standards are most common.
There are two types of fire files - vertical and lateral fire files. Vertical fire files are the most popular. Lateral fire files are best for storing files of different sizes in the same drawer by using adjustable bars.
Fireproof filing cabinets are usually secured with a high security key locking mechanism as standard which can be upgraded to electronic. Data inserts can also be purchased for particular models which ensure important computer data such as backups can be also protected against fire.
Fire filing chests are a much smaller and compact option yet still offer superb protection against fire damage. They are ideal for office or home use.