fireproof file cabinets

To cut to the chase, "No." Using the term "fireproof" is a bit misleading. Everything has its melting point, and for steel, 2300 degrees F will do the trick. Of course, at that temperature, no safe can withstand the abuse. So, what is meant by the term "fireproof filing cabinets" if there is no such thing?

A better term is perhaps a "fire safe file cabinet" or technically, a fire-rated safe. These safes can give a certain level of protection, a window of opportunity, for firefighters to do their job and douse the flames in most cases. So, for instance, if a safe were given a 2-hr fire-rating, with a construction of 100% steel, this would translate into a 2-hr window in which the fire could be put out before the contents of the safe were in harm's way. When you do purchase a fireproof or rather, fire safe file cabinet, then you want to be sure it is labeled as meeting or exceeding the International Organization for Standardization, typically denoted as "ISO" for short.

Though fireproof file cabinets can't be exposed to temperatures that would melt steel, the chances of that happening are pretty slim before the fire is doused. The exception would be so catastrophic that the loss of data would be the last thing on your plate, so just be sure that the fire-rating is decent (the 2-hr rating is very good, by the way).