What Armor Manufacturers May Not Be Telling You

Q: When might your 10” x 12” ballistic plate not really be a 10” x 12” ballistic plate?

A: When the manufacturer takes the full 2”-3” edge-shot placement allowance in the NIJ 0101.06 ballistic testing protocol.

Know your limits

Many people looking to purchase armor know about the NIJ rating system, which is based (as of this writing) on the NIJ 0101.06 “Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor” standards. But what they might not know or look into is the shot placement standards allowed under the testing protocol.

The answer might surprise you.

The NIJ 0101.06 ballistic standard mandates a minimum shot-to-edge distance of no greater than 2 inches for single-threat armor, and up to 3 inches for multiple threat armor:

For armor types subjected to a single threat and for the lighter weight threat round when two threats are specified, the minimum shot-to-edge distance shall not be greater than 51 mm (2.0 in). For the heavier threat round when two threats are specified, the minimum shot-to-edge distance shall not be greater than 76 mm (3.0 in).*

* Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor, National Institute of Justice, page 40

The standards document states the armor’s manufacturer defines the minimum shot-to-edge distance for their armor models as long as it doesn’t exceed the minimum allowed as listed above. The armor is then tested against that.

Get full coverage

This means that your 10” x 12” ceramic or PE plate may be tested to a conceivable 8” x 10” rated area. Due to the nature of ceramic and polyethylene, you may give up true coverage in exchange for lighter or more exotic materials.

The nature of ballistic steel armor means that AR500 Armor® plates offer edge-to-edge ballistic protection.

In the following video, our founder and president, Tyler O’Neal, discusses edge-to-edge protection and how it might help in your decision on which armor plates to purchase.