For years, the phrase “NIJ Certified” has been treated as the end of the conversation in body armor selection. If a plate carries an NIJ Level III or Level IV label, many buyers assume it represents the highest possible level of protection.
That assumption is wrong.
NIJ certification is not meaningless — but it is incomplete. Treating it as a guarantee of real-world survivability is a mistake, and one that continues to be repeated across law enforcement procurement, sales conversations, and manufacturer marketing.
NIJ is not wrong — it’s incomplete.
What NIJ Certification Actually Does
The National Institute of Justice establishes standardized ballistic test protocols so armor can be evaluated consistently across manufacturers. NIJ certification exists to create a baseline — not a worst-case, not a mission-specific evaluation, and not a guarantee of how armor will perform when things go sideways.
For hard armor plates, NIJ Level IV certification under NIJ 0101.06:
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uses a limited number of impacts
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places shots within a defined strike face
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does not require edge strikes
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focuses on repeatability, not failure analysis
NIJ testing answers a narrow question:
Does this plate meet minimum performance thresholds under controlled conditions?
That’s it.
What NIJ Does Not Test
NIJ certification does not evaluate:
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edge-to-edge survivability
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repeated impacts across the full plate surface
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certain failure modes seen in real operations
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how a plate behaves after multiple strikes in different locations
None of that makes NIJ “bad.”
It simply means NIJ was never designed to answer those questions.
The problem is not NIJ.
The problem is pretending NIJ answers everything.
The Dangerous Assumption: “NIJ Certified = Safe”
Most law enforcement armor policies state that all armor must be NIJ certified. That requirement exists for procurement clarity and auditability — not because NIJ represents the most demanding test available.
Policy compliance is not the same thing as performance adequacy.
When armor is sold with the implication that “NIJ Certified” automatically means “safe in all conditions,” buyers are being misled — whether intentionally or through ignorance.
That is reckless.
What DoD First Article Testing (FAT) Evaluates
Military procurement programs do not rely on NIJ certification alone. Instead, they use contract-specific testing, commonly referred to as First Article Testing (FAT), conducted under requirements defined by the United States Department of Defense.
DoD FAT is not a certification.
It is not a single published standard.
It exists to verify that a specific armor design meets the requirements of a specific contract.
Depending on the solicitation, DoD FAT commonly includes:
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multiple impacts per plate
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center-mass strikes
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edge strikes
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repeated impacts across different locations
A common FAT sequence includes:
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Center-mass impact
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Edge impact
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Center-mass impact
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Edge impact
That’s four shots, not two — and it evaluates failure modes NIJ certification does not require.
Why Edge Testing Matters
Edges are a known vulnerability in hard armor design. Impacts near the edge can introduce failure modes that never appear during center-only testing.
Real threats do not politely strike the middle of a plate.
By including edge strikes, DoD FAT evaluates edge-to-edge survivability, which is a fundamentally different question than NIJ certification answers.
This is not an opinion.
It is the reason military testing evolved beyond baseline civilian standards.
The Procurement Reality No One Talks About
Here’s the uncomfortable truth:
Many law enforcement agencies cannot purchase armor that is not NIJ certified, even if that armor has passed more demanding military testing.
As a result:
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Armor that performs well under DoD testing may be policy-ineligible
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Armor that barely meets NIJ minimums may still be approved
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Buyers are often forced to choose compliance over capability
That is a policy problem — not a physics problem.
Why This Conversation Matters
Armor selection should not stop at a label.
Buyers should understand:
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what tests were performed
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how many impacts were required
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where those impacts occurred
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and which failure modes were evaluated
NIJ certification remains a necessary baseline for many agencies.
DoD First Article Testing exists because baseline testing is not enough for all missions.
Pretending otherwise puts people at risk.
The Bottom Line
NIJ certification answers one question.
It does not answer all of them.
If you are selecting armor for environments where:
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edge impacts are possible
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multiple hits are realistic
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failure is not acceptable
then you owe it to yourself — and the people wearing that armor — to understand what NIJ does and does not test.
Calling that out is not controversial.
Ignoring it is.
Why This Page Exists
This page exists because too many armor decisions are made on assumptions instead of understanding.
If that makes some people uncomfortable, so be it.
Armor doesn’t care about feelings.
About the Author
Steve Cassidy is a former U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Technician and the founder and CEO of EOD Gear. With more than a decade supplying armor and EOD equipment to military, law enforcement, and government agencies, his focus is on separating compliance-driven purchasing from real-world performance and survivability.