Different levels of body armor protect against different levels of ammunition. However, according to the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ) official performance standard, known as NIJ 0101.06 each level of body armor must defeat six rounds of test ammunition for that level.
So, what rounds can each level of body armor stop, and which body armor is right for you?
What to consider when purchasing body armor
- Protection: Do you expect to encounter pistol or rifle rounds?
- Concealability: Hard armor is much more difficult to conceal than soft armor
- Weight: If you’re going to wear your armor for a longer period of time, then a lighter-weight option may be more suitable
- Price: More expensive plates allow you to make fewer compromises on the features you want
Pistol-rated body armor
For protection against ammunition fired from handguns, you’ll want to check out Level II and Level IIIA armor.
Level II Armor
This is a soft, lightweight body armor that protects against common pistol rounds. It’s lightweight, inexpensive, and protects against 95% of ammunition used in shootings.
Features
- Protection: defeats 22LR, .380, 9mm, .40, .45 ACP, and .357 MAG
- Differences: Often the difference between level II and Level IIIA is backface deformation survivability. Some level II armor is capable of physically stopping the same threats level IIIA will, but at the expense of deforming to a point of still being lethal.
We sincerely recommend given how close in price level IIIA and Level II are to simply navigate to level IIIA.
Level IIIA Armor
Level IIIA armor is available in both soft and steel materials and protects against the calibers in Level II, plus the more powerful handgun rounds, .357 SIG and .44 MAG, and their appropriated back face deformation. It can handle these threats up to a velocity of 1,430 feet per second.
Features
- Protection: defeats 22LR, .380, 9mm, .40, .45 ACP, and .357 MAG. It also defeats more powerful handgun rounds .357 SIG and .44 MAG up to a velocity of 1,430 feet per second.
- Differences
- Soft Armor: 5-year shelf life and multi-hit capability
- Steel Armor: 20-year shelf life, multi-hit capability, and edge-to-edge protection
Though the Level IIIA still won’t stop rifle rounds, it is an attractive option for those who want protection against the most common threats. As with Level II, this is affordable, even with the added protection. Level IIIA soft armor is also recommended for concealment-type capacities if armor needs to be hidden underneath clothing.
Rifle-rated body armor
Now we take a step up to rarer, but more deadly, threats. If you want rifle-rated protection, you need to begin looking at Level III.
Level III Armor
Level III armor is available in both steel and polyethylene (PE) materials. While both materials are multi-hit capable, only steel gives you edge-to-edge protection and also handles backface deformation better than PE.
Level III covers everything in Level IIIA, plus rifle rounds, including most Military & NATO calibers. The chart below details the protection differences between the various Level III Steel options (including III+ and III+ Lightweight) and Level III PE plates:
(if on a mobile device: enable auto-rotate screen and rotate phone horizontally to view the entire chart)
| Level III Steel | Level III+ Steel | Level III+ LW Steel | Level III UHMWPE | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5.56 M193 | No | Yes (up to 3,100 FPS) | Yes (up to 3,000 FPS) | Yes (up to 3,150 FPS) |
| 5.56 M855/SS109 ‘green tip’ | Yes (up to 2,780 FPS) | Yes (up to 3,100 FPS) | Yes | No |
| 7.62x39 AK 47 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (up to 2,380 FPS) |
| 7.62x51 M80 NATO Ball | Yes (up to 2,780 FPS) | Yes (up to 3,000 FPS) | Yes (up to 2,850 FPS) | Yes (up to 2,800 FPS) |
Features:
- Differences
- Steel Armor: 20-year shelf life, multi-hit capability, and edge-to-edge protection
- Polyethylene: 5-year shelf life, multi-hit capability, lightweight and buoyant
Level III is a cost-effective solution to adding armor in unconventional places like the back seat of cars and backpacks.
View the AR500 Armor® Heritage Plate.
Level III+ Steel Armor
We construct our Level III+ steel armor from our very own improved ballistic steel core to defeat higher velocity threats. These are the threats that typical level III armor can’t handle. We specially formulate this option to have increased material hardness to outperform other alternatives.
