Body Armor

NIJ Ratings

There's no such thing as a 'bullet-proof' vest. Any vest hit enough times, or by a high-velocity penetrating round, can fail. To help you determine how much stopping power you need against various weapons and bullets, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) developed its Threat Level Matrix (see chart below). NIJ Certification tests are performed at approved independent labs like H.P.White Laboratories, Inc. in Maryland.

NIJ Certification
A NIJ Certified model has successfully stopped 48 rounds in laboratory conditions. These conditions, considered "worst case," are usually beyond what you'll ever encounter on the street. During certification, vests are shot both dry and wet and at various angles. Each vest is placed against a soft clay surface and shot in a predetermined pattern to test for backface deformation that can cause blunt trauma. (Since a bullet hits with a sledgehammer impact, blunt trauma can debilitate your ability to respond to an attack.)

Type I body armor is light. This is the minimum level of protection every officer should have, and the armor should be routinely worn at all times while on duty. Type I body armor was the armor issued during the NIJ demonstration project in the mid-1970s. Most agencies today, how-ever, because of increasing threats, opt for a higher level of protection.

Type IIA (Lower Velocity .357 Magnum; 9mm). This armor protects against .357 Magnum jacketed soft-point bullets, with nominal masses of 10.2 g (158 gr), impacting at a velocity of 381 m/s (1,250 ft/s) or less, and against 9mm full-metal jacketed bullets, with nominal masses of 8.0 g (124 gr), impacting at a velocity of 332 m/s (1,090 ft/s) or less. It also provides protec-tion against such threats as .45 Auto., .38 Special +P, and some other factory loads in caliber .357 Magnum and 9mm, as well as the Type I threats. Type II–A body armor is well suited for full-time use by police departments, particularly those seeking protection for their officers from lower velocity .357 Magnum and 9mm ammunition.

Type II (Higher Velocity .357 Magnum; 9mm). This armor protects against .357 Magnum jacketed soft-point bullets, with nominal masses of 10.2 g (158 gr), impacting at a velocity of 425 m/s (1,395 ft/s) or less, and against 9mm full-jacketed bullets, with nominal velocities of 358 m/s (1,175 ft/s). It also protects against most other factory loads in caliber .357 Magnum and 9mm, as well as the Type I and II–A threats. Type II body armor is heavier and more bulky than either Types I or II–A. It is worn full time by officers seeking protection against higher velocity .357 Magnum and 9mm ammunition.

Type IIIA (.44 Magnum; Submachine Gun 9mm). This armor protects against .44 Magnum, lead semi-wadcutter bullets with gas checks, nominal masses of 15.55 g (240 gr), impacting at a velocity of 426 m/s (1,400 ft/s) or less, and against 9mm full-metal jacketed bullets, with nomi-nal masses of 8.0 g (124 gr), impacting at a velocity of 426 m/s (1,400 ft/s) or less. It also pro-vides protection against most handgun threats, as well as the Type I, II–A, and II threats. Type III–A body armor provides the highest level of protection currently available from con-cealable body armor and is generally suitable for routine wear in many situations. However, departments located in hot, humid climates may need to evaluate the use of Type III–A armor carefully.

Type III (high-powered rifle). This armor, normally of hard or semirigid construction, protects against 7.62mm full-metal jacketed bullets (U.S. military designation M80), with nominal mass-es of 9.7 g (150 gr), impacting at a velocity of 838 m/s (2,750 ft/s) or less. It also provides pro-tection against threats such as 223 Remington (5.56mm FMJ), 30 Carbine FMJ, and 12-gauge rifled slug, as well as the Type I through III–A threats. Type III body armor is clearly intended only for tactical situations when the threat warrants such protection, such as barricade confrontations involving sporting rifles.

Type IV (armor-piercing rifle). This armor protects against .30–06 caliber armor-piercing bul-lets (U.S. military designation APM2), with nominal masses of 10.8 g (166 gr) impacting at a velocity of 868 m/s (2,850 ft/s) or less. It also provides at least single-hit protection against the Type I through III threats.

Type IV body armor provides the highest level of protection currently available. Because this armor is intended to resist “armor piercing” bullets, it often uses ceramic materials. Such mate-rials are brittle in nature and may provide only single-shot protection, since the ceramic tends to break up when struck. As with Type III armor, Type IV armor is clearly intended only for tacti-cal situations when the threat warrants such protection.

Special type. A purchaser who has a special requirement for a level of protection other than one of the above standard threat levels should specify the exact test rounds and minimum impact velocities to be used and indicate that this standard shall govern in all other respects.