American Security (AMSEC) VD8042BF: Out-Swing - 83.13"H × 48.5"W × 11.25"D - 943lbs

A door, not a safe. Half an inch of solid steel plate in its own frame, made to turn a room you already have into one you can walk into and lock: a closet off the bedroom, a room in the basement, or a space your builder frames for the purpose. Once it's in, the room itself becomes the safe, and the things you keep there can live on shelves instead of in a box.

American Security (AMSEC) make it in the USA. It fits a wall opening 79.5 inches high and 41.5 wide, close to the size of an ordinary interior doorway, swings outward, and can be ordered left- or right-handed. The fill is DryLight, their seamless fire barrier, and a panic lock lets anyone inside lock the door even if the combination is being entered from outside.

Specifications

Opening

Wall opening: 79.5"H × 41.5"W

Swing: out-swing; left- or right-hand

Exterior & siting

83.13"H × 48.5"W × 11.25"D

943 lbs door, 1139 shipping weight

Security

Lock: mechanical or electronic, your choice

Panic lock: standard — someone inside can lock the door even when the combination is entered outside

Locking bolts: Not stated by the manufacturer.

Door assembly thickness: Not stated by the manufacturer. Door plate: 0.5" solid steel

Burglary rating: None claimed.

Handle: five-spoke

Fire, water & media

Fire protection: DryLight fill, American Security's seamless, lightweight fire barrier; two-stage seals — silicone on the jamb, expanding Palusol on the door

The rest

Warranty: one year, parts and labor

Manufacturer part number: VD8030BF

Made in the USA

A door is only as strong as its wall

A vault door is the strongest thing in the room it guards, and anyone who wants in can see that as clearly as you can. Set into an ordinary stud wall with drywall on either side, it stops them at the door and sends them through the wall next to it. So the walls, ceiling and floor of the room need building to match: concrete or block, or studs lined with steel sheet or plywood behind the board.

Fire follows the same logic. DryLight and the two-stage seals protect the door; the room is only as well protected as the walls around it. It's worth planning the room and the door together, with your builder, before the door arrives.

Choosing the finish

A vault door is a large investment, and it's also something you'll walk past every day. Some people want it to disappear into the wall; others want it to be the first thing a guest notices. 

Colors: textured white, spa blue, charcoal gray, granite or black

Hardware finishes: chrome, brass or black nickel hardware.

Fitting a vault door is construction work. The wall needs an opening framed to 79.5 by 29.5 inches, the frame fixed into it, and the door hung plumb and square so it closes and locks cleanly. That's a job for a contractor or a safe installer, working under their own license and insurance.

Because it swings out, into the hall or room in front of the vault, the whole of the space behind it stays free for shelving. Leave clear floor in front of the wall for the door to open fully. The door and frame stand 83.13 inches tall, taller than a standard 80-inch doorway, so they'll travel through the house tilted or on their side.

Delivery

Because of the size and weight of a vault door, all vault doors are delivered to the nearest freight terminal unless you have a forklift to accept the door at your property. That may well suit you, as you'll presumably be hiring a builder to fit the door. Call us and we'll work out the logistics with you.

On the maker

American Security are based in Fontana, California, and make everything from home safes to high-security commercial units. Their vault doors are made in the USA, in several widths and in both swings, with the same locks and hardware finishes as their safes. If you need a figure we haven't listed, ask us and we'll put the question to American Security.

Questions

What size opening does it need?

A wall opening 79.5 inches high and 41.5 wide. The door and frame together are 83.13 inches high, 48.5 wide and 11.25 deep. The door once opened gives you an opening of 77.5" x 37".

Which way does it swing?

Outward, and you choose left- or right-hand when you order. If you'd rather it opened into the vault room, which helps where a storm could bring debris down against the outside of the door, American Security make an in-swing version of this same door.

Is it fire rated?

The DryLight fill and two-stage seals give the door fire resistance; the room's walls decide the rest.