Body Armor Myths and Misconceptions

When researching body armor, it's easy to find contradictory information- so much so that a cursory search into the facts can often discount a common belief. This plethora of falsehoods can make it difficult to assess the landscape and understand the facts surrounding the highly functional life-saving device that is body armor. This article is aimed to address some of these misconceptions and myths by explaining the concepts behind some of the most confusing topics.

“Steel armor spalls”

Beliefs like these stem from confusion about the meaning of spall and spalling. Generally, people who state the dangers of steel armor spalling intend to be discussing fragmentation. These are similar phenomena, but they are not identical, and steel armor does not cause spalling. Spall (or spalling) is when pieces of the armor break off after being shot and become their own individual penetrating hazard. The only armor type that sees this hazard is ceramic armor. This is because ceramic armor breaks apart when shot. For this reason, Level IV plates need to have some type of soft armor material behind the ceramic strike face to catch spalling that could otherwise enter your body and kill you. The only time steel armor would spall is if it was successfully penetrated, in which case you would have bigger issues to address than just spalling.

“Ceramic armor does not spall (or fragment)”

This myth is an oft-repeated inverse of the misconception detailed above and is also one of the most common. Ceramic armor certainly spalls and produces projectile fragmentation. When ceramic is shot, it essentially self-destructs. During this process, there are three things that happen to aid in fragmentation and spall reduction. 

1. The projectile will decelerate during its hit: this deceleration reduces the overall projectile fragmentation footprint. 
2. The armor craters into itself so projectile fragmentation is deflected into a small conical footprint: this effect is similar to pouring liquid into a bowl at a distance above the bowl. The liquid being poured will usually shoot up to the edges of the bowl and may go out of the bowl a small amount, but a majority of the liquid will be contained in the bowl.
3. Ceramic has a soft or polymer armor backer: this is required for safety to capture any spalling that is produced by the ceramic breaking apart when hit.

“Ceramic armor is lighter than steel”

While some ceramic plates may be lighter than some steel plates, the inverse is also true. Steel and ceramic are frequently on par with one another in terms of weight, and there are many examples of both steel and ceramic besting its competitor. For example, a comparison of the following 10” x 12” size plates reveals; our A2 Plate (steel) is only 5.5 pounds per plate, while RMA’s model 1155 (ceramic) is 8.3 pounds per plate. Likewise, our A1 plate (steel) is 8 pounds per plate, while Hesco’s 4800 (ceramic) is only 5.9 pounds per plate. 

The cost of the plates in question is also important to evaluate. Our A2 plate starts at $139 per plate while the aforementioned Hesco 4800 is $1,500 per plate. So although weight is a flexible variable that can be favored based on make and model, you can get into lower-weight steel at only a fraction of the cost. And these costs don’t even account for the cost over time of each plate: the lower 5-year shelf life of ceramic plates compared to the 20-year shelf life of steel means that, over the course of 20 years, the Hesco 4800 series will be $6,000 per plate to maintain while the A2 is only $139.

“Fragmentation will kill you”

This is probably one of the most exaggerated statements in the armor industry. To date, not a single person has been reported to die of fragmentation from armor usage. However, many have been led to believe (and endlessly echo) that fragmentation is an immensely dangerous threat to the wearer. Some even go so far as to claim fragmentation is a more dangerous threat than the original bullet that the armor successfully stopped. Videos online that attempt to compare plate materials also sometimes push deceptive narratives, especially when endless volleys of rounds are involved (as opposed to the more realistic 1-6 hits per plate). One such video indicated a lethal passthrough on a ceramic plate was less of a concern with the advent of a small piece of non-lethal fragmentation from a steel plate. This was despite a higher number of rounds stopped by the steel plate before any fragmentation left the coating of the plate. This test clearly showed ceramic as inferior but the information was presented counter to the results shown. 

In theory, lethal fragmentation is possible. But a simple threat evaluation would indicate that it is so unlikely that it is a non-issue. The mentality of rejecting steel’s immense stopping power out of an abstract fear of fragmentation can be likened to refusing to drive a car because the gas a car uses is flammable. In extreme circumstances, it is possible for fragmentation to be lethal, but to date, a lethality has not occurred. With millions of plates already in circulation, and hundreds of lives already saved, there is no reason to expect you will be that first ill-providenced soul to receive lethal injuries from the after-effects of a successful stop. And for those still wary, we are happy to offer fragmentation protective coatings and plates with materials that do not produce fragmentation on impact, such as UHMWPE.

“It is possible to put soft armor behind the main armor plate to increase its protection”

This is not entirely a misconception or myth, but the context in which it is given is important. This can be true in certain circumstances but is not appropriate as a generalization. Certain armor types, such as ceramic, spall by design and require by default some form of soft armor behind the strike face for safe usage (for this reason, ceramic plates normally come with some type of backer already part of the plate). In situations like this, the soft armor backer is increasing the protection of the ceramic. However, with steel and UHMWPE armor types, the variation in velocities and armor material properties are not the same as ceramic. This means a steel plate penetrated by a round that is above the velocity rating will typically not dump enough velocity in the steel plate to be caught by the soft armor backer. For example, a 40GR .22-250 round leaving the barrel at 3,600 FPS will only lose about 600- 1,000 FPS on the back side of the steel plate. This means the same projectile as it leaves the steel armor is still going 2,600 - 3,000 FPS, which is well above the 1,440 FPS rating of the level IIIA soft armor panel behind it.

