The NIJ Compliant Products List (CPL) is the authoritative record for the armor it covers. It does not cover everything a buyer may need to source. This article sets out where the CPL stops, and how ArmorList shows the records for products beyond it.
What the CPL covers
NIJ's Compliance Testing Program lists models of ballistic-resistant body armor, stab-resistant body armor and combination armor, each on its own list and under its own standard. A model is added when NIJ issues a Notice of Compliance, and listed models are subject to follow-up inspection and testing. Each entry carries a status: Active, Suspended or Inactive.
What it does not cover
Some products are outside the scope of the NIJ body-armor standards and the CPL:
- Ballistic shields. ASTM E3347 is the specification written for them, and the Safety Equipment Institute, an ASTM affiliate, verifies shields to it.
- Flexible shields such as ballistic blankets, addressed by ASTM E3236.
- Armor built for other markets and tested to their standards, such as the UK Home Office Body Armour Standard or VPAM guidelines.
- Models not yet listed. A model in testing does not appear on the CPL until NIJ issues a Notice of Compliance.
For these products, the CPL is silent. Silence is not a failing grade, and it is not a pass either. The record you need lives with a different body.
How ArmorList shows the record
For NIJ body armor, ArmorList links products to the CPL entry for the exact model. A signed-in product page shows the status as NIJ publishes it, the standard, and the date the list was read.
For everything else, ArmorList shows what the listing states and where it came from:
- "Tested to standard" is the standard the listing names, such as ASTM E3347 or VPAM. It is the listing's statement, not a certificate.
- Certificates a company adds to its profile show the issuer and dates, and can carry the document itself.
- Company identifiers such as UEI and CAGE are shown as the company provided them.
ArmorList reports these as statements with a source. It does not turn a statement into a verification.
Checking a product outside the CPL
- Name the standard and edition the product is tested to.
- Find the model on the certifying body's own record: SEI's verified products list for ASTM shields, the test house's report for VPAM, the relevant government list elsewhere.
- Ask for the test report for the exact model, including the configuration tested.
- Check the company's registration in SAM.gov yourself if you are buying under federal rules.
- Record the date you read each record.
When the CPL applies but the product is missing
If a product is sold as NIJ-compliant body armor and its model is not on the CPL, treat that as a question for the seller before any purchase. The CPL is by model: a company's other listed models do not cover this one.
Sources
- CJTTEC, Compliant Product ListsRead September 25, 2026
- NIJ, Compliant Products List: Ballistic Resistant Body ArmorRead September 25, 2026
- 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 October 1, 2026
- UK Home Office, Body Armour Standard (2017), CAST publication 012/17Read September 25, 2026
- VPAM, APR test guideline, edition 3Read September 25, 2026