Explanation of NIJ standard 0101.06

This article explores the technical aspects of NIJ Standard 0101.06 and outlines the specific requirements for bulletproof vests tested under this standard. It provides detailed insights into the criteria that vests must meet to achieve certification according to the .06 standard.

NIJ Standard 0101.06 is the latest and most advanced bulletproof standard globally. It sets exceptionally high requirements for body armor products. Compared to the older NIJ Standard 0101.04, the updated 0101.06 introduces significantly different testing methods. As a result, many vests certified under the previous 0101.04 standard would not meet the stringent criteria of the 0101.06 standard.

NIJ standard 0101.06 supersedes the following standards:

• NIJ standard 0101.04 Rev. A, Ballistic Resistance or Personal Body Armor (June 2001)
• NIJ 2005 Interim Requirements, Ballistic Resistance or Body Armor (August 2005)

NIJ standard 0101.06 focuses on providing you with the latest and best technology as the requirements for manufacturing a bulletproof vest have become significantly harder versus NIJ standard 0101.04.

The 3 main topics for NIJ standard 0101.06 are as follows:

1. Increased performance against today’s ballistic threats to police
2. You need to be able to trust your body armor
3. Improved durability as the body armor must be able to withstand the challenges of everyday wear and loose the ballistic durability when worn every day, 7 times a week, 52 weeks a year.

Higher velocity for test bullets

The purpose of the .06 standard is to provide you with protection against the latest and most advanced threats. For NIJ level IIA, II, and IIIA the velocity has increased and the .357 SIG have been added to NIJ level IIIA, and in addition to testing the bullet proof vest ambient/dry there has also been added a conditioned state, where the body armor is being tested wet.
We will explore this in more detail later in the text.

Water and conditioned body armor test

In addition to stopping specific types of bullets, like other bulletproof standards, there is a strong emphasis on ensuring that a bulletproof vest maintains its ballistic resistance over time. Whether the vest is new or has been in use for five years, its performance must remain consistent. To address this, conditioned testing has been introduced.

Before adding the conditioning test, a bullet proof vest should only be tested after being exposed to a water spray for 6 minutes (NIJ standard 0101.04), which is significantly different, as it now needs to be put into a water bath in 21 degree hot water for 30 minutes before testing the bullet proof vest.

As a result, NIJ 0101.06 vests are typically equipped with waterproof sealing to meet these stringent requirements. In contrast, vests certified under the older 0101.04 standard could pass testing without being fully waterproof.

In addition to water immersion, a durability test is also conducted to enhance the body armor’s resilience. The armor undergoes a 10-day tumbling process with 72,000 cycles at a temperature of 65°C and 80% humidity. This testing simulates prolonged wear and environmental conditions to ensure long-term durability.

When testing the body armor that has been through the conditioning test, the velocities of the bullets are lower.

The conditioned test applies only to the NIJ standard 0101.06, and this test significantly increases the durability of a bullet proof vest as it means it can keep water and moisture away from the ballistic insert while being used for daily wear without losing its bullet proof capacity.

It is crucial to consider whether the bulletproof vest has undergone the conditioning test, as this significantly impacts its durability and reliability. This testing ensures that the body armor maintains its protective performance over time and under various conditions.

Testing 28 complete bulletproof vests

For NIJ Standard 0101.06 it is required to test 28 complete bulletproof vests (front and back inserts) where the manufacturer will test the following:

• A set that will be the size of the smallest bulletproof vest
• A set that will be the size of the largest bulletproof vest

Each ballistic insert must be tested with 6 shots, arranged in a specific pattern on the insert. For both small and large ballistic inserts (6 small and 22 large), the testing requires:

• 3 shots placed near the edge, at a distance of 2 inches (5.08 cm) from the edge.
• 3 shots arranged in a circular pattern with a diameter of 3.94 inches (10 cm).

This testing method ensures that the bulletproof vest can effectively stop impacts near the edge. In the past, lower-quality vests have failed to prevent bullets from penetrating at the edge, where the force could displace the vest material, resulting in fatal injuries. This rigorous edge testing helps verify the vest’s reliability in critical areas.

The angle of the shot

In addition to testing horizontal bullet against the insert, in addition to the normal P-BFS, you also test the angle of the bullet, which means shooting from an angle of 30 degrees and an angle of 45 degrees with a single shot.

This ensures that the bulletproof vest can stop bullets fired from different angles, which previous standards have not been focusing.

Ballistic plates

Ballistic plates need to be exposed to thermal exposure at 65 degrees, and a humidity of 80% for 10 days.

Then they must be subjected to thermal exposure with a shifting cold and heat that fluctuates from -15 degrees to 90 degrees and an air humidity fluctuating from 0 to 50 degrees.

Hard armor plates need to be put into water and tested wet. For NIJ level 3, 9 samples are tested with 6 shots per panel. 24 P-BFS shot and 24 BL shot.

For NIJ level 4, 7-37 samples are tested with 1-6 shots per. panel. 24 P-BFS shot and 12 BL shot.

When summarizing the NIJ standard 0101.06, there is a lot of focus on stability and the durability of a vest that is used every day. This gives you significantly better safety when a bullet proof vest and ballistic plate tested according to NIJ standard 0101.06.

You can read more about the difference between NIJ standard 0101.04 and NIJ standard 0101.06.

Keywords

• P-BFS (Perforation-Backface Signature): This is a test to secure the perforation of body armor. Here, the bulletproof insert needs to be kept in direct contact with the material (using a special type of clay) in order to measure how the bulletproof vest reacts to the bullet impact
• BL (Baseline Ballistic Limit): Here you test “limit” for perforation. It is important to understand that no perforation can take place at the lowest required velocity. Only at higher speeds this is allowed to measure the BL