Standards registry
Every standard we track, in one registry.
Body armor is tested against published standards, and the standard is the only thing that turns a claim into a fact. These are the documents this platform indexes, each linked to whoever publishes it.
41
Standards tracked
13
Issuing bodies
24
Linked to source
What this registry is, and what it is not
This is an index of the documents, not a statement that any product complies with them. Compliance is per model and it is the Compliant Products List that states it, with the date the status was read. For what changed between NIJ 0101.06 and 0101.07, and how the threat classes line up, see the 0101.07 hub.
41 standards shown
ASTM D5264-98(2019) Standard Practice for Abrasion Resistance of Printed Materials by the Sutherland Rub Tester
Open the published documentASTM E29-22 Standard Practice for Using Significant Digits in Test Data to Determine Conformance with Specifications
Open the published documentASTM E3004-22 Standard Specification for Preparation and Verification of Clay Blocks Used in Ballistic-Resistance Testing of Torso Body Armor
Open the published documentASTM E3005-20 Standard Terminology for Body Armor
Open the published documentASTM E3107-17a Standard Test Method for Resistance to Penetration and Backface Deformation for Ballistic-resistant Torso Body Armor and Shoot Packs
Open the published documentASTM E3110/E3110M-22 Standard Test Method for Collection of Ballistic Limit Data for Ballistic-resistant Torso Body Armor and Shoot Packs
Open the published documentASTM E3111/E3111M-22 Standard Test Methods for Ballistic Resistant Head Protection
Open the published documentASTM E3112-17 Standard Test Method for Ballistic-resistant Products and Shoot Packs
Open the published documentASTM E3192/E3192M-20 Standard Practice for Soft Armor Conditioning by Tumbling
Open the published documentASTM E3347/E3347M-26 Standard Specification for Ballistic-Resistant Shields Used by Law Enforcement Officers
Open the published documentASTM E3368/E3368M-25 Standard Specification for Ballistic-Resistant Helmets Worn by U.S. Public Safety Officers
Open the published documentBallistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.06
NIJ Standard 0101.06 (July 2008) sets minimum performance requirements and test methods for the ballistic resistance of torso body armor, in five levels: Type IIA, II and IIIA for handgun threats, and Type III and IV for rifle threats. Before testing, some soft armor samples spend 10 days tumbling at 65 °C and 80 percent relative humidity, and hard plates are heat and humidity conditioned and then dropped onto concrete. On new samples, the dent a stopped round leaves in the clay behind the armor is limited to 44 mm (1.73 in), with a narrow statistical allowance and 50 mm as an absolute maximum. NIJ Standard 0101.07 is its revision, and armor certified to 0101.06 remains valid.
No public document link on recordBallistic Resistance of Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.07
NIJ Standard 0101.07 is NIJ's performance standard for ballistic-resistant body armor worn on the torso, covering both soft armor and hard armor plates. It uses the protection levels set in NIJ Standard 0123.00: HG1 and HG2 for handgun threats, and RF1, RF2 and RF3 for rifle threats. Before the shots, soft armor samples are conditioned by tumbling and hard plates go through impact durability conditioning. The NIJ Compliance Testing Program uses it to test, evaluate and certify body armor, and models that comply are listed by model on the NIJ Compliant Products List (NIJ CPL).
Open the published documentBallistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor NIJ Standard-0101.04
No public document link on recordBallistic Resistant Protective Materials - NIJ Standard 0108.01
NIJ Standard 0108.01 (September 1985) sets minimum performance requirements and test methods for ballistic resistant materials other than police body armor and helmets, such as portable ballistic shields, protected guard stations and control rooms, and vehicle armor. It classifies materials as Type I, II-A, II, III-A, III or IV, from small-caliber handguns to armor-piercing rifle rounds, plus a special type for threats the buyer names. A sample passes only if no shot perforates a thin aluminum witness plate placed behind it. It replaced NIJ Standard 0108.00 of December 1981.
