Wall Safes: What Fits Between the Studs, and What Doesn't

A wall safe lives inside the wall, between two studs

A wall safe, or in-wall safe, is a shallow steel box that sits in the cavity between wall studs. The body is fastened to the studs, the face sits roughly flush with the drywall, and a cover of some kind usually goes in front. It's one of the oldest ideas in home security, and it still works for one reason: it's out of sight and fastened to the house.

Typical contents are the small, flat and valuable:

• passports, deeds and other papers
• cash and jewelry
• a handgun (our wall gun safes page covers safes built for firearms)
• spare keys, small electronics, a backup drive

The table on this page lists safes made to mount inside a wall. Surface-mounted boxes and gun cabinets that bolt to the outside of a wall belong to other pages.

Who a wall safe suits, and who should skip it

A wall safe for home use suits people who want small valuables hidden and anchored without giving up floor space. It works in houses and in some apartments, where the lease allows cutting drywall.

Skip it if:

• You need to store long items. Shallow depth rules out most bulky objects. Long guns need a freestanding safe or a cabinet.
• You need a strong fire rating. A stud bay leaves little room for insulation. A freestanding fire-rated safe is the better tool for irreplaceable paper.
• You can't open the wall. Renters, plaster-and-lath walls, and exterior walls with insulation all make the job harder.
• You want it to stop a long, determined attack. A wall safe is held by wood studs and drywall. Its strength is concealment and anchoring.

Wall safe between studs: how deep, how wide, how tall

Most of a wall safe's specs are dictated by the framing. Measure before you shop.

Stud spacing. This Old House's installation guide shows a wall safe that "fits between wall studs spaced 16 in. on center." That's common framing, not universal. Measure yours, because a safe made for 16-inch spacing won't fit a wall framed differently without changes.

Wall depth. A nominal 2x4 is actually 1½ x 3½ inches, according to the Southern Pine Inspection Bureau, and a 2x6 is ½ inch less than nominal in width, so 5½ inches. That's the depth of the cavity behind the drywall.

• In a 2x4 wall, a safe body around 3½ inches deep sits inside the cavity.
• A 6 inch deep wall safe won't fit inside a 2x4 wall. It needs 2x6 framing, a wall built out, or a face that sticks into the room.
• "Wall safe for 2x6 studs" usually means a deeper body that uses the full 5½ inches.

Height. Wall safes come in short and tall versions. A large wall safe is usually taller, not deeper, because the studs cap the width and the framing caps the depth.

If you see "deep wall safe" on a listing, check the body depth in inches and compare it with your wall. If the listing gives no number, ask for one.

What to look for in a wall safe: lock, steel, cover and claims

Wall safes are compared on four things: how they lock, what they're made of, how they hide, and what they claim about fire. One of those comes with more adjectives than numbers. You can guess which.

Lock types: mechanical, keypad, biometric and smart

• Mechanical wall safe or wall safe with combination lock. A dial or push-button lock with no batteries. Slower to open, nothing to charge.
• Keypad. Fast, common, needs batteries and a backup key or override.
• Biometric wall safe, or wall safe with fingerprint. Opens with a stored fingerprint. Check the backup and how many prints it stores. Our biometric safes page covers the category.
• Smart wall safe. App or Wi-Fi connected. Check what happens if the app or the network is down.

Every electronic lock needs a backup, and the battery should be replaceable from outside the safe or through a clearly documented procedure. Without a working backup, a dead battery can mean calling a locksmith.

Steel and the pry side

The door is the part someone can reach. Look for the door's steel thickness or gauge, how the door sits in the frame, and whether the hinges are on the inside. The body matters less, since the studs and drywall surround it.

Hidden wall safes: picture frames, mirrors, vents and outlets

A wall safe is only hidden if the cover looks like it belongs there.

• Wall safe behind a picture. The classic hidden wall safe.
• Mirror wall safe. A mirrored door or a mirror on a hinge. Common in bathrooms and closets.
• Recessed wall safe with a flush door, painted to match.
• Disguised wall safes, such as a wall safe that looks like a vent or an outlet. These are diversion safes: small, often with no lock rating. Our diversion safes page covers them.

Our guide to hidden safe ideas goes further on placement.

"Fireproof" wall safe claims

A "fireproof wall safe" is a search phrase, not a rating. A real fire rating names the time, the temperature or class, and who tested it. UL's fire label has a class, which is the maximum interior temperature reached in testing, and a time rating. UL 72 Class 350 ratings are intended to protect paper records.

A wall safe between studs fireproof claim deserves the most scrutiny. The cavity is shallow, and insulation takes space. If the listing gives a temperature and a time but no lab, the table shows it as claimed by the manufacturer.

How to read the wall safe table and narrow it down

The table lists every wall safe we track. A dash means the value isn't confirmed by the manufacturer or the listing.

Work through it in this order:

1. Body depth. Cross off anything deeper than your wall cavity, unless you plan to build out the wall.
2. Width and stud spacing. Match the safe to your framing.
3. Interior dimensions. Check that your largest item fits. Exterior size overstates usable space.
4. Lock and backup. Pick the lock the people in your home will use, and confirm the backup.
5. Fire claims last, and only with a named lab.

Wall safe installation: the short version

Installation is the question people ask most about wall safes. This Old House's guide lays out the basic steps for a between-studs model:

1. Find the studs with a stud sensor or by measuring.
2. Cut a small inspection hole first, about 4 inches square, and look for "obstructions like wires or pipes."
3. Cut the opening to the size in the manual, carefully, so you don't cut into electrical wiring.
4. Shim the studs with strips of plywood so they sit flush with the edges of the opening.
5. Set the safe in and fasten it to the studs with the screws provided.

The tools listed are ordinary: tape measure, hammer, level, drywall saw and a drill/driver. This Old House rates the project as easy. Exterior walls, plaster walls and bays with wiring are another matter, and that's where a contractor is worth calling.

Where to install a wall safe: an interior wall, with no wiring or plumbing in the bay, outside the obvious rooms. The Lewisburg, Tennessee police burglary-prevention page warns against keeping valuables in nightstands, dressers, desks and closets. A wall safe in a linen closet or a hallway is less predictable than one in the master bedroom.

Wall safe vs floor safe: shallow and easy, or deep and permanent

Both are hidden and both are anchored to the building. They differ in how much work they take and what holds them.

• Wall safe. Fastened to wood studs. Shallow. A weekend project in many homes. Easy to reach at chest height.
• Floor safe. Hollon's floor-safe page describes them as installed in concrete. Deeper, harder to remove, harder to install, and you'll be kneeling to open it.

If you want the most security for small valuables and you have a slab floor, a floor safe is the stronger choice. If you want easy installation and daily access, a wall safe wins. Our floor safes page lists that category.

Measure the wall, then shop

Get the stud spacing and the cavity depth before you look at a single listing. Check the bay for wiring and pipes. Then compare interiors, locks and backups in the table, and keep the backup key or code somewhere other than the wall it opens.