Safes With Key: Key Locks, Backup Keys and What to Check

Keys still turn up on many small safes, either as the main lock or as the way in when the electronics give up. This page explains the two kinds of safe with a key, what to check on each, and how to read the table. If you'd rather have no key at all, see combination safes or digital safes.

A safe with a key: key-only or key as backup

The listing usually doesn't make the difference obvious, so it's worth stating plainly.

• Key-only safes. The key is the lock. No code, no battery, no keypad. Common on small lock boxes, cash boxes and some document boxes.
• Keypad or dial safes with a backup key. The code is the everyday lock. The key is the override for a forgotten code or a dead battery. Stack-On, for example, says all of its electronic-lock safes come with a backup key. First Alert's manual for one of its digital safes describes two override keys included.
• Keyed dials. On some dial safes, a key locks the dial itself. Liberty Safe calls this a "day lock" and describes it as convenient, with "a rather low level of security," because other keys like yours could exist. The combination is the real lock.

All three put a key in your hand. Only the first makes it the whole story. The table includes all of them, so read the Lock / entry and Backup key columns before you assume which kind you're looking at.

Small safe box with key: portable box or anchored safe

At the small end, a safe with a key comes in two forms that look alike in photos and behave very differently.

• A small safe box with a key and a handle. Portable, light, often sold for cash or papers. It keeps honest people honest and the lid closed. It is easy to carry away.
• A small safe with a key and anchor holes. A hinged door, heavier steel, and a way to bolt it to the floor or a shelf. The key is the same idea; the box around it isn't.

Weight and anchor holes are the quickest way to tell them apart on a listing. The table shows weight and mounting where confirmed.

Who a key lock suits, and who should skip it

A key-only safe or a small safe box with a key makes sense if:

• You don't want to manage batteries or codes. A key lock has no electronics to fail.
• Several people need access occasionally. A key can be handed over and handed back.
• The contents are low-risk and you want something simple. A small cash box or a box for spare keys and papers.

Skip it, or prefer a keypad with a backup key, if:

• Children live in or visit the home. A key can be found. If the safe holds anything dangerous, keep the key where children cannot reach or find it, or choose a lock that doesn't rely on a key alone.
• Keys go missing in your house. A code can't be left in a coat pocket.
• You need fast, frequent access. Finding a key is slower than entering a code.

For handguns specifically, see handgun safes, where the access question is different.

What to look for in a small safe with key

Which role the key plays. Main lock, backup or day lock on a dial. The listing or manual should say. If it doesn't, assume the key opens the safe on its own, and treat it accordingly.

How many keys come with it, and the key number. Check how many keys are included. Many safes have a key number engraved on the key or the lock. First Alert's 5200DF manual, for example, says the key number is engraved on the keys and around the lock cylinder and is required for a replacement. Write it down and store it somewhere other than the safe.

Where the key lives after day one. This is the weak point. Picture the usual arrangement: the spare key on a hook next to the safe, or in the drawer under it, or taped to the lid "just for now." That's the Sticky Note's cousin, and it has the same effect: the safe is locked, and the means to open it is a foot away. Keep the keys in two different places, neither of them near the safe.

Lock ratings, and what they don't cover. UL 768 covers mechanical combination locks, and UL 2058 covers high-security electronic locks. Neither is a key-lock standard, so a key-locked small safe will rarely carry a lock rating. Judge it on the steel, the bolt and whether it can be anchored.

A fire rating, if you need one. A key lock deals with access, not fire. If the safe will hold papers, look for a fire rating that names a time, a temperature and who tested it. UL 72 says Class 350 ratings are intended to protect paper records.

Anchor holes. A small safe that isn't bolted down can be carried off, key and all. See our guide to bolting a safe to the floor.

Replacing a lost key: plan for it before you need it

Replacement keys come from the manufacturer, not a hardware store, and the process is deliberately slow. Master Lock's replacement site, which handles SentrySafe and Master Lock, serves US customers only and charges a non-refundable fee. Other makers ask for a notarized form and proof of purchase.

That's reasonable. A key you could reorder without proof wouldn't be much of a lock. But it means the time to prepare is now:

• Record the model, serial number and key number. Keep the record outside the safe.
• Keep the receipt. Proof of purchase is part of most ownership checks.
• Register the safe if the maker offers it. Registration can help verify ownership later.

Our guide to a lost gun safe key walks through the process maker by maker, and how to open a safe without a key covers the owner's options while you wait.

How to read the table and choose a safe with a key

The table lists home safes, fire safes, document boxes and lock boxes whose lock types include a key, either as the main lock or as a backup. A dash means a value is not confirmed.

• Read the Lock / entry column first. Key alone means a key-only lock. Key alongside keypad, dial or fingerprint usually means the key is a backup; the Backup key column confirms it where known.
• Then the Type column. A lock box is portable and light. A home safe or fire safe is heavier and usually anchorable.
• Then fire rating and capacity. Both are separate from the lock, and both decide whether the safe fits the job.

If you want a light, portable box for cash or small items, start with lock boxes. If you want fire protection for papers with a simple key lock, compare the fire-rated rows in this table with our small fire-rated safes.

Brands that make safes with a key

The brands below have safes with a key lock in this table. Each brand page lists its models with lock types and ratings where confirmed.

Pick the role you want the key to play, then shortlist safes in the table whose lock column matches. When yours arrives, write down the key number, put the two keys in two places away from the safe, and check that the backup actually opens it.