Level III Plates

Level III armor plates

With so many models of ballistic plates available on the market, looking to purchase body armor can be a complex task. One of criteria which helps you evaluate your choice of armor plate is the level of protection it provides.

The National Institute of Justice assigns categories to body armor depending on the specific ballistic threat level it can protect against, ranging from Level IIA to Level IV. To earn their NIJ certification, multiple plates of a certain model must pass a set of tests against bullets and environmental factors. This classification helps military, police and private citizens to make a safe choice of body armor.

Advantages of Level III hard armor plates include a much higher level of protection than soft plates, which makes them ideal for military and police personnel to use in tactical combat. On the other hand, Level III ballistic plates are heavier, more conspicuous and less comfortable than soft armored plates and are therefore not as suited to everyday civilian use.

What are Level III armor plates made of?

Body armor plates of Level III classification can be made from ceramic, plastic, metal, or a composite blend. Our armor plates are made from polyurethane plastic and some have a polyurea protective coating, and are lighter than metal or ceramic armor – a 10” x 12” plate weighs just 3.5 lbs. When a spinning round hits a plastic plate the friction causes the plastic to melt, stick to the bullet and harden again, dissipating the energy into the plate.

What shape of Level III plate can you purchase?

There are several cuts of armored plate available depending on the level of protection and level of movement you need. At Battle Steel we sell shooter’s cut plates, the most common shape, which provides good coverage whilst allowing fuller arm movement and weapon shouldering.

What can Level III ballistic plates protect against?

Our Level III ballistic plates have multi-hit capability and can stop MSC AK-47 7.62x39mm, M80 7.62x51mm, and M193 5.56mm bullets.

Prices for Level III Plates