Features:
- Protection
- 5.56x45 M193
- 5.56x45 M855/SS109
- 7.62x51 M80 Ball (.308) rifle threats up to 3,100 feet per second
- 7.62x51 AP (Black Tip)
- Benefit: Exceeds the performance rating for Level III, increasing strength by about 30%.
In terms of protection and cost, level III+ is the best option to provide you with all 5.56 protection in an affordable multi-hit capable plate.
View the Armored Republic's A1 Plate or A3 Plate which offers the following III+ special rated protection:
- Protection
- 7.62x51mm NATO M80 Ball
- Steel-jacketed bullets (U.S. Military designation M80) with a specified mass of 9.6 g (147gr) and a velocity of 2,780 ft/s (+/- 30 ft/s)
- Special threat protection against M193, M855, and 7.62x39mm PS Ball
Level III+ Lightweight Steel Armor
In 2015, the Armored Republic developed a lightweight version of the Level III+. The core is extremely similar to the Level III+, but this version is thinner and lighter. You can now get the protection described above in Level III+, weighing in at only around 5 pounds.
Features:
- Benefits: lighter weight than Level III+, yet similar protection
If you’re somebody who wants the enhanced ballistic protection we offer in Level III+ but have some concerns about the added weight in your steel armor, this one is for you.
View the Armored Republic's A2 Plate.
Level III UHMWPE Armor
Level III Polyethylene (UHMWPE) armor floats in water, weighs less than steel, and is effective against non-armor-piercing or ammo.
Features:
- Benefits: buoyant and lighter weight than steel
A lot of people are fans of PE armor and for good reason. If you’re not quite as concerned with armor-piercing rounds, if you work on or around water, or if you’re not constrained by your budget, you may want to consider it.
View the Armored Republic's P2 Plate.
Level IV Armor
Level IV armor is the highest level of defense you’ll find on the market. This ceramic plate offers maximum protection against a high-grade military threat. Armored Republic’s C2 Multi-Hit plate can stop a .30 caliber armor-piercing bullet, with a mass of 10.8g, at speeds of up to 2,880 ft/s. The U.S. Military designation for this is an M2 AP (30.06).
Level IV seems to be the one threat level surrounded with the most misinformation and confusion. We hear a lot of the following: "Level IV is lighter than steel", "Level IV does not fragment", "Level IV is close in cost to steel", and "Level IV is the best protection level". Well, not quite.
- Level IV armor, depending on the cut, can weigh between 6 to 8 lbs, while some steel and polyethylene alternatives can weigh between 3.3 to 5.5 lbs.
- Level IV plates also fragment when hit quite substantially. Although fragmentation is not as bad as an uncoated steel plate, the ability to take secondary injury from fragmentation on ceramic plates is an absolute reality.
- We hear that the cost of ceramic plates is close to the cost of steel plates. The reality is ceramic plates have a 5-year shelf life and must be replaced four times before your steel plates will need to be. This means before the cost can be adequately compared, you'll need to multiply the cost of the ceramic plates by four.
- Ceramic was employed by the DOD (Department of Defense) to combat the most frequent threats that were encountered in the GWOT (Global War on Terrorism), that is, explosive and sniper attacks. Fortunately, IED (improvised explosive device), and VBIEDs (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device and armor) piercing sniper attacks are not a problem stateside, and limiting and reducing our armor to address these threats will often have us coming up short in the standard engagement types we do see in the United States, such as semi-auto battle rifles often encountered in home invasions. For these threats, Level III+ protection is more than adequate and will often be more advantageous when used in the home invasion scenario outlined above.
The only people we strongly recommend Level IV plates for are end-users who will potentially be facing explosives or sniper attacks. For everyone concerned with rough handling, cost, fragmentation, shelf life, and multi-hit capability we recommend our steel plates with build-up coating.
View the Armored Republic's C2 Multi-Hit Plate.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are some important decisions to make when selecting your level of body armor. As you begin to make an informed choice, you’ll want to:
- Determine the types of threats you want protection from
- Figure out what’s within your budget
- Know your physical limits and how much extra weight you can carry
Having thought these things through, you’re already way ahead of most people when it comes to personal defense. To continue your search for the armor that’s best suited for your needs, go to our levels of body armor protection page.