Single article limit
~4 min readCategory: Policy mechanics · Reviewed by the Apex broking team · Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Category: Policy mechanics Also known as: single item limit, any one item limit, single article clause Related concepts: contents insurance, property insurance, deductible
Definition
The single article limit — sometimes written as a “single item limit” or an “any one article” limit — is an inner limit. The overall sum insured caps the total payable for the section; the single article limit caps the payable amount for each individual item within it. It is usually expressed as a cash figure, and sometimes as a percentage of the sum insured.
It exists because insurers rate a contents or baggage sum insured on the assumption that it represents a spread of ordinary items. A concentration of value in one object changes the risk profile: it is more attractive to a thief, harder to verify after a loss, and more expensive to replace. The limit forces that concentration to be declared rather than hidden inside a bulk figure.
How it bites in practice
The failure mode is consistent. A business insures contents for a figure that genuinely reflects the total, suffers a burglary or a fire, and discovers that the one item that mattered — a piece of test equipment, a machine tool, a camera body, a server — is capped at the single article limit. The sum insured was never the problem; the inner limit was.
The clause also catches sets and pairs. A matched set is normally treated as one article, so a set of instruments or a pair of items is measured against a single limit rather than one limit each. And where a policy pays only the value of the individual item damaged, without allowance for the loss of value to the remainder of the set, the shortfall can be larger again.
Specifying items
The remedy is to specify. Items worth more than the single article limit are listed in the schedule with their own sums insured, which are then payable in full up to that specified figure. Insurers may ask for valuations, purchase invoices or serial numbers for higher-value items, and it is far easier to supply those at inception than to reconstruct proof of ownership and value after a total loss.
Specified items may also be given wider cover than the general contents heading — for example all risks cover away from the premises for portable equipment that would otherwise only be covered while at the insured address. Where staff carry equipment between sites, home and client premises, that extension matters as much as the limit itself.
Where it appears
Single article limits appear in commercial contents sections, in all risks and portable equipment covers, in business travel baggage sections, in tools and plant items, and in household contents and personal possessions cover. The same clause under a different name — “any one item”, “maximum per article” — does the same job.
It is distinct from an excess or deductible, which reduces every claim by a fixed amount, and from the overall sum insured. A policy can apply all three to the same loss.
Why it matters
Single article limits are the most common source of the gap between what a business thought it had insured and what the policy pays. They are easy to check — the figure is in the schedule — and easy to fix, by specifying the handful of items that exceed it. The only real cost is the five minutes it takes to compare the limit against a list of the most valuable things the business owns.
Frequently asked questions
What is a single article limit?
It is the maximum a policy will pay for any one item, set or pair within a section, applied regardless of how large the overall sum insured is. If an item is worth more than the limit and has not been specified in the schedule, the payment for that item is capped at the limit.
How do I remove a single article limit?
By specifying the item. High-value items are listed individually in the schedule with their own sum insured, and are then payable up to that figure rather than the general limit. Insurers may ask for a valuation, invoice or serial number, which is much easier to provide before a loss than after one.
Does a set count as one article?
Usually yes. Matched sets and pairs are typically treated as a single article, so the limit applies to the set as a whole rather than to each component. Where only part of a set is lost, some wordings also restrict any allowance for the reduced value of the remainder.
Is a single article limit the same as an excess?
No. An excess or deductible is the amount deducted from every claim payment. A single article limit is a cap on the amount payable for one item. Both can apply to the same loss, alongside the overall sum insured for the section.
Related entries
- /wiki/contents-insurance/
- /wiki/property-insurance/
- /wiki/buildings-insurance/
- /wiki/travel-insurance/
- /wiki/deductible/
Apex Insurance Brokers Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN 724952). This page is general information, not advice on a specific policy.