
Is your vest even stab-proof?

Soft body armor is made from flexible, protective materials that allow it to bend and move in multiple directions. In bulletproof vests, soft body armor is typically available in NIJ Levels IIA, II, and IIIA, providing protection against small arms. For defense against more powerful projectiles than a .44 Magnum, ballistic hard armor plates are required; more information on these can be found below.
Hard armor, or ballistic plates, are rigid plates typically constructed from compressed polyethylene with a ceramic front or shaped steel sheets.
These plates are generally produced in a standard size of 30 x 25 cm and come in flat, single-curve, or multi-curve designs.
Ballistic plates are available in various cuts, including Swimmers, SAPI, and Square. The SAPI cut is the most commonly used, as it provides extensive protection while maintaining ergonomic comfort for the wearer.
Ballistic plates are manufactured to stop projectiles like 7.62×51 NATO, 7.62×39 MSC, 5.56×45 SS109, 7.62×63 AP etc. They come in NIJ levels 3, 3+ and 4, stand alone and in conjunction with soft armor.
In addition to NIJ standard 0101.04 and 0101.06, there are also HOSDB, VPAM 2006, German Schutz class, Russian GOST R 50744-95, European PrEN ISO14876-2, all of which have similar levels of protection against high-speed projectiles.
Please be aware that many ballistic plates manufactured in China may not comply with international standards, such as those set by the NIJ. NIJ Level III, tested with the 7.62×51 NATO round, has strict requirements that are challenging to meet. Some Chinese manufacturers only provide test reports from local laboratories, where different types of bullets are used, unlike the standardized testing conducted by facilities such as Element Defense in the United States.
Also instead of testing their plates against the 7.62×51 M80 bullet, they test it against 7.62×39 (AK47) instead, which is easier to pass.
Furthermore the Ceramic area on Chinese plates will be smaller than many other manufacturers. The Tile area on a 300×250 mm ballistic plate is often 225×200 mm. The missing area is filled with foam so it looks like a 300×250 mm hard armor plate. You can feel this by knocking on the plate until the ceramic sound stops, or by pressing your finger from the corner towards the middle of the plate. You will feel the difference instantly.
This is why Chinese companies can offer lighter, lower-cost plates that may stop a bullet within the ceramic tile area but are unlikely to pass rigorous testing at Element Defense.
In our observations, Chinese plates have shown a backface signature (BFS) of 20 mm when tested in Chinese laboratories. However, when retested in Europe at Mellrichstadt or in the US at Element Defense, the BFS has increased to 40 mm, indicating less effective trauma reduction under international standards.
Hard armor plates are used to stop threats from high-speed projectiles from machine guns and rifles, including; AR-15, NATO, AK47 and the like. As a starting point, it is not necessary to use ballistic hard armor plates if you only need protection from small arms. However if you need protection from high-speed calibers from rifles and machine guns, ballistic plates are a necessity.
Blunt force trauma refers to the internal damage inflicted on organs upon bullet impact. According to NIJ Standard 0101.06, the maximum allowable depth for this trauma is 44 mm. This term also applies to body armor designed to mitigate blunt force trauma from objects like batons, baseball bats, and similar blunt instruments. A quality stab-proof vest helps to minimize the impact from such blunt force objects, offering essential protection.
The following video show the extreme resistance that our stab proof vest provide against blunt force objects:
Backface Signature (BFS) or Backface Deformation refers to the depth of indentation into the “body” when a bullet impacts a bulletproof vest. This measurement indicates the extent of blunt force transmitted through the vest. For bullet proof vests according to NIJ standard 0101.06, the depth of a bullet impact needs to be less than 44 mm. According to HOSDB and the German Schutzklasse Standard Edition 2008, the depth cannot exceed 25 mm for HOSDB.
Back face signature and Back face deformation are terms used to describe the depth of the bullet impact.
Bullet proof vests made according to NIJ standard are made to stop a .44 Magnum, which is one of the world’s most powerful small arms. This also means that body armor designed for the American NIJ standard may be heavier than vests designed for the German SK1 standard.
We frequently receive this question: A bulletproof vest is inherently designed to stop bullets, not stab or spike threats. For a bulletproof vest to also provide stab resistance, it must meet the minimum stab-resistant level, which, according to both HOSDB and NIJ standards, requires stopping an engineered blade with an impact energy of 24 joules (E1) and 36 joules (E2).
A standard bulletproof vest designed solely to stop bullets can typically withstand 5–10 joules of force, depending on the material. This is roughly one-third of the pressure required for stab protection.
A vest is only considered stab-proof if it meets the minimum requirements outlined in NIJ 0115.00 and HOSDB standards, where the lowest level of protection is Level 1. Any protection below Level 1 (below 36 joules) is easily penetrated, as even a Level 1 stab-proof vest can be pierced with a forceful stab.
If you’ve visited other websites, you’ve likely encountered the terms “Overt” and “Covert” body armor.
Covert body armor is designed to be concealable, worn discreetly under clothing. In contrast, overt body armor is intended for wear over clothing, making it visible.
The V50 test measures a material’s resistance to fragments. Initially developed for bulletproof helmets, it is now widely used for any equipment exposed to fragmentation, including bulletproof vests, riot gear, and ballistic plates.
To determine the V50 value, various Fragment Simulating Projectiles (FSPs) are used, with 1.1g being the most common size. These fragments are fired at different velocities to assess the material’s fragmentation resistance.
The most common standards for testing the fragmentation resistance of a ballistic product are:
At Protection Group Denmark our ballistic helmets are tested according to STANAG2920 and MILL STD 662 E.
Please make sure to visit our FAQ to get more answers to your questions.