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How to bolt down a safe

Updated: October 2026

You have a cabinet, two bolts or a promise of them, and a floor or a joist to choose from. The job is to stop a burglar walking the box out. Every safe here weighs 2.3 kg to 21.4 kg, under the 1,000 kg line Chubb treats as anchor it. The [safe comparison](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/safe) is the table. The [buying guide](/hub/safes-and-secure-storage/safe/sub/safe-buying-guide) is where you decide you want one. Peter F., DIY and tools editor, set this out on 16 October 2026 from Chubb and Burton. No install was lab-tested. Affiliate links can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a cabinet, two bolts or a promise of them, and a floor or a joist to choose from. The job is to stop a burglar walking the box out.

Our top picks

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2

Best overall

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2
9.5/10about £30.43
View offer
Bonsaii Bonsaii SF005-N

Best value

Bonsaii Bonsaii SF005-N
9.1/10about £15.49
View offer
NALULI NALULI A6-45DZ

Rank 3

NALULI NALULI A6-45DZ
6.2/10about £159.99
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Why the bolts are not optional
  2. 2.Concrete or brick
  3. 3.Joists and wardrobes
  4. 4.First code, with the door open

Why the bolts are not optional

Chubb says a safe under 1,000 kg should be anchored, with masonry preferred. Howden’s claim notes say light safes are removed and plywood fixings fail. The Bonsaii and the Yale mini are 2.3 kg. The Yale small is 3.6 kg. The NALULI pair at 21.4 kg is still a two-person move, and it still fits in a car once it is outside. Use only the holes the cabinet was made with. These listings mostly ship two expansion bolts, not a Eurograde pattern. Do not copy Burton’s torque figures onto a Yale value safe, and do not drill extra holes through the body. If the KornerBatl carton and the bullets disagree about bolts, check the box before you start.

Concrete or brick

Which? and Chubb point at brick or concrete rather than a stud wall. Burton looks for the fixing to reach at least about 100 mm into the slab, below the screed. That depth is their rule of thumb, not a drill size for a £30 Yale packet. Read the bolt that arrived. Lift the carpet, and take the skirting off if the case has to sit flush. A cabinet that rocks works the bolts loose. Know where pipes and cables run, then vacuum the hole so the plug bites dust-free concrete. Mark through the cabinet’s own holes with the door open. Two bolts into good concrete beat four screws into plasterboard.
Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2

Testsieger

Yale Yale YSV/200/DB2
9.5/10about £30.43
View offer

Joists and wardrobes

Fix into a joist rather than the floorboard alone, because a board can be levered up with the safe attached. If the only timber spans a void, ask the insurer before you call it anchored. Underfloor heating and a tanked wall are stop cases. Burton’s sheet says adhesive once heating or tanking is in the way. A hammer drill is the wrong tool there. A wardrobe can be legitimate if the timber is structural, at least about 10 mm thick, not a removable shelf. A hardboard back is the claim problem Howden describes. A landlord’s yes does not make plasterboard masonry. Whether that mass is the right buy is on the best cabinet safe page. If the only place is heated screed, book a fitter.

First code, with the door open

Programme the lock before the door shuts. Yale’s value line uses a 3–8 digit PIN and locks the keypad for 20 seconds after three wrong codes, then for five minutes. Set the code and open it again with the door still open. Put both keys on the table outside. The Bonsaii’s batteries are a separate purchase. If an AltiKeep pack is missing, do not shut the door on electronics alone. Keys live somewhere else in the house. A shut door with no key and no external power is the moment to stop. These listings are not a locksmith’s drill guide. When the code works and the bolts are in masonry, a joist, or timber you would defend to an insurer, you are done. Fire labels are on the document safe page. Bolts do not create a fire rating.

Common questions

Do I have to bolt a 3 kg safe?
Yes. The Yale small is 3.6 kg and the Bonsaii and Yale mini are 2.3 kg. Chubb’s anchor rule covers everything under 1,000 kg, which is this entire set. A light cabinet is a deterrent only after the bolts are in something solid.
Is a wardrobe back enough?
Only if it is real timber, around the 10 mm Burton uses as a furniture minimum, and not a removable shelf or a hardboard skin. Howden still sees claims fail on plywood. If the panel flexes when you push it, do not use it.
What do I do about pipes and cables?
Find them before you drill. Chubb’s guide tells you to avoid pipes and cables, and a UK kitchen floor is a common place to meet both. Use a detector, look at where radiators and sockets actually are, and move the cabinet if the holes land on a run. Guessing that it should be fine is how a bolt-down becomes a leak.
Where does the spare key go while I test the code?
On a table outside the safe, with the door open, until the PIN opens the lock twice. Then it lives elsewhere in the house. Yale, Bonsaii, and NALULI each give you two keys. Locking the spare inside is the failure these backups are meant to prevent.
When is a hammer drill the wrong tool?
When the floor has underfloor heating, when the wall is tanked, or when you cannot locate pipes and cables. Burton’s guidelines point at adhesive rather than ordinary bolts for heating and tanking, and that work is for a fitter. A hammer drill is also the wrong tool if you are about to make new holes in the steel because the supplied ones face the wrong way.

Related pages

Fingerprint safe vs keypad

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Best cabinet safe for passports, cupboard or A4 paper

Best home safe UK: the checks before you pick a brand

Fireproof safe for documents: bags are not a label

Sources

Public UK sources on home-safe grades, anchoring and insurance shorthand. Listings checked 16 October 2026. Prices on amazon.co.uk move.

  1. Secured by Design, domestic home safes (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  2. Sold Secure, safes and security cabinets (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  3. Sold Secure approved product catalogue 2025 (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  4. Chubb, safe installation guide (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  5. Howden, Safe and Sound (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  6. ABI, home insurance and theft (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  7. London Safes, Eurograde table (retrieved 16 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk Cabinet Safes best sellers (retrieved 16 October 2026)