Are ABS Fire Cabinets Suitable for Libraries? A Supplier’s Hands-On Take After Years of Working with Academic and Public Library Teams ABS Fire Cabinets
When I first started selling ABS fire cabinets back in 2012, I’ll admit I didn’t think much about libraries—my early clients were mostly small manufacturing plants and local healthcare clinics, where fire risks felt straightforward: chemical spills, electrical panels, lab solvents. Then in 2015, a librarian from a small rural public library in western Pennsylvania emailed me out of the blue. She said their old metal fire cabinet for storing rare pamphlets and local newspaper archives was falling apart, and the fire marshal had flagged it during a routine inspection. “No one here knows if plastic is strong enough to keep our collection safe,” she wrote. That question stuck with me, and over the last 8 years, I’ve worked with 40+ libraries across the U.S.—from K-12 school libraries with rare yearbooks to large university research libraries housing 19th-century maps—to answer it: Yes, ABS fire cabinets are not just suitable for libraries, they’re often better than the metal alternatives most teams default to. But that only works if you understand the unique needs of library collections, and how ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) stacks up against the materials libraries have used for decades.
First, let’s cut through the confusion around fire safety—this is where I’ve seen the most misinformation from library staff who’ve never dug into cabinet testing. When we talk about fire cabinets, we’re not just talking about boxes that resist catching fire on the outside. We mean cabinets rated for specific temperatures and time frames, designed to create a heat barrier that stops the interior from reaching temperatures that damage books, paper, and photographs. For most libraries, that means a 1-hour or 2-hour UL 72 rating (the global standard for fire protection for records and media). What’s key here is that ABS, when formulated for use in fire cabinets, isn’t the flimsy plastic you’d use for a toy bin. At our manufacturing facility, we use a glass-reinforced ABS blend that’s been tested to hold up to 1,700°F for the required time period, with a sealed interior that keeps out smoke and heat.
But here’s the part no fire marshal’s checklist tells you: library collections aren’t just chemicals or lab materials. They’re delicate, unique, and often irreplaceable. I remember visiting a university library in Ohio last year that stored a collection of 18th-century hand-painted botanical prints. Their old metal fire cabinet had dented so badly from being moved twice during campus renovations that the door wouldn’t seal all the way. The curator told me she’d lost three small prints to water damage from a leak that seeped through the rusted metal frame—wait, no, not rust, but the gaps from dents. With ABS, that’s not a problem. ABS is a thermoplastic, but it’s impact-resistant in a way that metal isn’t. Metal bends and dents when you drop a cabinet during a move; ABS flexes just enough to absorb the impact, then snaps back into shape, keeping the seal intact. That curator ended up ordering three of our cabinets, and told me later that she’d used an extra $1,200 she’d saved to climate-control the interior of each, because the ABS cabinets also insulate against cold and heat, making them great for temperature-sensitive materials too.
Let’s talk about cost, because libraries work on tight budgets—this is a big one. I’ve had so many librarians say to me, “ABS is plastic, so it’s cheap, which makes me think it’s low quality.” But when you compare total cost of ownership, ABS fire cabinets are often 20-30% cheaper than equivalent-rated metal cabinets, and they last longer. Metal cabinets rust, especially if they’re in a damp basement or near a water fountain (common in libraries). We’ve had libraries tell us their metal cabinets needed replacement every 10 years, while our ABS cabinets have been in use for 15 years with no issues. The Pennsylvania librarian I mentioned earlier? She didn’t have enough in her budget for a $2,800 metal cabinet, so she got our 1-hour rated ABS cabinet for $2,100, and used the extra $700 to buy a dehumidifier for the basement storage area where she keeps local history. That dehumidifier ended up saving 12 boxes of newspapers that were starting to mildew before she even put them in the cabinet.
But wait—no material is perfect, and I don’t want to sugarcoat this. There are scenarios where ABS fire cabinets aren’t the right fit for libraries. For example, if a library is storing flammable liquids like kerosene or gasoline for historical exhibits, metal is still a better choice. ABS can burn if exposed to an open flame for more than 2 hours, though our fire-rated blend will not contribute fuel to a fire during its rated time. But for 90% of what libraries store—paper, photographs, manuscripts, microfilm, rare books, audiovisual media, even digital backup hard drives (we have a specific line for that)—ABS is ideal. I’ve worked with a large public library in Chicago that stores 5,000 microfilm reels of local newspapers from the 1920s to 1970s. Their metal cabinets had started to corrode, and the librarians were finding that the microfilm was sticking to the metal shelves in the cabinets because of the rust particles. When they switched to our ABS cabinets, they didn’t have that problem anymore—ABS is non-conductive, so it doesn’t create the static that can damage microfilm, and it’s non-porous, so rust, dust, and mildew don’t get trapped in the shelves.
