Chubbsafes Fire Resistant Filing Cabinets: A Brief History

Chubbsafes logoChubbsafes are one of the oldest safe and cabinet manufacturers in the world. Chubb was founded in England in 1818 and manufactured locks, safes and security products. They patented their first fire resistant safe cabinet in 1838. The basic design of a fire retardant layer sandwiched between two layers of steel carries through to today, with levels of fire resistance increasing in line with advances in materials technology.

1990s Chubb Fireproof Filing Cabinet

Painted in stylish black, these Chubb Fireproof Filing Cabinets from the 1990s show how Chubb responded to consumer demand for different styles and colours.

1980s Chubb Fireproof Filing Cabinets

These Chubb Fireproof Filing Cabinets are from the late 1980s/early 1990s. Their design is quite plain and basic. They most likely had no independent fire resistance certificate.

Chubbsafes Profile NT Fireproof Filing Cabinet

Another modern design, the Chubbsafes Profile NT meets the NT FIRE 017 fire resistance standard, which is well regarded in Europe. Its handles are covered in plastic, much easier on the hand than older models with metal handles.

Chubbsafes Survivafile Fireproof Filing Cabinet

Chubbsafes’ Survivafile Fireproof Filing Cabinet is a more recent and modern design. It is independently certified to the American UL 72 fire resistance standard.

The Light Product Works division were responsible for designing and constructing Chubb fireproof filing cabinets. As early as the 1950s, they recognized the need for cabinets capable of protecting the then new types of electronic and magnetic media. Chubb created a research division to investigate new alloys, construction methods and fire resistant technologies in order to constantly improve the protection levels offered by Chubb products.

Following a series of acquisitions and mergers, the safe making division Chubbsafes is now a part of the multi-national Gunnebo group. While the company is now structured very differently, Chubbsafes has continued to respond to demands for greater levels of fire protection in its products. Where once the company could self-certify their products as being fire resistant, it now manufacturers them to the strict requirements of independent standards such as the NT FIRE 017 fire test.

Similarly, consumer tastes have changed over time. Chubbsafes have constantly refined the design and colours of their products so that they never look out of place in even the most modern and stylish of offices.

FireproofFilingCabinets.co.uk stocks a large range of Chubbsafes fireproof products including the Profile NT filing cabinet and the Duoguard range of fireproof safes.

If you’re interested in the history of the Chubb and Chubbsafes companies, you can find more information on their website. The Wolverhampton History and Heritage website also has a page dedicated to the Chubb company.

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