So how much does a gun safe weigh? Gun safes can weigh a wide range of weights. From 20 ounces like the Stopbox, all the way up to literally thousands of pounds that are the size of rooms.
However, I would say the average weight of a good safe will be around 600 pounds.
600 pounds will be around the weight of a Fort Knox Maverick or a Bighorn safe from Costco.
What makes up most of the weight in a gun safe?
There are two different things that make up the majority of the weight of a safe, and it is important to pay attention to both.
One big misconception is that the heavier a safe is, the more secure it is. Although the steel is only one aspect of the weight. While the fire rating components make up the majority of the rest.
This material can range from being a carpeting type material, to concrete, to the more common style, drywall.
Remember the last time you picked up some drywall? Yeah, it was pretty heavy. Same thing for the concrete… I think you see where I am going with this.
Are heavier safes more secure?
Yes and no… safes that are heavy, just because they have a ton of drywall in them, and not much steel are not more secure. However they are much harder to just pull out of a home, as they can not be easily moved by criminals breaking into your home.
Because of this, it is more secure, but are also not secure as they don’t have thicker steel.
If steel thickness is important to you (and it should be when you are shopping for a safe) then you should make sure to pay more attention to the gauge of steel the safe has rather than the weight.
In the end, a heavier safe may not be as secure as a lighter safe with no fire rating.
So what can add weight to my safe?
There are so many things, especially in USA made gun safes that can add weight to a safe. This comes in forms of add on accessories and more. Many times this is something new owners may not take into account when buying a custom safe, and will just take the website’s word for how much the safe can weigh. So these are some things to keep in mind when you are building your safe.
- Fire rating – One common thing that will add a ton of weight is an upgraded fire rating. Companies like Fort Knox commonly have this as an add-on, however it does raise the weight by quite a bit.
- Inner Steel – This option again can’t really be seen in person, as it is in between the exterior wall, and the interior fabric. However due to it essentially being a safe within a safe, it can almost double the weight of the steel that your safe has. Learn more about Inner Steel Here.
- Drawers – Companies like Amsec, Fort Knox, Summit Safes and more all have some form of a drawer component that can be added to the safe. These things (while super nice) do add a lot of weight to your safe, and should be accounted for when buying a safe.
- Firearms themselves – Yes, you bought this safe with the idea to keep your long guns and pistols in it! But you probably didn’t think about how much all of those weigh. Thankfully you don’t have to worry about this while moving the safe (you better not have your guns in it while moving) but it is something to keep in mind in the long run.
How much does the door weigh?
One of the first things you may think about to drop some weight on the safe when moving it, is to remove the door.
The door weighs about 1/3 of the total of the safe, so being able to do that will allow for a much lighter safe.
However there are a couple issues with that. Firstly being, if your gun safe has internal hinges then you can’t remove the door. Secondly, if you safe does have external hinges, not every external hinge door can be removed either. So just make sure to call the manufacturer to check first.
Can my house handle the weight of a gun safe?
Surprisingly, wood floor homes are able to handle a large amount of weight. If you are worried about your floor not being able to handle the weight of your safe, make sure to contact the company that built your home or a professional.
Looking this up online can cause you to make mistakes that may damage your home.
If the gun safe you are looking at is in fact too heavy for your home, all hope is not lost. Think about creative ways to fix this issue. Can you possibly build a pedestal that will help brace the flooring, can you keep it somewhere else like the basement or a garage?
Just because it may be too heavy, doesn’t mean you can’t own the safe of your dreams.
Conclusion
So what did we learn from all of this? Basically that gun safes are heavy, and generally are around 600 pounds. However, we also learned that just because a safe is heavy, does not make it secure.
Just make sure you think about all aspects of the weight of a safe before buying it. And make sure to pay attention to the weight!