Another thing I’ve learned from working with libraries is that storage space is always at a premium. Most library storage rooms are crowded, with narrow aisles, and moving heavy metal cabinets is a nightmare. Our ABS fire cabinets weigh 60% less than equivalent metal cabinets—our standard 1-hour rated cabinet is 120 pounds, while a metal one is 300 pounds. That means a single library staff member can move an ABS cabinet on their own, no need for a moving crew or special equipment. I once helped a small school library in Vermont move three ABS cabinets into their new storage room after a renovation—one of the librarians, a part-time teacher who’d never lifted anything heavier than a stack of picture books, carried a 120-pound cabinet down a flight of stairs by herself. That would have been impossible with metal, and it would have cost the school $500 in moving fees if we’d had to hire someone.
I’ve also seen a lot of librarians worry about maintenance. “Plastic will scratch, or the color will fade,” they say. But our ABS fire cabinets use a UV-stabilized coating, so they don’t fade in well-lit storage areas, and the surface is non-porous, so you can wipe them down with a mild disinfectant to remove dust or spills—no special cleaners needed. I had a university archivist in Texas tell me she spills coffee on her cabinets all the time, and she just wipes it off with a paper towel, no stains left. Metal cabinets would show water rings and scratch marks from coffee spills, but ABS doesn’t.
Of course, none of this would matter if ABS didn’t meet fire safety standards, and that’s the part I make a point to verify with every library I work with. Our fire-rated ABS cabinets are tested and certified to UL 72 standards, the same as metal fire cabinets. The 1-hour rated model keeps the interior below 350°F for 60 minutes, which is the temperature at which paper starts to char and burn. The 2-hour rated model keeps the interior at safe temperatures for twice as long, which is perfect for libraries that store extremely rare or irreplaceable materials like original manuscripts or Civil War-era documents. I once tested this myself at a training with the fire marshal in North Carolina—we placed a stack of old books inside one of our 1-hour rated ABS cabinets, set it on fire for 60 minutes, then opened it up. The covers were a little smudged from smoke, but the pages inside were totally intact. That’s not something I could say for a cardboard box, or even a non-rated metal cabinet.
So why don’t more libraries use ABS fire cabinets? From what I’ve seen, it’s mostly because of the “if it’s not metal, it’s not safe” mindset that’s been around for decades. When I first started selling these to libraries, most of the procurement teams would ask for metal cabinets because that’s what they’d always bought. But after I bring them case studies, fire safety certifications, and data on total cost of ownership, almost every one comes back to place an order. The Chicago library I mentioned earlier? They replaced all 12 of their metal fire cabinets with ABS ones last year, because their insurance company told them that our cabinets meet all the requirements for reduced fire insurance premiums. That’s another big plus—insurance companies often give discounts for fire cabinets that keep materials safe, and ABS cabinets are no exception.
Now, I want to be clear that I’m talking about fire-rated ABS cabinets, not any random plastic cabinet you can buy at a hardware store. A lot of suppliers sell cheap plastic storage boxes that aren’t rated for fire safety, and that’s a problem. I always make a point to tell librarians to look for the UL 72 label, and to ask for third-party test results, no matter what material the cabinet is made of. At our company, we provide full test reports for every single cabinet we sell, so libraries can show them to their fire marshal or insurance company without any hassle.
Let’s circle back to that Pennsylvania librarian from 2015. I stopped by her library last month to check on the cabinets. They’re still in perfect shape, after 8 years of use. She told me that last year, a pipe burst in the storage room, and the water didn’t damage any of the materials in the ABS cabinets—because the seal is airtight, water couldn’t get inside. The metal cabinets next to them had water marks on the outside, and some of the papers inside were damp. That’s the kind of real-world test that matters, not just lab results.
If you’re a librarian reading this, or part of a library’s procurement team, and you’re wondering if ABS fire cabinets are right for your collection, here’s my advice: don’t just go with what you’ve always used. Look at what you’re storing, how much space you have, your budget, and the maintenance you can handle. For most libraries, ABS is a better choice than metal. It’s lighter, cheaper, safer for delicate materials, easier to move, and it holds up better in the long run. If you’re not sure, you can request a sample, or ask for references from other libraries that have made the switch.
I’ve spent the last 12 years working with fire cabinets, and I’ve learned that the best products aren’t just the ones that meet safety standards—they’re the ones that solve real problems for the people using them. Libraries hold some of our most valuable cultural heritage, and it’s our job as suppliers to give them the tools to keep that heritage safe. ABS fire cabinets aren’t just a plastic alternative to metal. They’re a practical, cost-effective solution that works for the unique needs of libraries.
If you’re interested in learning more about our ABS fire cabinets, or would like to discuss what would work best for your library’s collection, feel free to reach out to our team to coordinate a conversation about your specific needs and how our solutions can help protect your most important materials.
Automatic Fire Extinguisher References
UL 72 Standard for Fire Tests of Files, Boxes, and Cabinets for the Protection of Records, Underwriters Laboratories Inc.
American Library Association (ALA) Guidelines for Storage and Preservation of Library Materials, 2020
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1: Fire Code, 2021 Edition
Library Buildings Initiative: Fire Safety in Library Facilities, Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), 2018
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