GH Level III Hard Armor Plates

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History, Application, and Standards of Body Armor

�The original NIJ body armor effort focused solely on the urgent need to protect law enforcement personnel from handgun assault. The same properties that provide ballistic protection�resistance to penetration and blunt trauma�when combined with abrasion resistance have also saved many officers from serious physical injury in vehicular accidents.
In the case of hard armor, such as metal, rigid reinforced plastic, or ceramic materials, it is possible to use armor of such a thickness that it does not appreciably deform from the bullet impact. If, however, the armor that covers the torso deforms from the bullet impact, the surface of the armor against the body at the point of impact will be forced against or into the skin and flesh. Unlike a penetrating wound, in which the skin is broken and the bullet tears through the body, the deformation of armor from bullet impact results in blunt trauma. This type of nonpenetrating injury can cause severe contusions (bruises) or internal damage and can even result in death.
As a result, this NIJ standard also evaluates the capabilities of the armor to prevent injury from blunt trauma.� -(U.S. DOJ: N IJ - �Selection and Application Guide to Police Body Armor�)
Armor Classification*

Threat Level Round/Model Protection
TYPE II-A .9mm; .40 S&W This armor protects against 9 mm FMJ RN bullets with a specified mass of 8.0 g (124 gr) and a velocity of 355 m/s � 9.1 m/s (1165 ft/s � 30 ft/s) and with .40 S&W FMJ bullets with a specified mass of 11.7 g (180 gr) and a velocity of 325 m/s � 9.1 m/s (1065 ft/s � 30 ft/s). It also provides protection against most other .25 and .32 caliber handgun rounds. 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.
Most agencies today, however, because of increasing threats, opt for a higher level of protection.
Type II .357 Magnum; 9mmThis armor protects against 9 mm FMJ RN bullets with a specified mass of 8.0 g (124 gr) and a velocity of 379 m/s �9.1 m/s (1245 ft/s � 30 ft/s) and with .357 Magnum JSP bullets with a specified mass of 10.2 g (158 gr) and a velocity of 408 m/s �9.1 m/s (1340 ft/s � 30 ft/s). It also provides protection 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 III�A.44 Magnum, .357 SIG This armor protects against.357 SIG FMJ FN bullets with a specified mass of 8.1 g (125 gr) and a velocity of 430 m/s � 9.1 m/s (1410 ft/s � 30 ft/s) and with .44 Magnum SJHP bullets with a specified mass of 15.6 g (240 gr) and a velocity of 408 m/s � 9.1 m/s (1340 ft/s � 30 ft/s).It also provides 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 concealable body armor and is generally suitable for routine wear in many situations.
Type IIIhigh-powered rifle, .762mm., 5.56mm., 12-gauge rifle slug This armor, normally of hard or semirigid construction, protects against 7.62mm full-metal jacketed bullets (U.S. military designation M80), with nominal masses of 9.7 g(150 gr), impacting at a velocity of 838 m/s(2,750 ft/s) or less. It also provides protection 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 .30�06 caliber armor-piercing bullets This armor protects against .30 caliber AP bullets (U.S. Military designation M2 AP) with a specified mass of 10.8 g (166 gr) and a velocity of 878 m/s � 9.1 m/s (2880 ft/s � 30 ft/s). 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 materials 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 tactical situations when the threat warrants such protection.

NO armor is ever 100% �bulletproof� under ALL conceivable circumstances.
*Please consult the latest NIJ Standards-0101.06