What Is the Best Steel for Gun Safes? What Should Your Safe Be Made From?
What metal are safes made of? Typically, gun safes are made of steel. But what is the best steel for gun safes? Metal manufacturing for gun safes is quite complicated. Take for example that there are different metals, different alloys of metals, and even different grades of alloys of metals. Beyond that, specifications can also vary by location. So, what makes for the highest-quality steel being constructed into your upgraded security.
American Made Steel
Any country that manufactures steel will have variances in quality, both good and bad. But American steel typically has to meet standards set by organizations like The American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). They subject American steel to regulations and rigorous testing. This means that the quality is more consistent within each grade.
Pickled and Oiled Steel
Over time, steel corrodes and loses its integrity. A gun safe can quickly deteriorate as a result. To avoid this, some quality safe manufacturers use a high-quality grade of treated steel, called “pickled and oiled” steel. This steel is chemically etched to remove carbon surface corrosion and then oiled to protect it from surface rust. As a result, it lasts a whole lot longer.
Bonus Round: Steel Thickness
The thicker your steel is, the more overall security, fire resistance, and natural disaster protection you’re going to get. That said, understanding steel gauge ratings is a bit backwards. The lower the gauge of steel is that your safe is made of, the thicker that steel is going to be, while the higher the gauge is, the thinner the steel.
Nobody wants subpar security, so when your shopping for your next safe, take this information with you, and remember that the most reliable safes are constructed with the finest, USA-Made, pickled-and-oiled steel.
