NIJ 0101.07 is here. The biggest change to body armor in 15 years.
The Roman-numeral levels are gone, the threats now live in their own standard, and NIJ publishes a 0101.07 Compliant Products List alongside the 0101.06 one. What follows is what changed, why it changed, and how to check a claim before you buy.
Three shifts every buyer and supplier needs to absorb.
HG1 and HG2 are the handgun levels and RF1, RF2 and RF3 the rifle levels, so the name says what the armor was tested against. Level IIA was retired with no successor, and RF2 adds 5.56 M855, a round the old Level III was never tested against.
The levels and their test rounds now live in NIJ 0123.00, and the test method stays in 0101.07, so threats can be updated without rewriting the method. Cite 0123.00 with its addenda: addendum 2 was published on 8 July 2025.
NIJ has published the initial 0101.07 Compliant Products List, and expects to maintain the 0101.06 list through at least the end of 2029. A model listed on one is not listed on the other: confirm the exact model on the list for the standard it claims.
| Threat class | NIJ 0101.06 (old) | NIJ 0101.07 (new) | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Handgun, common | II (approx.) | HG1 | Everyday handgun protection, concealable soft armor. |
| Handgun, higher | IIIA (approx.) | HG2 | Higher-velocity handgun rounds. |
| Rifle, common | III (approx.) | RF1 | Common rifle threats, hard plates. |
| Rifle, M855 gap | — | RF2 | New rating built to cover 5.56 M855. |
| Rifle, higher | IV (approx.) | RF3 | Higher rifle threats, armor-piercing class. |
Crosswalk is approximate for orientation, not a certification equivalence: HG2 is not a renamed IIIA, because the test rounds differ. Compare every level with the exact test rounds and velocities in the Standards Registry.
A fifteen-year road from 0101.06 to 0101.07.
Standards evolve when failures demand it. Each step below is a lesson that shaped the new standard.
- Early 2000sThe Zylon failure
Zylon-fiber armor degraded in service, proof that materials and aging must be tested, not assumed.
- 20080101.06 published
Environmental conditioning and FIT factory surveillance, the certification baseline for 15 years.
- 2008 to 2023Threats outgrew it
Rifle threats grew past the one round Level III was tested against, 7.62 M80. The market invented "III+," and armor shaped for women had no test protocol of its own.
- Nov 20230101.07 + 0123.00
New levels, new threats, new test science, modular and built to update without a rewrite.
- Oct 2024Testing moves to .07
New 0101.06 submissions closed on 5 January 2024, and since October 2024 the program tests against 0101.07. NIJ has since published the initial 0101.07 list.
Every 0101.07 model, indexed and cross-checked.
38 models are listed under NIJ 0101.07 in the catalog today, each tied to its NIJ listing with the date that listing was read.
- HS152FCraig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd.RF1
- HS153FCraig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd.RF1
- LWX-HG1Survival ArmorHG1
The source is NIJ itself: the standard, its addenda and the 0101.07 compliant products list are published on the official NIJ 0101.07 page.
Verify everything. The CPL decides.
A claim is only as good as the listing behind it. Use this checklist on every vendor you evaluate, and treat the red flags as disqualifying.
Guidance and explainers.
The common myths, marketing gimmicks, and fraudulent claims around NIJ 0101.07, 0123.00, and 0101.06, answered plainly.
NIJ publishes a 0101.07 Compliant Products List alongside the 0101.06 one. A 0101.07 claim still needs the exact model on the 0101.07 list.
Body-armor compliance is a system, not a label. A plain breakdown of who tests, who lists, and where misunderstanding creates risk.
"NIJ certified" is NIJ's own term, and it points to one model on the NIJ Compliant Products List. Here is what it covers and how to check it.
Need a hand with the transition?
Buyers verify what they are quoted. Suppliers relist correctly. ArmorTrack owners find compliant replacements. Start where you are.