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Body Armor Basics

The Difference Between Concealable and Tactical Body Armor

Concealable armor is worn under clothing and tactical armor over it. What CJTTEC says about soft and hard armor and about the choice of carrier, what the tests do and do not say, and how to choose.

ArmorList Editorial·November 24, 2024·7 min read

Understanding the difference between concealable body armor and tactical body armor matters to anyone choosing armor, whether you are a law enforcement officer, in the military, or a civilian looking for protection.

The two are not two grades of the same thing. They differ in how they are worn, and often in what they carry: protection level, comfort, mobility and discretion all enter the choice.

This article sets out what official sources say about each, and labels our own advice as ours.

Understanding body armor basics

Body armor is rated against the threats named in the standard it was tested to. NIJ certifies body armor for law enforcement model by model: ballistic armor under NIJ 0101.06 and 0101.07, and stab armor on its own list, under NIJ 0115.00. A ballistic rating does not cover knives unless the model is also listed for stab.

Body armor comes in two primary forms: soft armor and hard armor. CJTTEC, which administers the NIJ Compliance Testing Program, says NIJ 0101.07 names its levels "HG" for handgun and "RF" for rifle, with "a reduction in soft-armor levels and an additional hard-armor protection level". Soft armor is flexible panels, and it is what concealable vests carry.

Hard armor is rigid plates. A plate can be listed as stand-alone, or as tested in conjunction with (ICW) a specific soft armor model, and CJTTEC says an ICW plate should be used only with the soft armor it was tested with.

NIJ has published its own count of what armor has done in the field: in October 2006, it wrote that the body armor its standards and testing cover had been in use for 30 years and had saved at least 3,000 officers' lives.

What is concealable body armor

Concealable body armor is worn under clothing. CJTTEC says concealable armor allows a wearer to have a more traditional look, worn under the duty uniform with uniform items over it. In our view it suits wearers who need a low profile, such as plainclothes officers and some security roles.

Concealable armor is soft armor made from layers of high-strength fibers, such as aramid (Kevlar is a para-aramid fiber that Stephanie Kwolek invented at DuPont in 1965; the brand now belongs to Arclin) or ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE; Spectra is a brand of UHMWPE fiber made by Solstice Advanced Materials). The names identify fiber families, not the quality of a given product.

Key features of concealable armor

In a 2009 study listed by NIJ, concealable armor measured close to no armor on upper body range of motion, while external armor lowered it on most measurements.

In our view, concealable armor's other feature is that it can be worn with a range of clothing, from a uniform to business or casual wear. For how to do that, see How to Wear Body Armor Under Clothes.

What it is tested to stop is its level, not its form. A concealable vest carries soft armor, and in our view it should not be relied on against rifle rounds unless its own record names them.

What is tactical body armor

Tactical body armor is worn over clothing, in an external carrier. CJTTEC says external carriers are a bit larger and usually thicker than concealable ones, and that many are made of material that matches the duty uniform shirt. "Tactical" is a trade term, not an NIJ category: no NIJ standard sets armor by carrier style.

In our view, tactical armor is used where the wearer expects higher threats or needs to carry gear, such as tactical teams and active-threat response. A tactical carrier can hold soft armor, hard plates, or both. The plates may be ceramic, steel or polyethylene, often combined with a fiber backing; what a plate stops is the level of the exact model that was tested. For more, check out Materials Used in Armor Plates Explained.

Key features of tactical armor

Many tactical carriers use attachment webbing in the style of MOLLE, the U.S. Army's Modular Lightweight Load-carrying Equipment, whose webbing the Army describes as being for attaching additional pouches. For more on carriers, read Exploring Different Types of Plate Carriers.

On repeated hits, a level is earned against a defined shot pattern: named rounds, a set number of shots and set placement. The addenda to NIJ 0101.07 describe hard armor test items shot six times, in a "dice" pattern, or three times. Real-world multi-hit capacity beyond the test is not established by it, for any armor.

In our view, a heavier, larger carrier costs weight and mobility, and that cost belongs in the choice.

Level of protection differences

The difference in protection comes from what is in the carrier, not from the carrier style. The rifle rounds in NIJ 0123.00 are tested at 2,400 to 3,250 ft/s, against 1,305 to 1,470 ft/s for the handgun rounds.

So a concealable vest with soft armor alone is, in our view, a handgun-level choice, and a tactical carrier with rifle plates covers the rifle rounds the plate's level names. In our view, the question to ask is whether your threat assessment includes rifles. If you are curious about what the rifle levels are tested against, visit Breaking Down Hard Body Armor Levels.

Comfort and mobility considerations

Comfort and mobility affect how the wearer works. A 2017 systematic review of studies on law enforcement personnel found that body armor increased perceived exertion and the time needed to complete functional tasks, and reduced balance and stability. Its authors conclude that armor should be selected with the wearers' physical fitness in mind.

In our view, the lighter, flexible concealable vest is the one that can be worn all shift, and the heavier tactical setup is the one that is put on for a task. Armor that is too heavy to wear tends to stay in the locker.

Choosing the right armor for your needs

CJTTEC says there is no right or wrong answer between concealable and external carriers, and that some agencies prefer armor under the uniform and others over it, as a matter of agency policy. Our advice:

  1. Start from the threats in your assessment: handgun, rifle, or edged weapon.
  2. Match the listing or test to the threat: an HG level for handguns, an RF level for rifles, a stab listing for edged weapons.
  3. Choose the carrier for the role: concealable where discretion and all-day wear matter, tactical where plates and gear are needed. Some roles use both, with soft armor worn daily and a plate carrier staged for escalation.
  4. Check that a plate is stand-alone or ICW, and with which soft armor.
  5. Check the record. Where a buyer, policy or funder requires NIJ compliance, as the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) does, check the exact model on the Compliant Products List (CPL), with the date you read it. For a model outside the NIJ program, check the standard it claims and the lab report behind it.

For guidance on fit, refer to The Right Way to Fit Body Armor.

Conclusion

Concealable armor is worn under clothing and is soft armor. Tactical armor is worn over clothing, and can carry rifle plates and gear. The protection is the level of each panel and plate, not the style of the carrier.

Choose by the threats you assess, the time you will wear it, and the record of the exact model.

Share your thoughts

Questions about concealable or tactical armor, or about a model's record? Contact us.

Sources

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