When people think about securing valuables at home, they usually fall into two camps. Some prefer a safe that makes a statement, like a large gun safe that looks imposing. Others want something subtle and concealed, such as a safe built into a wall or floor.
Businesses often use both approaches. A standard fire safe might hold day-to-day documents, while a hidden floor safe protects a company’s most valuable items, like proprietary formulas, cash drops, or rare jewelry.
A floor safe is installed directly into a concrete floor so it can be hidden under a rug, furniture, or even a removable tile. Like wall safes, they’re available with mechanical or electronic locks. Installation is more involved and requires a thick concrete slab, so not every home or building is suitable.
Still, if you’re willing to take on the installation cost, the added security and concealment make a floor safe an excellent choice for storing small valuables like cash, passports, and jewelry.
Because the safe is encased in concrete, it offers strong burglar protection. Once installed correctly, lifting it out or prying on it is difficult and time-consuming, far more effort than most burglars are willing to spend. Every extra minute increases the risk of being caught.
And because floor safes are less common than wall or free-standing safes, burglars are less likely to look for them. Someone may check behind a painting or mirror, but most won’t think to lift a rug or move heavy furniture.
Additional advantages include:
It’s important to remember what floor safes are, and aren’t, designed for. They excel at burglary protection but are not fireproof. While the sides and bottom are embedded in concrete, the exposed steel door has no fire insulation.
If you need both burglary and fire protection, standalone burglar-fire safes are a better choice. These anchor to wood or concrete floors and are designed to shield contents from fire and extreme heat.
If you’re unsure which type fits your needs, call our safe experts at 800-207-2259, and we’ll help you choose the right safe.
Like any safe style, floor safes come with trade-offs:
These demonstrations show how floor safes are installed, concealed, and accessed once set in concrete. If you're considering an in-ground safe, these real-world examples are helpful to watch.
A floor safe (also called an in-ground safe) is installed in a concrete floor, leaving only the door exposed. A cover plate keeps it flush with the floor, and a rug or furniture can be placed over the top to keep it hidden from view.
It depends on the size and lock type. We carry floor safes ranging from about $100to about $2,000, and our prices include free shipping.
If you’re handy, floor safes can be a DIY project. Otherwise, we recommend a general contractor or safe installer. If you plan to install it yourself, follow our installation guide for tips and best practices.
Choose a place where people normally wouldn’t look. A basement concrete floor with a rug over the safe is a popular choice. Garages can also work, but they’re easier to break into, so they may not be ideal for your most important items.
Floor safes are designed primarily for burglar protection and only offer limited fire resistance. The five sides of the body are surrounded by concrete, which helps shield against heat if installed with at least 3" of concrete on all sides. However, the exposed steel door does not have fire insulation and can heat up in a fire, damaging or destroying contents.
Floor safe manufacturers cannot submit these safes for laboratory fire testing, so they do not carry an official fire rating.
For extra protection of smaller items, we offer fire- and water-resistant document bags that can be stored inside your floor safe:
If you need to protect larger amounts of cash or important documents from both burglary and fire, we recommend a burglar & fire safe that can be bolted to a concrete or wooden floor.
Floor safes are not waterproof. They can be somewhat water-resistant, but during a flood or heavy rainfall, moisture will likely seep in and damage papers, cash, and valuables.
To better protect contents, keep important items in zip-top bags, plastic containers, or fire- and water-resistant document bags placed inside the safe:
The right lock depends on how often you access the safe:
Yes. A floor safe installed in concrete will always be more secure, but if you don’t have a suitable concrete location, a wood floor can work. The benefit is that the safe is still hidden in the floor, making it harder to find.
Make sure to choose a safe with a flange designed for wood floor installation, such as:
Some brands, such as Hayman, offer a construction seal for new construction. It’s installed at the factory and prevents debris from falling into the safe body during the build. It also helps prevent workers from stepping or falling into the open hole.
Because floor safes are installed in concrete, they’re essentially permanent. That means we rarely receive used in-ground floor safes. However, we do sometimes have scratch-and-dent models and other discounted safes in our outlet section:
Yes. For businesses that want to deposit checks and cash into a safe, we offer floor safes with a drop slot in the door. The safe is installed in the concrete and covered with a plate to keep it flush and hidden.
Please call us at 800-207-2259 and we’ll help you find the floor safes available with a drop slot.
We carry floor safes from most major brands, including American Security (AMSEC), Barska, Gardall, Hayman, Hollon, Protex, Stealth, Tracker Safe, and more.
Yes. We sell floor safe bodies from AMSEC and Hayman. Please call us at 800-207-2259 so we can verify that your door will fit one of the bodies we offer.
You can also browse our body-only options here:
Yes. If you have an AMSEC or Hayman floor safe body installed in concrete, we can sell you a compatible door or lid. Call us at 800-207-2259, and we’ll confirm fitment before you order.
Most standard floor safes are too small to hold a rifle. However, we can build a custom floor safe to your specifications that can store valuables, paperwork, and one or more rifles.
Please call us at 800-207-2259, and we can put together a custom quote for a rifle floor safe.
