Sicherheitswerte

Sicherheitswerte is a German term that translates to “security values” or “safety values” and is used in several technical and economic contexts to denote quantitative measures that express a margin of safety or a level of risk protection. In engineering and construction, Sicherheitswerte refer to safety factors, load capacities, or design margins that ensure structures and components can withstand stresses beyond the expected maximum. These values are calculated from material properties, load assumptions and regulatory requirements and are documented in standards such as DIN or Eurocode.

In the financial sector, the term is applied to the assessment of securities, where Sicherheitswerte describe the intrinsic or conservative valuation of assets like stocks, bonds or derivatives. Analysts may assign a Sicherheitswert to a security by discounting expected cash flows and adding a buffer for market volatility, thereby informing investment decisions and risk management.

The concept also appears in information security, where Sicherheitswerte denote the classification levels of data, the strength of cryptographic keys or the robustness of authentication mechanisms. Here, the values serve as benchmarks for compliance with standards such as ISO/IEC 27001.

Across these fields, the common purpose of Sicherheitswerte is to provide a quantifiable reference that mitigates uncertainty, supports decision‑making and ensures compliance with safety or regulatory criteria. Their calculation typically involves statistical analysis, expert judgment and reference to normative guidelines, and they are regularly reviewed as conditions and knowledge evolve.