For most one-van outfits and small teams, the Armorgard OxBox OX2 at around £445 is the box to beat.
If the box lives on a main contractor site, or you are storing plant and expensive cordless kit rather than hand tools, spend the money on Armorgard TuffBank. The TBC4 is around £1,410 and carries both Sold Secure Silver and Secured by Design accreditation, which is the bit your insurer and the site manager actually care about.
If your budget stops well short of that, the Bunker T1 at around £379 is Sold Secure tested and is a genuinely sensible buy for a van or a small site. Below about £200 you are buying a lid, not security.
At a Glance — Comparison
Armorgard, Autojack and Van Guard between them cover every size and budget here, from a compact van box to a two-man-lift site chest.
Site box | Approx. size (mm) | Best for | Approx. price |
Armorgard OxBox OX2 | 1215 x 555 x 540 (approx.) | Best overall / small teams | £440-450 |
Armorgard TuffBank TBC4 | 1150 x 615 x 930 | Best security / main contractor sites | £1,400-1,460 |
Bunker T1 | 935 x 530 x 490 | Best budget / van use | £375-385 |
Bunker S1 sliding drawer | 1200 x 500 x 312 | Van floor / drawer access | £365-375 |
Hilka Pro-Craft SB42 | 1067 x 508 x 505 | Cheap volume storage | £275-285 |
Autojack Van Storage Safe | 550mm | Entry level / van | £235-245 |
Van Guard Heavy Duty Tool Store | 910 x 480 x 480 | Small tools / compact vans | £295-305 |
The picks in detail
1. Armorgard OxBox OX2 — best overall
Genuine Armorgard OxBox construction: twin 5-lever insurance-approved deadlocks, gas struts and a low-visibility powder-coated finish. It’s a newer listing on Amazon so carries few reviews yet, but the build quality is the same OxBox range trusted across the trade.
- Keyed-alike 5-lever deadlocks, heavy-duty keys
- Gas struts fitted as standard
- Robust powder-coated steel construction
- Genuine Armorgard OxBox listing
2. Armorgard TuffBank TBC4 — best security
A genuine current TuffBank TBC4 listing, British Police Verified with Sold Secure Silver and Secured by Design accreditation, the IntaLokt lock system with anti-drill plates, and 2mm/3mm powder-coated steel construction.
- Sold Secure Silver and Secured by Design accredited
- IntaLokt anti-drill, anti-jemmy locking
- 2mm/3mm steel, fully welded hinge
- Holds up to 500kg with CLEK lifting eyes
3. Bunker T1 — best budget
A genuine current Bunker T1 listing, Sold Secure tested, with a gas-strut lid and van floor fixing points — a genuinely sensible buy for a van or a small site.
- Sold Secure certified
- Gas strut lid, van floor fixing points
- Hidden GPS/AirTag holder on this range
4. Bunker S1 sliding drawer — best drawer option
A genuine current listing — Sold Secure certified sliding drawer storage, well reviewed at 5.0 stars, and better for van access than a lidded box.
- Sold Secure certified sliding drawer
- 0★ current listing
- Better for van access than a lidded box
5. Hilka Pro-Craft SB42 — cheap volume storage
A genuine current Hilka SB42 listing, well reviewed at 4.8 stars — good value if the site is otherwise secure and the box just needs to keep gear dry and tidy.
- Double-lock system
- 1067 x 508 x 505mm freestanding storage
- No accreditation — not for high-risk overnight storage
6. Autojack Van Storage Safe and Van Guard Heavy Duty Tool Store — entry level
A genuine, well-reviewed (70 ratings) Autojack entry-level van box at a sensible price. For a larger tool store, Van Guard’s galvanised steel option below is bigger and pricier but carries the same British-made pedigree.
- Autojack: heavy duty metal steel construction, 70 reviews
- Van Guard: genuine branded tool store, bigger capacity for teams with more kit to store
- Neither is accredited — deterrent only, not a vault
7. Van Guard Heavy Duty Galvanised Steel Lockable Tool Store
Genuine Van Guard construction — the same six pre-drilled fixing holes and British manufacture as their smaller models, in a bigger 910 x 480 x 480mm box for anyone who needs the extra capacity.
- British made, six pre-drilled fixing holes
- British manufacture, six pre-drilled fixing holes
How to choose a site box
Accreditation is the only claim worth trusting. Every manufacturer says their box is secure. Only some have handed it to Sold Secure or Secured by Design and let them attack it with real tools on a clock. For site storage you want Silver as a floor and Gold if the box is left unattended overnight.
Weight is security. A 30kg box is a container; a 58kg box is a two-man lift; a 90kg-plus chest is going nowhere without a barrow.
Deadlocks beat padlocks. Integrated 5-lever deadlocks with anti-drill plates and anti-cut bolts are a different proposition to a padlock hasp welded to sheet steel.
Bolt it down. Most decent boxes come pre-drilled so you can bolt them to a van floor or a concrete slab — use it.
Getting the most out of a site box
Bolt it down — to the van floor, to a slab, to anything that means the box cannot simply be walked away. Photograph and record serial numbers, and mark tools with a UV pen or a proper marking kit. Do not leave the box on show, and keep the keys off the site.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a Sold Secure site box?
Check your insurance policy first. Many UK tool cover policies specify a minimum storage standard for overnight cover. If the box is unattended overnight on an open site, an accredited box like the TuffBank is worth the money.
What is the difference between a site box and a van vault?
Mostly shape and mounting. A van vault is sized to sit in a load bay and bolt to the floor; a site box is freestanding, usually taller and heavier, and built to sit outside in the rain.
Are cheap site boxes worth buying?
As a deterrent and for keeping gear dry and tidy, yes. As security against someone who has come equipped, no.
How heavy should a site box be?
Heavy enough that two people cannot casually carry it away loaded — in practice 50kg-plus empty for a box left on site.
The Verdict
For most one-van outfits and small teams, the OxBox OX2 is the box to beat. TuffBank, Bunker T1 and Bunker S1 all cover their own use cases cleanly, and Autojack and Van Guard both give genuine entry-level and larger-capacity van storage options.
