Thread: Opening a Chubb Safe

Any decent locksmith experienced in safes will be able to open it.

There are three grades of safe

1.Security cabinets, like gun safes, thin steel boxes

2. Plate safes, 10-20mm plate steel, sometimes pure plate, sometimes the body has an extra layer of steel with firefluff or concrete poured. The door is usually still a single sheet of plate.

3. TDR (torch and drill resisant) safes, Where both the door and walls are several inches thick, usually double layered metals and high MPA concrete with material though it to destroy tool edges.

No's 2 and 3 can sometimes be difficult to tell the difference from the outside, both have similar thick bodies but when you swing the door open the TDR becomes apparaent door as mentioned is several times thicker, not just a single steel plate. The TDR safe is also heavier as a result.A good locksmith should be able to give an idea what he is dealing with anyway. usually big heavy hinges indicates more likely its TDR.

Locksmiths once identifying the safe will have knowledge of the internal lock positions and will drill specified points to avoid the relockers and bore scope and manipulate the locks. The safe can be opened , keys recut or combo reset and the drill point welded or concreted back up, good as new.


Type 1 is a few minutes job to get into.
Type 2 is not a big job either.
Type 3 can range from a few hours work to a couple of days for the highest security units, can be lots of money.


Keep in mind type 3 TDR just torching wont work. They usually have concrete layers, non arc material like copper/aloxite layers etc. The safe will also have glass relockers, so if you cut into the door and activate these it will release locking pins and seize the door.

Make sure you get a decent locksmith experienced in the level of safe. The highest level TDR units like a Chubb AA or Isolator, only a few blokes in the country will be equipped to handle. Unless you are recovering family hierlooms the cost may be prohibitive.