A body armor rating is a short name for a test. It says which rounds a model was tested against, under which standard, and nothing beyond that. This article sets out the ratings a U.S. buyer is most likely to meet, what each one refers to, and how to check a rating against a record. It reports what the standards say; it never ranks or endorses a product.
A rating belongs to a standard
In the United States, the reference for law enforcement body armor is the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). NIJ publishes the standards and lists compliant armor by model on its Compliant Products List (CPL). A level name means something only inside the standard that defines it, and today there are two NIJ sets in use.
- NIJ Standard 0101.06 uses Levels IIA, II, IIIA, III and IV.
- NIJ Standard 0101.07 uses the levels defined in NIJ Standard 0123.00: HG1 and HG2 for handguns, RF1, RF2 and RF3 for rifles.
Other bodies publish their own ratings. The UK Home Office uses levels such as HO1 to HO4, and VPAM, an association of European test laboratories, numbers its levels. Each uses its own threats and pass criteria, so a level name from one does not carry into another.
The 0101.06 levels
NIJ's guide to the 0101.06 levels describes them this way:
- Level IIA: tested against 9mm and .40 S&W rounds fired from short-barrel handguns.
- Level II: tested against 9mm and .357 Magnum rounds from short-barrel handguns.
- Level IIIA: tested against .357 SIG and .44 Magnum rounds.
- Level III: tested against 7.62mm full metal jacket rifle rounds.
- Level IV: tested against .30 caliber steel core armor-piercing rifle rounds.
Levels IIA to IIIA are handgun ratings only. None of them is a rifle rating.
The 0101.07 levels
0101.07 moved the levels into 0123.00 and changed them. Level II became HG1 and Level IIIA became HG2. Levels III and IV were revised into three rifle levels, RF1, RF2 and RF3, and Level IIA was retired with no successor. The 0123.00 rifle threats include the 7.62x51mm M80, the 5.56mm M193 and the 5.56mm M855 rounds; RF2 was added to cover the M855, and RF3 includes a .30-06 armor-piercing round.
NIJ 0123.00 maps some old levels to new ones (RF1 replaces Level III; RF3 replaces Level IV), but a model's listing does not carry over: a model is listed under 0101.07 only once it has been tested to it. A 0101.06 Level IIIA rating and a 0101.07 HG2 rating were tested under different standards.
NIJ stopped accepting new 0101.06 models on 5 January 2024. Listed 0101.06 models stay listed, and NIJ anticipates maintaining that list through at least the end of 2029. A 0101.06 rating is not expired.
What a rating does not say
- It is not a promise against every round. NIJ's user guide says no body armor is bulletproof, and that armor can be penetrated by an impact too close to an edge or to another impact.
- It does not cover stab threats. Stab armor is tested to NIJ Standard 0115.00 and has its own list.
- It does not cover every product. The Department of Justice has stated that NIJ has never tested or certified ballistic backpacks, blankets or briefcases.
- It is about the model as tested. A plate tested in conjunction with a specific soft armor model should be used only with that soft armor.
Ratings and the record
NIJ certifies torso-worn ballistic armor for law enforcement that complies with its Compliance Testing Program, and it does so by model. A rating on a label is a claim; the record is the exact model on the CPL for the standard it names. Listed models are subject to follow-up inspection and testing, and each entry carries a status: Active, Suspended or Inactive.
Fit is separate from the rating. NIJ guidance advises selecting armor that gives full front, back and side protection, and ASTM E3003 sets out how to measure a wearer and fit armor.
What to check
- The standard and edition the rating is under: 0101.06, 0101.07, or another body's.
- The level, as that standard names it.
- The exact model on the list for that standard, its status, and the date you read it.
- For a plate, whether it was tested alone or with a specific soft armor.
A rating names a test. Find the exact model on the list for its standard, and note the date you read its status.
Sources
- NIJ, Understanding NIJ 0101.06 Armor Protection Levels (read 2026-09-29)
- NIJ, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor, NIJ Standard 0101.06 (read 2026-09-29)
- NIJ, Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats, NIJ Standard 0123.00 (read 2026-09-25)
- NIJ, NIJ Standard 0123.00 (PDF) (read 2026-09-29)
- NIJ, Compliant Products List: Ballistic Resistant Body Armor (read 2026-09-25)
- NIJ, Body Armor Performance Standards and Compliance Testing (read 2026-09-29)
- NIJ, Body Armor User Guide (read 2026-09-29)
- CJTTEC, New Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor Standard Published (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, Compliant Product Lists (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, Compliant Product List: Stab Armor (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, Body Armor FAQs (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, Body Armor Selection and Fit (read 2026-09-25)
- U.S. Department of Justice, Justice Department Statement on Claims of NIJ Certification of Ballistic Backpacks (read 2026-09-29)
- UK Home Office, Body Armour Standard (2017), CAST publication 012/17 (read 2026-09-25)
- VPAM, APR test guideline, edition 3 (read 2026-09-25)
- ASTM E3003-25, Standard Practice for Body Armor Wearer Measurement and Fitting of Armor (read 2026-10-01)