The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, evaluation and technology agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. For body armor, it publishes the performance standards and runs a Compliance Testing Program that lists compliant armor by model. This article sets out what the current standards are, what changed with the latest edition, and what that means for anyone reading a claim. It reports what the records say; it never ranks or endorses a product.
Two documents, two jobs
NIJ published two standards together in November 2023. NIJ Standard 0101.07 sets the performance requirements and test methods for ballistic-resistant body armor. NIJ Standard 0123.00 defines the protection levels and their test threats: HG1 and HG2 for handguns, and RF1, RF2 and RF3 for rifles.
NIJ's stated reason for moving the threats into a separate document is interoperability. With the levels in one place, NIJ can respond to a new threat once, instead of revising several equipment standards. NIJ anticipates that future revisions of its helmet and shield standards will reference 0123.00 as well. NIJ has also published addenda to both documents.
What changed from 0101.06
- The level names. Level II became HG1 and Level IIIA became HG2. Levels III and IV were revised into three rifle levels, and Level IIA was retired with no successor. The names follow a lineage, and NIJ 0123.00 says, for example, that RF1 replaces Level III and 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.
- The rifle threats. The 0123.00 rifle test 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.
- Shot placement. NIJ reconfigured shot placement to probe vulnerabilities from construction features and from angled impacts near panel edges, and added a shot near the top center edge of soft armor panels.
- Armor designed for women. 0101.07 improves the test methods for shaped panels: new clay appliques, made from standardized molds, give nonplanar panels better contact with the clay backing, and new shot requirements assess the shaping features.
The role of ASTM
0101.07 builds its test procedures on test methods and practices published by ASTM International. The NIJ standard still sets the requirements and the levels; the ASTM documents describe how parts of the test are carried out.
How the program uses the standards
The Compliance Testing Program is administered for NIJ by its Criminal Justice Technology Testing and Evaluation Center (CJTTEC). A manufacturer submits each model; samples are tested at NIJ-approved laboratories; and when NIJ finds the model compliant, it issues a Notice of Compliance and adds the model to the Compliant Products List (CPL). NIJ describes this as certifying torso-worn ballistic-resistant body armor for law enforcement.
The CPL is per model. Listed models are subject to follow-up inspection and testing (FIT), and each entry carries a status: Active, Suspended or Inactive. A model can be suspended under an NIJ Advisory Notice or removed under a Safety Notice. Stab armor is tested to a different standard, NIJ 0115.00, and has its own list.
Two lists, side by side
- NIJ stopped accepting new 0101.06 models for testing on 5 January 2024. Listed models stay listed, subject to FIT.
- Since October 2024 the program evaluates ballistic armor against 0101.07, and NIJ has published a 0101.07 list.
- NIJ anticipates maintaining the 0101.06 list through at least the end of 2029. A 0101.06 listing is not expired; it is closed to new models.
So a buyer can meet models listed under either standard. A 0101.06 Level IIIA listing is not an HG2 listing, whatever the model is called.
What agencies should check
- Name the standard, edition and level in the requirement, and decide in writing whether 0101.06 listings are acceptable.
- Find the exact model on the list for the standard it claims.
- Read its status and note the date you read it.
- For a plate, check whether it was tested alone or in conjunction with a specific soft armor model.
A standard sets the test; the CPL records which models passed it. Check the exact model on the right list, and keep the date you read its status.
Sources
- NIJ, About the National Institute of Justice (read 2026-09-29)
- NIJ, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor, NIJ Standard 0101.07 (read 2026-09-26)
- NIJ, NIJ Ballistic-Resistance Body Armor Standards Updates (fact sheet) (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, Body Armor Performance Standards and Compliance Testing (read 2026-09-29)
- NIJ, Compliant Products List: Ballistic Resistant Body Armor (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, NIJ Standard 0101.07 Information (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, New Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor Standard Published (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor (read 2026-09-29)
- CJTTEC, Compliant Product Lists (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, NIJ Advisory Notices and NIJ Safety Notices (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, Body Armor FAQs (read 2026-09-25)
- CJTTEC, Compliant Product List: Stab Armor (read 2026-09-25)