No public document link on recordBody Armour Standard (2017) CAST Publication number: 012/17
No public document link on recordGA 141-2001 General specification for police body armor (China)
Open the published documentGA 141-2010 Police ballistic resistance of body armor (China)
Open the published documentGOST R 50744-95 Armour clothes. Classification and general technical requirements (Russia)
Open the published documentMIL-DTL-32332, DETAIL SPECIFICATION: ARMOR PLATE, STEEL, WROUGHT, ULTRA-HIGH-HARDNESS (24-JUL-2009)
Open the published documentMIL-DTL-44050B, DETAILED SPECIFICATION: CLOTH, BALLISTIC, ARAMID (06 FEB 2009) [SUPERSEDES MIL-C-44050A]
Open the published documentMIL-DTL-46100E, DETAIL SPECIFICATION: ARMOR PLATE, STEEL, WROUGHT, HIGH-HARDNESS (08 JUL 2008) [SUPERSEDING MIL-A-46100D]
Open the published documentMIL-STD-662F, MILITARY STANDARD: V50 BALLISTIC TEST FOR ARMOR (18 DEC 1997)
Open the published documentMIL-STD-810G, Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests
No public document link on recordNIJ 2005 Interim Requirements, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor
No public document link on recordNIJ Standard 0101.07, Ballistic Resistance of Body Armor Addendum 1 October 31, 2024
Addendum 1, issued by NIJ on October 31, 2024, revises NIJ Standard 0101.07 and is read as part of the standard. It refines what counts as a complete penetration for soft and hard armor, and requires shots on the creases that tumbling leaves in conditioned soft armor. It also sets where shots go on the neck scoop of soft panels and on the crown of curved plates, and which plate shots are measured for backface deformation.
Open the published documentNIJ Standard 0123.00, Specification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats Addendum 1 October 31, 2024
Addendum 1 (October 31, 2024) revises NIJ Standard 0123.00 and is read as part of it. It sets the 7.62x51mm M80 test bullet for NIJ RF1 and RF2 at 149 grains (+0/-3), up from 147. It also changes how the 7.62x39mm mild steel core test ammunition is audited: rounds are sampled from factory-sealed cans, and audited ammunition from different cans may be used on the same model.
Open the published documentNIJ Standard for Riot Helmets and Face Shields NIJ Standard-0104.02 October 1984
No public document link on recordPublic Safety Bomb Suit NIJ Standard 0117.01
No public document link on recordSelection & Application Guide 0101.06 to Ballistic-Resistant Body Armor
No public document link on recordSpecification for NIJ Ballistic Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats, NIJ Standard 0123.00
NIJ Standard 0123.00 (October 2023) defines NIJ's five ballistic protection levels and the test rounds and reference velocities for each: HG1 and HG2 for handgun threats, and RF1, RF2 and RF3 for rifle threats. HG1 and HG2 replace Levels II and IIIA of NIJ 0101.06, RF1 replaces Level III, RF3 replaces Level IV, and RF2 is a new intermediate rifle level that adds the 5.56 mm M855 round to the RF1 threats. It sets no performance requirements or test methods of its own: performance standards such as NIJ 0101.07 reference it.
Open the published documentStab Resistance of Personal Body Armor NIJ Standard–0115.00
NIJ Standard 0115.00 (September 2000) sets minimum performance requirements and test methods for body armor that resists stabbing, in two protection classes: Edged Blade, for commercially made knives, and Spike, for the improvised spikes and lower quality blades of corrections settings. Each class has three protection levels, set by strike energy (24, 33 and 43 joules), each with an overtest 50 percent harder. The blade or spike may pass through the armor no more than 7 mm at the base energy and 20 mm at the overtest. It does not cover ballistic threats, and stab armor has its own NIJ Compliant Products List.
Open the published documentThe Technische Richtlinie (TR) Ballistische Schutzwesten - TR Armor Standard (Germany)
No public document link on recordUnderstanding NIJ 0101.06 Armor Protection Levels
No public document link on recordVPAM APR 2006 Standards for bullet-resistant helmets
No public document link on recordVPAM Ballistic protection Standard
No public document link on recordVPAM BSW 2006 Criteria for ballistic body armor
No public document link on recordVPAM HVN 2009 Guidelines for ballistic protection in civilian vehicles
No public document link on recordVPAM KDIW 2004 Specifications for vehicle armor
No public document link on recordVPAM PM Formerly VPAM PM 2007 General standards for ballistic materials and test methods.
No public document link on recordNIJ crosswalk
How the NIJ levels changed from 0101.06 to 0101.07
An orientation, not a certification equivalence. Level IIA was retired with no successor, and stab armor has its own standard, NIJ 0115.00. Levels from other families, such as VPAM, the UK Home Office or military test methods, are not mapped here: they use different threats and pass criteria, so a level name from one does not carry into another. Verify against the issuing document and the product's test report.
| Threat class | NIJ 0101.06 | NIJ 0101.07 | 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. |
See standards applied to real products
Browse the catalog filtered by standard and threat level, or read the plain-language explainers in The Standard.