FragLock

Base Coat v. Build-Up Coat 

Our Base Coat:

Seals the plate from sweat and other elements that would cause degradation of the steel core

Provides a constant path of resistance to the perpendicular travel of fragmentation - essentially redirecting fragmentation off-body at a 5-15 degree angle. Although this coating is excellent for back side usage such as on the back of a plate carrier or in a backpack, it does not address potential fragmentation on the front side that could make its way into the arms and legs and underside of your chin. 

Plate Carriers Armored Republic offers contain most of the fragmentation and spalling. 

Build Up Coat:

We wanted to offer a plate coating to address all fragmentation threats. After extensive testing, we found that when our coating is sprayed to a particular thickness, it will capture all fragmentation from a stopped projectile.

Return/Exchange

We cover our bases

When we introduced our ballistic plates from Armored Republic in 2012, we knew fragmentation was something we had to address.

When bare steel is shot, fragmentation travels perpendicular to the plate’s surface. 

After experimenting with several coatings available on the market to address fragmentation, and not finding one we were happy with, we decided to make our own; FragLock™. 

Fraglock is a proprietary coating not found with any other company and is NOT a truck bed liner. Its formula was engineered to address ballistic threats from its inception. 

We offer Fraglock sprayed in two coating thickness types: Base Coat and Build-Up Coat. 

• Our Base Coatspray does two things:
  1. Seals the plate from sweat and other elements that would cause degradation of the steel core
  2. Provides a constant path of resistance to the perpendicular travel of fragmentation - essentially redirecting fragmentation off-body at a 5-15 degree angle. Although this coating is excellent for back side usage such as on the back of a plate carrier or in a backpack, it does not address potential fragmentation on the front side that could make its way into the arms and legs and underside of your chin. 
• This brings us to our Build Up coating. We wanted to offer a plate coating to address all fragmentation threats. After extensive testing, we found that when our coating is sprayed to a particular thickness, it will capture all fragmentation from a stopped projectile.

Spall vs Fragmentation 

One thing we see frequently are these two terms used interchangeably. Keep in mind they are not: 

• Fragmentation: occurs when a high-velocity projectile (like a bullet) hits a surface hard enough to cause it to break. Once broken apart, the subsequent pieces or fragments that have not fully dumped their velocity begin to travel in an outward direction from the point of impact. Generally speaking, with steel core armor, due to the flex capabilities of ballistic steel, you will only deal with fragmentation if it stops a threat. 
• Spalling: is when pieces of the armor are broken off and become a backward threat to the wearer. Generally speaking, only ceramic-type armor spalls. Spalling occurs with ceramic-type armor even when it works meaning additional safety precautions are needed with ceramic. This is why all stand-alone level IV plates have to have some type of soft armor backers. Contrary to popular belief, ceramic armor is susceptible to both fragmentation and spalling.   

Armored Republic’s FragLock Coating

Armored Republic revolutionized the armor industry by being the first to market with our fragmentation mitigation coating. Since then, we’ve continued to master the process - so much so we consider it an art form, utilizing artisan-level craftsmen in its application.

Each of our armor plates goes through a series of processes to ensure proper surface prep. This allows maximum adhesion of the FragLock coating making it as effective as possible. Our armor goes through four stages of cleaning and prep before it even hits our coating booth. Part of this process is hand applying the FragLock coating at just the right amount of thickness which has shown to be the best balance of elasticity and durability. After curing, the plates then go through a multi-stage quality control process to ensure the coating has been evenly applied and is free from imperfections.  

FragLock Base Coat and Build-Up Coat plates offer an extremely durable finish that is chemical resistant, waterproof, wear-resistant, and requires little to no maintenance during its lifetime. All coatings are applied by hand (note that due to our plates being hand sprayed, our plate weights have a variation of +/- 10% of the overall plate weight) and are proudly inspected in our Phoenix AZ facility in the USA. 

Even with all of this, we continually test our current and potential formulas to make sure we bring you the very best fragmentation mitigation coating on the market. 

Our testing is extensive and the coating's effectiveness is clear. Watch the videos below.

YouTube Links:

Common Myths:

Fragmentation Will Kill You

To date, not a single person has been reported to die of fragmentation from armor usage. However, many have been led to believe (and endlessly echo) that fragmentation is an immensely dangerous threat to the wearer. Some even go so far as to claim fragmentation is a more dangerous threat than the original bullet that the armor successfully stopped. Videos online that attempt to compare plate materials also sometimes push deceptive narratives, especially when endless volleys of rounds are involved (as opposed to the more realistic 1-6 hits per plate). One such video indicated a lethal passthrough on a ceramic plate was less of a concern with the advent of a small piece of non-lethal fragmentation from a steel plate. This was despite a higher number of rounds stopped by the steel plate before any fragmentation left the coating of the plate. This test clearly showed ceramic as inferior but the information was presented counter to the results shown.

In theory, lethal fragmentation is possible. But a simple threat evaluation would indicate that it is so unlikely that it is a non-issue. The mentality of rejecting steel’s immense stopping power out of an abstract fear of fragmentation can be likened to refusing to drive a car because the gas a car uses is flammable. In extreme circumstances, it is possible for fragmentation to be lethal, but to date, a lethality has not occurred. With millions of plates already in circulation, and hundreds of lives already saved, there is no reason to expect you will be that first ill-providenced soul to receive lethal injuries from the after-effects of a successful stop. And for those still wary, we are happy to offer fragmentation protective coatings and plates with materials that do not produce fragmentation on impact, such as UHMWPE (Body Armor Myths).