How to Select Armor Plates

Armor plates are designed to protect the user’s vital organs from penetration injuries. Plates will vary in size, shape, weight, and material. Deciding on which body armor plates are best suited for you will depend on your budget, what level of protection you are looking for, and what mobility you require.

Armor Plate Sizing Tips

Armor plates are offered in various sizes to accommodate different body types and plate carriers. Here are some basic guidelines to help determine the correct size plates for you:

• People who are shorter than 5’2” are best suited for 9x 9 or 8x 10 plates.
• People who are taller than 5’2” but shorter than 6’3” will be best suited for 10x12 plates.
• People who are 6’3” and taller would fit better in 11x14 armor plates.

An easy way to measure yourself is by measuring across your chest from nipple to nipple to get your width. Then, by measuring from the very top of your sternum to your belly button and subtract 2-3in to get the height. For example, an individual measures their chest to be 9.5in wide, and measures 13¾in from the top of their sternum to their belly button. After subtracting the 2-3in for the height, this individual has a plate size of 9.5inx11¾in. This individual should use standard 10x12 armor plates.

What Are the Different Cuts of Armor Plates?

There are four standard plate cuts that are used for different applications that can affect comfort, mobility, and protection.

A full cut is essentially a square or rectangular piece of armor that is used for side protection, bulletproof backpacks, and sometimes used as a back plate.

Shooter cut plates are the most common plates on the market today. They feature a rectangle shape with the top corners cut at a 45° angle to allow for better arm movement and shouldering of your weapon. These plates are typically worn in the front and back of plate carriers.

A swimmer’s cut features a more extreme cut further down the side of the plate which provides the most shoulder and arm movement possible but sacrifices the amount of overall coverage compared to shooter cut plates.

SAPI (Small Arms Protective Insert) cut plates have a 45° cut and rounded corners.

Body Armor Rating & Threat Protection

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) body armor ballistic levels classify body armor into five different threat levels: Level II, Level III, Level IIIA, Level III+, and Level IV based on their ability to stop specified rounds at specified velocities.

• Level II body armor is designed to stop common pistol calibers such as .22LR, 380, .40, 9mm, .45ACP, and .357 Mag. (Level II Armor is only soft body armor.)
• Level IIIA body armor is designed to stop .357 Sig FMG FN bullets traveling at a velocity of 1,470 ft/s and .44 Magnum SJHP rounds at a velocity of 1,430 ft/s.
• Level III rifle plates are designed to stop six hits from 7.62x51mm FMJ M80 at a velocity of 2,780 ft/s.
• Level III+ is a designation that the body armor industry has adopted to show the capabilities of armor beyond the NIJ Level III testing.
• Level IV plates are the highest-rated hard armor plates under NIJ standards. They are designed to take one hit from an armor-piercing 30.06 round traveling at a velocity of 2,880 ft/s.

Special Threat Plates are hard armor plates that are neither a level III nor level IV plate. They are designed to stop special threats not covered by NIJ standards. These ballistic plates can stop rounds of ammunition that a Level III plate may not be able to such as M855 ball due to its mild-steel armor-penetrating core, as some level III plates were not designed to stop that specific special threat. A special threat plate will not be able to stop certain rounds such as M80 ball, unlike level IV plates. This is because the user may not be concerned about higher caliber rifle rounds.

What Is the Best Material for Boy Armor?

Steel body armor is a common form of armor that can take multiple hits, is affordable, features a long shelf life, and typically offers a coating to help prevent spalling from direct hits. Downsides include the weight and chance of spalling if the build-up coating is not high-quality.

Spalling is when fragments of the steel plate and bullet break off when the bullet impacts the plate. The flakes and fragments can be thrown in multiple directions and can cause injury to the user wearing the plate. Therefore, most companies selling steel armor plates will offer a build-up coating that is designed to trap fragmentation and prevent spalling from injuring the user.

Polyethylene armor plates are much lighter than steel and ceramic body armor and are multi-hit capable. They are also buoyant and can stop M193 and similar high-velocity ammo. However, they are expensive, only feature a 5-year shelf life, and can deteriorate if exposed to high heat for a prolonged period.

Ceramic armor plates are lighter than steel plates, can be multi-hit capable, and are extremely effective against the most powerful rounds. They are also thin and cheaper than polyethylene plates. However, ceramic plates are more expensive than steel plates and only feature a 5-year shelf life. They can also crack if they are not stored correctly or properly taken care of.

Armor can also be worn in conjunction with trauma pads or as a standalone unit. Trauma pads are typically made of non-Newtonian foam layers and are designed to be worn underneath armor plates. Their sole purpose is to absorb the force of a round that has impacted the armor plate in order to decrease the energy transfer to the body. Manufacturers may recommend using their plates with trauma pads to increase the safety of the user.

These are called "In conjunction with" or "ICW". "Stand Alone" plates will not require the use of a trauma pad because they do not exhibit a considerable amount of backface deformation (BFD). However, it is never a bad idea to use a trauma pad regardless of what plate you use just to increase the overall protection.

Summary

There are many options to choose from when looking for body armor plates. You should choose a plate that offers protection against the most common or expected threat level. After that, it is a tradeoff between weight and cost. Steel may be cheap and effective, but the weight is much greater than all other plates which can affect your mobility. Ceramic plates are lighter and more effective but are also more expensive and must be replaced every 5 years. Make sure you weigh the pros and cons of each style of plate and choose the option that will be the most effective for you. Once you select the best body armor for you, shop online for plate carriers and check out our guides on Plate Carrier Sizing and How to Select a Plate Carrier.