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How to bolt down a furniture safe

Updated: October 2026

The box is light enough to carry, and you are about to drill because the listing said the bolts were included. How to bolt down a furniture safe is mostly a question of what is under the hole. A light safe still leaves with a thief if it is not fixed to structure, and the wrong hole hits a pipe, a cable or a hollow wall. This is the order of work for the boxes in our [furniture safe comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/furniture-safe). Peter F., DIY & tools editor, wrote this on 17 October 2026 from those listings and Burton’s fixing sheet. There was no lab test. A qualifying purchase can earn us a commission at no extra cost to you.

The box is light enough to carry, and you are about to drill because the listing said the bolts were included. How to bolt down a furniture safe is mostly a question of what is under the hole.

Our top picks

Brihard Brihard 4 L floor safe

Best overall

Brihard Brihard 4 L floor safe
9.2/10about £63.99
View offer
Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2

Best value

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2
9.0/10about £30.43
View offer
HomeSafe HomeSafe HV38K

Rank 3

HomeSafe HomeSafe HV38K
9.0/10about £81.39
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why the bolts are the security
  2. 2.Match the bolt to the floor or the wall
  3. 3.Cupboard and wardrobe
  4. 4.Floor safes
  5. 5.Before you finish

Why the bolts are the security

Weights in this set run from 2.78 kg to 13 kg. None of those figures is an anchor. SimplySafes says light safes are carried off. Burton still wants every hole used. A policy that names a grade is not satisfied by screws in a wardrobe. Whether this box was the right purchase is the buying guide, and who should have bought it is the best furniture safe page.

Match the bolt to the floor or the wall

Burton’s fixing sheet is the clearest UK list of substrates. Concrete takes a concrete screw or a thunderbolt-style anchor. A timber joist takes a coach bolt into the joist, not into the floorboard spanning the gap. Solid brick is a different fixing from hollow block, and hollow block is a stop. Underfloor heating is a stop. If you cannot name the substrate, you are not ready to drill. Sit the safe level, look for services, and mark through the safe’s own holes. Check the door still locks before the final tighten. The Yale, QWORK, HomeSafe and Burg-Wächter listings say the fixings are included. Confirm they are in the carton. If they are too short for the slab, stop.
Brihard Brihard 4 L floor safe

Testsieger

Brihard Brihard 4 L floor safe
9.2/10about £63.99
View offer

Cupboard and wardrobe

A cupboard fixing works when the timber is solid and at least 10 mm thick, Burton’s line for furniture wood, and when you use every hole. The back of a flat-pack wardrobe is often thinner than that. A shelf that lifts out is not structure. The HomeSafe has anchor points on the back and the floor. Use the cupboard floor only if it is a real board fixed to the carcase. If the wall sounds hollow, or it is dot-and-dab plasterboard, stop. Renters who cannot fix into the building, and whose agreement forbids holes, are left with a hide that can still be carried.

Floor safes

Open a floor void only after you have decided you will stop for pipes. Brihard reviewers say the joist spacing often does not match the holes, extra timber is needed, and one fitting took several attempts to miss pipes and cables. That is a warning, not a hole pattern to copy. Do not borrow drill sizes from US gun-safe guides. Lift only the boards you can see. If the holes land between joists, add a timber noggin or move the safe. Do not hang it from the floorboards. The coach bolt belongs in the joist. Underfloor heating, a tanked floor, or a void you cannot see are jobs for a fitter. The listing may say you can mount the box where you choose. The substrate still has to be one Burton’s sheet allows.

Before you finish

With the bolts only finger-tight, open and lock the door, including the override. A twisted body will hold the door shut. Find a lock that only works with the door open while you can still return the safe. Tightening will not repair it. The spare key does not go inside, and neither does the code. The longer version is the key or electronic page. If the AltiKeep bolts are missing, the listing promised them and UK reviews say they are often absent. Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the route: the missing parts or a refund, not a homemade fixing. The same check applies if a Yale, QWORK, HomeSafe or Burg-Wächter carton arrives without the bolts the listing named.

Common questions

Can I fix it to a wardrobe shelf?
Only if the timber is solid, at least 10 mm thick, and fixed to the carcase so it cannot lift out. A loose shelf or a thin back panel fails that test. Use every pre-drilled hole. If you are renting and you cannot make holes, do not stack weight on the safe and call it fixed.
What bolt for concrete, brick and a joist?
Burton’s sheet uses a concrete screw or a thunderbolt-style anchor in concrete, a masonry fixing in solid brick, and a coach bolt into a joist. Hollow block and underfloor heating are on the avoid list. This is not a torque setting, and not a drill size from an American gun-safe guide. If the supplied bolts are too short, stop.
How do I fit a floor safe between joists?
You do not hang it from the floorboards. You add timber so the bolts reach solid joists, or you move the safe. Brihard reviewers describe spacing that does not match, extra timber, and pipes and cables in the void. If you cannot see those services, stop.
What if I have underfloor heating?
Do not drill. Burton lists underfloor heating with the substrates to avoid, alongside hollow block. A tanked floor belongs in the same stop. A fitter who can see the heating layout is the next step. The listing’s phrase about mounting where you like does not override that.
The bolts were not in the box. What then?
Treat it as the listing not matching the goods. Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 covers a description that promised bolt-down screws. AltiKeep reviews are where that missing kit shows up most often. Ask the seller for the parts or a refund. Do not invent a fixing from random screws.

Related pages

Wall safe comparison

Furniture safe

Best furniture safe UK: passport, key or floor box

Furniture safe buying guide: grade before the stars

Safe for passports and documents UK, not fire words

Key lock safe or electronic safe: test the override

Sources

Public UK sources on safe grades, fixing and the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Listing prices and star counts are from the amazon.co.uk extracts dated 15 October 2026. Prices move.

  1. De Raat UK, insurance rating (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  2. London Safes, insurance ratings explained (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  3. Lock & Key, safe ratings and insurance (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  4. Sold Secure approved product catalogue 2025 (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  5. Burton Safes, safe fixing guidelines (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  6. Burg-Wächter UK, Favor freestanding home safe (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  7. BSI, BS EN 15659:2019 light fire storage units (retrieved 15 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 15 October 2026)