Feb 25, 2021
Shopping for ballistics can be difficult, especially given the variety of ratings that are advertised.
We decided to break it down and provide some explanation as to the terminology behind “NIJ IIIA”.
The first part “NIJ” is an abbreviation for National Institute of Justice. They have been setting body armor standards as early as 1972. Through them, commercially available body armor is tested and then certified if it meets their performance standards.
The second part “IIIA” is the rating awarded based on how the ballistics perform during testing. Ratings vary from 2-4, level IIIA being the highest rated soft body armor.
All of the ballistics we use are made 100% in America and rated level NIJ IIIA.