Body armor is rated by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) against specific bullet threats. In 2023 the NIJ published a new standard, 0101.07, that renames the familiar levels (IIA, II, IIIA, III, IV) into clearer handgun (HG) and rifle (RF) classes. Here is what the ratings mean and how to choose.
Soft armor vs. hard armor
Soft armor is flexible, concealable, and rated for handgun threats. Hard armor is a rigid or semi-rigid plate rated to stop rifle rounds. A concealable vest will not stop a rifle round, and a rifle plate is not something you wear under a shirt all day — most people who need both carry soft armor for daily wear and add plates when the threat calls for it.
The NIJ levels, old and new
| New (0101.07) | Old (0101.06) | Stops (representative) |
|---|---|---|
| HG1 | Level II | Common 9mm and .357 Magnum handgun rounds |
| HG2 | Level IIIA | High-velocity 9mm and .44 Magnum — the top soft-armor handgun class |
| RF1 | ~Level III | Common rifle rounds incl. 7.62×51 M80, 7.62×39, 5.56 M193 |
| RF2 | Level III+ | Everything in RF1 plus 5.56 M855 (“green tip”) |
| RF3 | Level IV | .30-06 M2 armor-piercing rifle rounds |
Two practical notes: a higher number is not simply “better for everything.” RF2 was added specifically because some RF1/Level III plates do not reliably stop 5.56 M855, and RF3/Level IV is optimized for armor-piercing threats. Choose the class that matches the threat you actually face.
What we stock
Honeybadger carries flexible rifle armor (FRAS), hard plates, concealable and backpack panels, and carriers. Always confirm the exact rating listed on each product page — ratings vary by specific plate and configuration.
How to choose
- Handgun threat, daily wear: soft armor at HG1/HG2 (Level II / IIIA) in a concealable or comfort carrier.
- Rifle threat: a hard or flexible rifle plate at RF1–RF3, sized to your torso (10×12 is the common front/back size; 8×10 for smaller frames).
- Low-profile / everyday readiness: a backpack panel keeps protection with you without wearing a vest.
- Fit matters as much as level: armor only protects what it covers. Size the plate and carrier to you.
A rating is a floor, not a guarantee
An NIJ certification means a specific plate, in a specific configuration, stopped a specific list of rounds fired at a specified velocity under laboratory conditions, with backface deformation held under the 44 mm limit. It does not mean the plate stops everything below that class, it does not mean it stops the same round at a shorter barrel-to-target distance or from a longer barrel producing higher velocity, and it says nothing about what happens on the fifth hit in the same area.
Backface deformation is the part most buyers skip. Armor that stops a round can still transfer enough energy into the body to cause serious blunt trauma. The 44 mm figure is the ceiling the standard allows, not a target to aim for, and it is measured into clay backing rather than a person. Two plates with the same rating can behave very differently here, which is one of the reasons the thinner, lighter option is not automatically the better one.
Multi-hit performance also varies by construction. Ceramic composite plates work by fracturing to disperse energy, so a second round landing on or near the first impact site is landing on already-compromised material. Testing protocols specify minimum shot spacing precisely because performance is not uniform across the face of the plate.
What plates are actually made of, and why it matters
Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) — the material behind trade names like Dyneema and Spectra — is the lightest common rifle-plate material and it floats. It is excellent against lead-core and mild-steel-core rifle rounds. Its weakness is heat: the fibres begin to lose properties well below the temperature a closed vehicle reaches on an Arizona afternoon, which is a real consideration here and not a theoretical one. Polyethylene plates also tend to be thicker than ceramic for the same class.
Ceramic composite — usually alumina, silicon carbide or boron carbide bonded to a polyethylene or aramid backer — is what most RF3/Level IV plates use, because stopping hardened armor-piercing cores requires a strike face hard enough to break them. Ceramic is heavier than pure polyethylene and it is brittle in a specific way: a hard drop onto a concrete floor can crack the strike face invisibly under the cover. Ceramic plates should be inspected after any significant impact, and stored where they cannot fall.
