Ballistic shields are not on the NIJ body-armor Compliant Products List, because they are not body armor. For years, the standard most often used to assess them was NIJ Standard 0108.01, Ballistic Resistant Protective Materials, published in 1985 for the materials used to make protective products, not for complete products like shields. ASTM International now publishes a specification written for the shield itself.
The two documents
ASTM E3347, Standard Specification for Ballistic-Resistant Shields Used by Law Enforcement Officers, sets minimum performance requirements and test methods for the ballistic resistance of shields used by U.S. law enforcement against handgun and rifle ammunition. It was developed with a companion test method, ASTM E3141, for ballistic-resistant shields. Both come from ASTM subcommittee E54.04 on public safety equipment. The specification has been revised since it was first published, so a solicitation should cite the edition, for example E3347-25.
What it covers
The specification covers hand-held or hand-carried shields, with single or multiple panels, including multi-fold shields, and person-portable shields with wheels. Shields may stand alone or carry armor appliques.
It does not cover fixed or mobile barriers that are not meant to move during an operation, or flexible shields that drape across surfaces, such as ballistic blankets. Those are addressed by ASTM E3236.
ASTM describes the shield standards as designed for assessing the performance of entire shields of multiple sizes, rather than flat samples of the material they are made from.
Testing the shield, not a sample of its material
The central change is what gets tested. E3347 addresses resistance to penetration of the shield body, its edges, its viewports, its fasteners and its weak points. A shield fails at its weakest integrated point, and those are the points a material test never reaches.
That is also why a body-armor level written into a solicitation is the wrong tool for a shield. A phrase such as "Level III shield" borrows a level from a standard that was written for something else, and says nothing about ports, edges or fasteners.
Verification
ASTM has announced a verification program for law-enforcement protective equipment built on its E54 standards, including E3347. Under it, an independent third party evaluates a product against the standard, and products that pass are authorized to carry the ASTM verification mark. For shields, verification is carried out by the Safety Equipment Institute (SEI), an ASTM affiliate, which publishes a verified products list. Check the exact shield model and edition on that list, and note the date you read it.
What to put in a solicitation
- Cite ASTM E3347 by edition, and require testing to it for the exact model offered.
- Ask for the test report, including the configuration tested: size, viewport, handles and any applique.
- Ask whether the model appears on SEI's verified products list for that edition.
- Do not accept a body-armor level in place of the shield specification.
Where shields fit
A shield is a mission tool, deployed for specific approaches, not a substitute for worn armor. Specifying to E3347 keeps the record honest about what the shield was tested to do, so it is issued for the situations that test covered.
Sources
- ASTM E3347/E3347M-26, Standard Specification for Ballistic-Resistant Shields Used by Law Enforcement OfficersRead October 1, 2026
- ASTM, Increasing Confidence in the Performance of Ballistic ShieldsRead September 25, 2026
- ASTM E3141, Standard Test Method for Ballistic Resistant Shields for Law EnforcementRead September 25, 2026
- ASTM Newsroom, ASTM International Introduces Verification Program for Law Enforcement Protective EquipmentRead September 25, 2026
- ASTM, Subcommittee E54.04 on Public Safety EquipmentRead September 25, 2026