Body armor ratings tell you how well you'll be protected after being hit with a bullet. Experts do tests in a controlled environment to check the amount of impact the armor absorbs and how it stops bullets coming from different angles.
According to the National Institute of Justice, wearing body armor has saved over 3000 police officers' lives over the past 3 decades.
Checking how well armor protects you is an important thing. Many people have escaped life-threatening injuries in their line of duty or after random attacks by wearing body armor.
If you're looking for gear to protect yourself, you need to think about body armor ratings.
What Are the Body Armor Level Ratings?
If you've heard someone talking about body armor level ratings, they were referring to the amount of force the gear can handle. Injuries caused by guns aren't always the same. The armor industry standards are:
- Level II, which is for common handgun rounds
- Level IIIA to protect you when around higher-velocity handguns
- Level III for many standard rifle threats
- Level IV targeting bullets from an armor-piercing rifle
It becomes easier to get yourself the best gear once you know about the ratings.
Can a Bulletproof Vest Stop a Bullet?
Yes. The safety performance determined by the rating is what you need to focus on.
You can avoid injuries caused by handguns with a soft vest, but it's always better to wear the highest protection you can handle in your environment. If you expect to be around rifles, you'll be better off wearing a hard plate.
Bullets from rifles travel much faster than those from handguns, which is why you need higher-rated gear for some situations.
The Core of Body Armor Testing
Armor quality assessment gives you peace of mind whenever you're shopping for protection gear. The experts conducting the tests have a lot of training for safety purposes.
Expert armor evaluation involves measuring things like:
- Penetration resistance: Armor will pass for a specific rating if the testers shoot from a specific distance, and no bullet manages to go through the material.
- Energy dispersion: The risk of injury is greatly reduced if armor can absorb the impact instead of transferring it to your body and harming your tissues or bones.
- Backface deformation: If a bullet hits and doesn't make a huge dent, anyone wearing the body armor is less likely to have blunt trauma or a broken bone.
Experts consider the speed at which a bullet is travelling and the type of gun it came from when doing these tests. Absorbing the energy from the bullet without letting it pass through is what they look at for each rating level.
What Happens During Body Armor Testing
It isn't helpful to test body armor indoors in a comfortable room in Ohio when there's a high chance those who will use it will be in a completely different space.
Controlling the environment is important since it helps experts know how the gear will work for people wearing it in different areas. Key things specialists fine-tune during different tests are:
- The temperature
- Humidity
- Angle of impact
It's essential for experts to understand how different conditions may affect the safety body armor offers. A rating won't be accurate if the test is only happening under specific conditions, which may change when in a different state or room.
You'll find experts heating, freezing, or even soaking armor in water to see how it works. If they fire a round and it causes a dent or backface deformation, they record it.
The process helps experts know if they need to change the material to a certain quality so the armor can offer better protection.
You can browse high cut ballistic helmets to see the kind of quality materials that pass these tests. The helmets are what many experts use to ensure they have consistent protection because they undergo the same rating process as body armor.
Body Armor Ratings Go Beyond Ballistics
Ballistics tests are important when it comes to rating body armor, but they aren't the only thing experts focus on. Other tests are:
- Fragmentation tests: Good body armor can also protect you from shrapnel or debris from explosions.
- Durability tests: You need high-quality armor, and experts check if it can stay in good condition at all times.
- Thermal and moisture tests: Your protection shouldn't reduce when you sweat or when the weather changes.
- Weight and comfort analysis: Feeling comfortable when wearing body armor can encourage you to use it more often and save your life.
If body armor passes such tests, you'll feel more confident and safer when using it in the real world.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Often Should Body Armor Be Replaced?
Every 5-20 years. The durability of any body armor will depend on the material used to make it and how you maintain it.
You can check the expiration dates since manufacturers include them to let you know when you might need new gear.
Fibers used to make body armor wear down with time. To get the best protection, you should always replace yours when it's due.
What's the Difference Between Soft and Hard Armor?
You can go for soft armor if you need handgun protection. It's more flexible than hard armor. Laminated fibers like Kevlar are some of the materials used to make it.
Hard armor uses:
- Steel
- Ceramic
- Polyethylene plates
Can Body Armor Stop Knife Attacks?
Not always. The force from being stabbed with a knife is quite different from a bullet, so don't rely on your body armor fully.
Ballistic armor is for stopping bullets, not sharp blades. If you get body armor offering stab resistance, you can also protect yourself during a knife attack.
The Expertise Behind Body Armor Ratings
Body armor ratings will guide you when looking for protection as a civilian or someone in law enforcement.
Testing happens under different temperatures, and experts often use different guns to see how armor reacts to the force. You can ensure your gear gives you protection when you need it the most by buying from compliant companies.
Explore our news page for more updates on protective gear.
This article was prepared by an independent contributor and helps us continue to deliver quality news and information.
