Product Selection Help Page
Not sure where to start? This page can help!
The below table can be used as a quick reference guide to locate armor that might fit your needs. Below that there is additional information.
| Model/Size |
Made USA* |
Level | Lightest | Edge-To-Edge |
Crye Specific ** |
Multi-Hit*** | Curve |
|
Yes |
RF3 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Single | |
|
Yes |
RF2 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Single | |
| OA+ Series 10"x12" | No | RF3 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Single |
| OA+ Series 10"x12" | No | RF2 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Single |
| OA+ Series 10"x12" | No | RF3 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Multi |
| Swimmer/SAPI Combo (Standard) (10"x12") | Yes | RF2 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Single |
|
Yes |
RF2 | No | Yes | No | No | Single | |
|
Yes |
RF3 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Single | |
|
Yes |
RF3 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Single | |
|
Yes |
RF2 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Single | |
|
Yes |
RF3 | Yes | No | No | Yes | Single | |
| 6.25"x 6.25" side plates | Yes | RF2 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Single |
| 6.25"x 6.25" side plates | Yes | RF3 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Single |
| 6.25"x 8.25" side plates | Yes | RF2 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Single |
| 6.25 "x 8.25" side plates | Yes | RF3 | No | Yes | No | Yes | Single |
| Yes | RF2 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Single | |
| Yes | RF3 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Single |
* Made in the USA with global materials and 100% US made adhesives and proprietary bonding methods.
** Crye Specific: Our other plates may also fit in your Crye. Please measure to make sure.
*** Multi-hit capable: Dependent on shot placement, caliber, velocity and other factors. Side plates are smaller than normally sized torso plates and may not offer identical multihit resistance.
This page is designed to assist customers with purchasing the product that best matches their goals and operational considerations.
It's important to start by defining a few terms. I know it may take a few minutes to read this page - but it will help you decide which products to look for. We will also provide you links to follow products or collections that suit your needs.
The following definitions are very basic. For more detailed information about ballistic resistance, please see the National Institute of Justice NIJ 0101.07 Standard and the NIJ Specification for Protection Levels and Associated Test Threats, NIJ 0123.0.
One of the first things you need to decide is which protection level you are interested in. Why not just go straight for the highest protection level (RF3)? Because it is generally a little bit heavier and costs slightly more. Protection levels are categorized as "Ballistic Resistance Levels."
These levels are broken up into HG (Handgun) and RF (Rifle) protection.
NIJ Ballistic Resistance Levels
RF1: Armor can resist 7.62X51mm M80 Ball with Full Metal Jacket (FMJ), 147 grain at 2780 feet per second (fps). 7.62 x 39mm Mild Steel Core (MSC) at 2400 fps and 5.56 M193 56 grain at 3250 fps. This used to be known as the Level 3 ballistic resistance level.
RF2: Armor can resist all of the RF1 threats, plus the 5.56 M855 61.8 grain moving at 3115 fps. This used to be known as Level 3+ armor (depending on the manufacturer).
RF3: Armor can resist all RF1 and RF2 threats plus the .30 caliber M2 AP (armor piercing) projectile. This used to be known as Level IV (4) armor.
HG2: Armor can resist the 9mm Luger FMJ 124 grain, 1470 fps plus the .44 Magnum 240 grain at 1430 fps. We include this protection level in our discussion because the thinnest backing plate we use for ceramic armor is tested (and passes) HG2 level resistance. Most other armor companies do not provide this test. This used to be known as NIJ 3a armor.
Now, that we have the ballistic resistance levels generally defined - you may have started to favor one or the other. At GTS, our armor is so strong that we do not offer products in the RF1 category. We offer only RF2 and RF3 armor to the public.
Ceramic Material:
Ceramic armor plates are made with Ultra-High-Molecular-Weight-Polyethylene (UHMWPE) and ceramic. The type of ceramic can vary, but the most common type is called Aluminum Oxide, or "Alumina." Other types are lighter (like Silicon Carbide and Boron Carbide). But those materials are more expensive and do not have the density that Alumina has. Despite what you hear - our testing throughout the years has indicated that 99% Alumina has more predictable and effective stopping power than any other mainstream ceramic type out there.
Each type of ceramic can be manufactured with a certain purity (90% - 99%). The higher the purity, the greater the density (and ballistic resistance). At GTS, we only provide 99% alumina and silicon carbide tiles. Other manufacturers offer less expensive materials with purity levels in the 90%-95% range.
Most of our products are manufactured with Alumina ballistic ceramic tile.
Next, we have to define the ceramic layout on the plate itself. Refer to the below picture during the next part of the discussion. Please assume a plate size of 10" (wide) x 12" (height).
Ceramic Layout on the Backing Plate
Standard Ceramic Armor Plate: More than 90% of ceramic armor plates are sold with a 1" rubber (or eva foam) around the perimeter of the plate. Instead of ceramic going all the way to the edge of the backing plate, the edge is a much lighter material, meaning that the overall plate weight is drastically reduced (see above). For example, with an alumina ballistic ceramic at the RF3 level, reducing the amount of ceramic along the edges by 1” reduces the plate weight from 8 pounds to just over 6 pounds.
The Standard configuration offers RF2 or RF3 plus HG2 ballistic resistance where there is ceramic and HG2 only level protection along the edges of our plates.
The image below shows the approximate placement of the ceramic pulled back from the edge of the backing plate built with the Standard configuration. What most customers don't know is that this is the configuration most often sold in the market but is never revealed.
Alumina ceramic plates in the Standard configuration are about 5.2 pounds in the RF2 category and 6.2 pounds in the RF3 category.
Expanded Ceramic Armor Plate: Same as the discussion above regarding Standard, but with a 1/2" edge (instead of 1"). Alumina ceramic plates in the Expanded configuration are about 6.2 pounds in the RF2 category and 7.2 pounds in the RF3 category.
The Expanded configuration offers RF2 or RF3 plus HG2 ballistic resistance where there is ceramic and HG2 only level protection along the edges of our plates.
Edge-to-Edge (Full) Ceramic Armor Plate: Edge-to-Edge armor is a configuration denoting ceramic extending all the way across the backing material, providing rifle protection (at the RF2 or RF3 level) across the entire plate. The advantage of this configuration is that is offers the most rifle protection out of the available three layouts. The disadvantage is that these plates are usually heavier and cost slightly more.
Alumina ceramic plates in the Edge-to-Edge configuration are about 7 pounds in the RF2 category and 8 pounds in the RF3 category. Silicon Carbide ceramic plates in the Edge-to-Edge configuration are about 6.2 pounds in the RF2 category and 7.2 pounds in the RF3 category.
The above information should provide you with some direction regarding your purchasing decisions. Each product will identify the ceramic material, layout and overall armor weight.
Elements of this discussion can be analyzed according to your own needs. In other words, a traffic patrol officer expecting to face handgun threats may opt for the standard plate configuration due to the weight savings and affordability. Each customer's needs are different. Please contact us for additional information.
See below for links to the following categories and collections of products.