StandardsAll protective products made or supplied by VestGuard UK are manufactured in accordance to the international standards detailed below. We use independent accredited test facilities to regularly test our products to ensure they continue to meet the very latest standards required by our customers, with many products under test conditions often outperforming the standards. Our products are designed to protect our customers and have been developed and verified through in-house, independent and customer testing for over 15 years. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 0101.06 This is considered the most widely used internationally recognised standard. The standard covers protection against small handguns and anything up to armour piercing rifles. The standard is used for body armour, helmets and other armour solutions on the market, such as vehicle armour and shields. This standard is split into levels of protection designated by roman numerals. | NIJ level II (2) | Small handgun protection | | NIJ level IIIA (3a) | High velocity handguns | | NIJ level III (3) | Rifles | | NIJ level IV (4) | Armour piercing rifles | | Threat | Calibre | | Max.
BFS | Bullet
weight | Velocity
(m/s) | Velocity
(ft/s) | | Level II (2) | 9mm FMJ RN | 
| 44mm | 8.0g (124 gr) | 398±9 | 1305 ±30 | | .357 Mag JSP | 
| 44mm | 10.2g (158gr) | 436 ± 9 | 1430 ±30 | | Level IIIA (3a) | .357 SIG FMJ FN |
| 44mm | 8.1g (125gr) | 448 ±9 | 1470 ±30 | | .44 Mag SJHP | 
| 44mm | 15.6g (240gr) | 436 ±9 | 1430 ±30 | | Level III (3) | 7.62 mm NATO FMJ | 
| 44mm | 9.6 g (147gr) | 847 ±9 | 2780 ±30 | | | | | | | | | | Level IV 4) | 30.06 M2 AP FMJ | 
| 44mm | 10.8g (166gr) | 878 ±9 | 2880 ±30 |
Link to National Institute of Justice Ballistic Resistance of Body Armour NIJ Standard-0101.06 document
UK Home Office (CAST) Body Armour Standard (2017) The UK standards are set by the Home Office for the protection of police and government bodies. Adopted by many security and private companies in the UK, the protection covers a full range of threats including ballistic (HO), edged weapons like knives (KR), and spikes like needles (SP). The higher the threat the higher the number, i.e. HO1, HO2.
Ballistic Standard | Protection level | Classification
and calibre | Test round | Bullet mass | Range
(m) | Max.
mean
BFS (mm) | Single
shot
BFS
(mm) | Velocity
(m.s-1 ) | | HO1 | 9 mm FMJ | MEN 9 mm FMJ
DM11A1B2 | 8.0g (124g) | 5 | | 44 | 365 ± 10 | | 9 mm JHP | Federal Premium
9 mm JHP P9HST1 | 8.0g (124g) | 5 | | 44 | 365 ± 10 | | HO2 | 9mm FMJ | MEN 9 mm FMJ
DM11A1B2 | 8.0g (124g) | 5 | | 44 | 430 ± 10 | | 9 mm JHP | Federal Premium
9 mm JHP P9HST1 | 8.0g (124g) | 5 | | 44 | 430 ± 10 | | HO3 | Rifle 7.62 calibre | Radway Green 7.62 mm NATO Ball
L44A1 or L2A2 | 9.3g (144g) | 10 | 25 | 30 | 830 ± 15 | | Rifle 7.62 calibre | 7.62 × 39 mm
surrogate | 7.9g (122g) | 10 | 25 | 30 | 705 ± 15 | | HO4 | Rifle 7.62 calibre | SAKO .308 Win 480A Powerhead
or Barnes .308 TSX BT | 10.7g (165g) | 10 | 25 | 30 | 820 ± 15 | | SG1 | Shotgun 12 gauge
True Cylinder | Winchester 1 oz. Rifled 12RSE | 28.4 g | 10 | 25 | 30 | 435 ± 25 | | Special | Based on threat and risk assessment |
Stab and Spike Standard
| Protection level | Energy level E1 | Energy level E2 | | Energy (J) | Maximum penetration at E1 (mm) | SPL at E1 (mm) | Energy (J) | Maximum penetration at E2 (mm) | SPL at E2 (mm) | | KR1 | 24.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 36.0 | 20.0 | 30.0 | | KR1 + SP1 | 24.0 | KR1 = 8.0
SP1 = 0 | KR1 = 9.0
SP1 = 0 | 36.0 | KR1 = 20.0
SP1 = N/A | KR1 = 20.0
SP1 = N/A | | KR2 | 33.0 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 50.0 | 20.0 | 30.0 | | KR2 + SP2 | 33.0 | KR2 = 8.0
SP2 = 0 | KR1 = 9.0
SP2 = 0 | 50.0 | KR2 = 20.0
SP2 = N/A | KR2 = 30.0
SP2 = N/A | Link to Home Office (CAST) Body Armour Standard (2017) document
NATO STANAG 2920 FRAGMENTATION
This is the military standard for ballistic protection & armour solutions for military applications. STANAG 2920: The adoption of standards for ballistic protection levels and testing relates typically to the levels of fragmentation protection that vests offer. The technical details are complicated but the results are identified as a V50 rating in metres or feet per second. VestGuard armour and helmets all have a V50 rating. Quality Standards
ISO 9001:2015 Standards
ISO is a world renowned quality management system which all companies should follow to ensure exacting quality procedures are met to provide the best product to customers. VestGuard is ISO accredited and we work to this procedure every day to provide consistently high quality products to our customers. CE Marking Standards CE marking is a mandatory conformity for products placed on the market in the European Union. With CE marking on our products we declare that these products conform with the essential requirements for body armour supplied to civilians and government agencies. Our vests have performed to ‘excellent’ standards for ergonomics, comfort and protection. CE marking is a legal requirement when purchasing body armour for civilian use. Military Standards VestGuard supply to many government and military forces across the world. Our vests must conform to military specifications for material quality, manufacturing quality and longevity. The VestGuard outer covers are designed to endure extreme use and weather conditions. Manufactured using highest quality materials, each cover must comply with the following performance requirements.
| Performance | | Test Standards | | Abrasion Resistance | 200,000 rubs | BS ENISO12947-2:1999 | | Tear Strength | 100 N Minimum | BS ENISO13937-3:200 | | Tensile Strength | 1200 N Minimum | BS ENISO13934-1:1999 | | Colour Fastness | Level 4 Colour change
Level 3 staining | BS ENISO105-E04:1996 | | 
