The 3 Types of Safe Body Construction, and Which Makes the Best
There are a lot of safe manufacturers out there, and they each have a unique approach to building a safe. But are all safe designs created equal? Today, we’re going to answer that question and help you understand why some safes are stronger than others.
What Determines the Strength of a Safe Body?
The first thing that’s important to understand is that there is no one-piece safe body. If there was, it would be called a rectangular prism...or a cube of security. Anyway, every safe is built from multiple pieces of steel that are welded together, and what determines the strength of a safe body is the number of welds—in most cases, the fewer, the better, oddly enough—as well as the quality of those welds.
In all, there are three main types of safe body construction: five-piece bodies, three-piece bodies, and two-piece bodies. Let’s check ’em all out.
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5-Piece Body Construction
Five-piece bodies are constructed entirely of individual pieces; the top, bottom, left side, right side, and back of the safe are each a separate piece, and each piece has to be welded together. In this case, more is definitely not going to be better, because thieves can sometimes pry or hammer the welds apart, which lets them into your safe.
Now you might be asking, “If they’re not effective, then why do some companies use five-piece bodies at all?” Well, the advantage comes down to resources. These bodies require the least amount of machine assistance to make, and some brands that use this body type actually construct their safes by hand.
3-Piece Body Construction
To achieve a three-piece body, the manufacturer uses machine power to bend a single piece of steel into three sides of the safe. This leaves only two other pieces to weld together to complete the safe body. This body type is stronger than a five-piece, but in some cases, it’s still vulnerable to peeling attacks, depending on the strength of the welds. There are some high-end, super-strong safes made of 3 pieces, but the manufacturers of these safes typically use MIG welders to create extremely strong welds.
2-Piece Body Construction
Two-piece body construction is the closest a manufacturer can come to creating a safe from a single piece of steel. This is most commonly done by bending a single piece on the top, bottom, and sides of the safe, before welding a separate steel piece on the back.
Typically, a two-piece body is constructed using several automated processes, such as precision robotic welding. This lends a great deal of strength to the safe body, making it capable of withstanding a tremendous amount of punishment, and it also makes peeling attacks practically impossible.
To learn more about the best safe manufacturers in the industry, click here.
