Why Fireboard Is Not A Good Insulator For Gun Safes
Sheetrock/ FireBoard/ Gypsum Board, whatever they try to call it, it's still the same thing. Most safe manufacturers use sheetrock, or sheetrock with a layer of ceramic, to fire line their safes. Regardless of their ratings, it will not work good enough. It's better than nothing but not by much. To understand how it is they can give sheetrock ratings like that you must first understand how their tests are done. Click Here.
Steams Your Items-
Once heated up Sheetrock releases steam to slow heat transmission, however it also turns your safe into a steamer, quickly destroying the items inside.
It's Made Of Paper-
It's made from recycled natural-finish paper on the face and liner paper on the back.
Not Made To Insulate Objects-
It's made to block fires from room to room, not to insulate an item from fire.
It's Not Thick-
It's only 5/8"-1" inch thick. We recommend a 2 inch minimum for a fire barrier. Some companies only use one sheet of fire board, however, more sheets doesn't necessarily mean one would get much more of this "protection".
They Know It's Not That Great-
When safe companies don't list the type of material they use for their insulation, it's usually this stuff. You should ask yourself why they would do that.
It's Cheap-
It's the cheapest material that can be used, because they can get away with calling it a fire insulator, even thou, it's not made to insulate objects.
It's Weak-
It breaks easy and adds no extra security.
Looses Resistance-
It looses fire resistance after a fire, so it can't be reused.
We Tested It, It Doesn't Work.-
Ask a firemen. They will tell you most safes don't work in a standard house fire because most gun safes are lined with this. We tried sheet rock in our real house fire tests and couldn't get it to work ourselves.
Low Fire Rating-
They usually have a fire rating of about 30-75 minutes at 1200-1550 degrees and that doesn't include cool down time or point of no return (where the safe is near combustion). You will not see a UL FIRE rated safe lined with fireboard, and UL is the only testing facility that will give an honest fire rating.
Lots Of Seam, And "Air Gap" Problems-
It needs to be cut perfectly or it creates air gaps at the seams where insulation doesn't cover because it's not pliable.
Doesn't Require A Inside Liner-
Some safe companies drill their shelving straight into the weak sheetrock. This could tear your shelving out if too much weight is placed on them.