“If the body armor stops a larger round, it will stop a smaller one”

This is mostly true, but also unhelpful as a generalization. When discussing ballistics, there are three primary metrics that will all induce variables to armor performance:

1. Projectile Mass (weight)
2. Projectile Velocity (speed)
3. Projectile Composition (bullet materials)

All three of these variables need to be considered together when determining if a round will be stopped by a plate type. These 3 metrics can be the sole determining factors for penetration. 

Most approach armor from the understanding that certain plates will stop certain rounds, however, variables like weapon type, barrel length, barrel twist ratio, ammunition type, velocity, projectile composition, and even atmospheric conditions can all impact armor differently. The best way to understand armor is to understand ballistics. If you learn the relationship between mass, velocity, and projectile composition, and how these three variables affect different armor materials, you can more easily wade the waters of personal protection.

“Using two soft armor panels will stop a rifle round”

The misconception here is that armor protection stacks on top of itself in a linear fashion. Thus, a few panels of soft armor can equal the protection of rifle-rated plates. Regrettably, this is untrue. In testing, it has shown it takes no less than eight soft armor panels stacked consecutively to stop a single 5.56 round. 

“Soft armor can be used as a trauma pad”

While they may appear very similar, trauma pads and soft armor panels do not serve the same function. Soft armor is made of p-aramid fibers arranged and woven to prevent handgun-rated ballistic threats from penetrating it. Trauma pads are made of non-newtonian materials that offer a kinetic energy buffer to pad and equalize the energy dumped into the armor panel in front of it.

“These plates need to be bigger”

Since armor historically has been as extensive as a full suit, some see 10” x 12” plates and think their protection insignificant. However, modern body armor is intended to protect the vital organs in your upper thoracic cavity, not your whole body or even your whole torso. Your lungs and heart are the most important to protect with all other organs sustainable until professional aid can be rendered. This is hindsight to the realistic usage of armor- for 99% of your time in armor, you will not be getting shot at, and activities involving movement and flexibility remain the focus. A larger plate makes you less mobile and easier to shoot. For this reason, 11” x 14” plates are only recommended for the largest users- those 6’4” and above in height should consider opting for the larger size. For others, these plates will cause accelerated fatigue and restrict movement so things like sitting down or picking something up off the ground become an impossible task. Bending at the knee can also cause larger plates to bounce up and hit you in the chin. Plates that are 10” x 12” are adequate protection for virtually everyone in the height range of 5’ 4” and 6’ 3”. To find out what size plates you need, you will want to measure from the base of your collarbone to 3” above your belly button for height and from nipple to nipple for width.

“UHMWPE won’t stop M855 green tip” 

This is an issue that also requires a nuanced response. While it is true that UHMWPE alone cannot stop or deform the 5.56x45 M855 green tip, UHMWPE will stop the 5.45x39 counterpart to M855, the 7N6 steel penetrator round, due to the lower velocity and deformation from the hollow void at the front of the round. In short: the M855 is the exception, not the rule, for steel core rounds that UHMWPE armor will stop. Additionally, this material works very well in tandem with other materials. If you are concerned about the M855 green tip, plates such as our new A3 use a thin alloy strike face to smash out the penetrator projectile so that the UHMWPE layers behind it can capture the deformed round.

The arrival of pressed UHMWPE was the turning point in ballistic polymer armor. UHMWPE, or ultra high-density molecular-weight polymer, is unique in that it is very effective at stopping projectiles composed of lead and copper. Moreover, UHMWPE is relatively immune to high-velocity centric threats and is able to stop rounds that would otherwise only be stopped by ceramic armor, such as the former wildcat cartridge 22-250. The downside to polymer armor, however, is that the composition of the round will often determine its performance.

“It won't stop a .50 cal”

Actually, it will. The .50 caliber is a projectile diameter where the projectile fired is exactly half an inch around. The diameter of a bullet in no way determines the performance of a round outside of aerodynamic drag, The .50 AE, .50 Beowulf, and .50 BMG are all different “.50 cal” cartridges and as such, all have various performances on armor:

• .50 AE is a handgun round fired by the Desert Eagle handgun. This round is easy to defeat and currently all armor levels we offer to stop it. 
• .50 Beowulf is a bit more stout but is still easily stopped by even our lowest rifle level III steel plates.
• .50 BMG or 12.7x99mm is a 700 GR projectile propelled at almost 3,000 FPS. This round has been used to punch through stationary protective barriers. The kinetic energy transfer from stopping this round far exceeds the human sternum's capacity for crushing forces and is most likely not survivable. We say most likely because although this is usually asked in a hypothetical “gotcha” question with the context in terms of why you should not bother with armor, no .50 BMG has been used domestically in a committed crime in the 102-year history of this round.     

Conclusion

Armor performance is a complex subject that cannot be fully understood with limited information and source evaluation. Oftentimes, nuance is necessary to approach the issues in question, and the answer is dependent on the precise details of the inquiry. For information on any armor-related questions, our customer service team is happy to get you the best information possible to get the answers you need.