Media safes are designed to protect disks and other audio/visual equipment such as video and cassette tapes from fire. These materials have special requirements because they are more fragile than paper documents. Diskettes, for example, can be ruined at temperatures far below the 350º F maximum specified for papers. Diskettes also require humidity below a certain level.

Due to these requirements, media safes tend to be very expensive, easily costing thousands of dollars. In most cases, a more cost-effective approach is to purchase a separate media chest or media drawer for computer disks. If stored in a fireproof file cabinet or safe, this container will provide adequate protection for only $100 to $350.