Steel is inexpensive and effectively indestructible in storage, which is why it persists. It is also heavy, and it spalls — a round striking steel fragments and those fragments leave the plate laterally, toward the wearer’s arms, neck and face, unless the plate carries an anti-spall coating that is intact. Most professional users have moved away from steel for this reason, and the weight penalty on a full front-and-back setup is substantial.
Flexible rifle armor such as FRAS sits between categories: rifle-rated protection that retains flexibility, which changes the comfort calculation for anyone who has to wear it for a full shift rather than put it on for twenty minutes. The standard adult size is the FRAS plate 10×12; smaller frames are better served by the 8×10, and elevated rifle threats including 5.56 M855 by the Level 3+ plate.
Stand-alone versus in-conjunction-with
A stand-alone plate achieves its rating by itself. An in-conjunction-with (ICW) plate only achieves its rating when worn over a specified soft-armor backer — usually a Level IIIA panel. ICW plates are lighter and thinner, and they are genuinely rated, but the rating is conditional. Buying an ICW plate and wearing it in a plate carrier with nothing behind it means wearing something that has not been tested in the configuration you are using it in.
Check the product page. If it does not say stand-alone, assume ICW and ask. This single distinction accounts for a large share of the mistakes we see in gear that arrives for evaluation.
Fit, weight, and the armor you actually wear
Armor protects what it covers, and only what it covers. A plate sized correctly sits with its top edge roughly at the jugular notch — the hollow at the base of the throat — so that it covers the heart and great vessels while leaving enough clearance to mount a rifle and to bend at the waist. A plate that is too large rides up when you sit, restricts movement, and paradoxically covers less of what matters.
Sizing by torso length rather than shirt size is the practical method: measure from the jugular notch down to roughly two inches above the navel. Broadly, 8×10 suits smaller frames, 10×12 is the common adult size, and 11×14 is for larger torsos. Women’s cut soft armor and carriers exist and fit substantially better than a unisex panel; this is a comfort issue that becomes a coverage issue, because armor that is uncomfortable is armor that comes off.
Weight compounds. A front and rear RF3 ceramic setup plus a carrier and side plates can approach twenty pounds before you add anything to the carrier. For a static post or a vehicle-based role that is acceptable. For a twelve-hour foot patrol in July it is not, and the honest answer is often a lower class worn consistently rather than a higher class left in a locker.
Storage, inspection and service life
Soft armor typically carries a five-year manufacturer warranty, and that figure assumes reasonable storage. Lay soft panels flat or hang them; do not fold them along the same crease indefinitely, and do not leave them compressed under weight. Keep armor out of vehicles in summer heat where you can — this is the single most common storage error in this state, and both polyethylene rifle plates and soft armor ballistic packages are affected by sustained high temperature.
Inspect periodically: look for water intrusion in the panel cover, delamination, unusual stiffness or crunching in soft armor, and cracks, dents or coating damage on plates. Any plate that has been struck, dropped hard or submerged should be retired or professionally evaluated rather than trusted.
Legal notes before you buy
Under federal law, 18 U.S.C. § 931 prohibits possession of body armor by anyone convicted of a violent felony, with a narrow employment-related exception. Separately, using body armor during the commission of a crime carries sentencing enhancements in many jurisdictions.
State rules vary and they change. A few states restrict online or mail-order purchase and require an in-person transaction; some municipalities add their own rules. Arizona does not currently impose a purchase restriction on lawful buyers, but if you are shipping to another state, confirm that state’s rules before ordering. This guide is general information and not legal advice.
Common mistakes we see
- Buying a rifle plate for a threat model that is entirely handgun-based, then never wearing it because it is heavy.
- Assuming a higher NIJ number is strictly better — RF3 is optimised for armor-piercing threats and is not automatically the best choice against common rifle rounds.
- Running an ICW plate with no soft-armor backer.
- Sizing the plate to the chest rather than the torso length, so it rides into the throat when seated.
- Leaving armor in a vehicle year-round in a climate that reaches 150 °F inside a closed car.
- Buying a carrier that cannot be donned quickly and one-handed, for a use case where that is the whole point.