Standards and Testing

VestGuard supplies ballistic, stab, spike and fragmentation products, manufactured and tested to a variety of British and international standards, or abbreviated versions as detailed below. We use independent accredited test facilities to regularly test our products to ensure they continue to meet our customers requirements. Some of the products we supply are Certified to the standards, others are tested to specific ammunition. 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.

Models tested and Certified to National Institute of Justice (NIJ) 0101.06

Considered the most widely used internationally recognised standard. The standard is broken down into different levels and covers protection against small handguns 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.

Link to National Institute of Justice Ballistic Resistance of Body Armour NIJ Standard-0101.06 document 

Models tested to an Abbreviated version of the National Institute of Justice 0101.06 

For some of our products we regularly test to an abbreviated test method using the same accredited laboratory, ammunition, distances and velocities in the international standards. 

This abbreviated standard is split into the following levels of protection .

Models tested and Certified to Home Office (CAST) 2017

The UK standards are set by the Home Office for the protection of police and government bodies. 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

Stab and Spike

Link to Home Office (CAST) Body Armour Standard (2017) document 

Models tested to an Abbreviated version of the Home Office (CAST) 2017

For some of our products we regularly test to an abbreviated test method using the same accredited laboratory, ammunition, distances and velocities in the UK standards. 

This abbreviated standard is split into the following levels of protection .

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

Stab and Spike

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.

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.