Armor plates aren’t all made equally. Protecting yourself from different weapons and calibers requires a different type of armor. Consequently, when purchasing body armor, you must be aware of the various types of protection and their limitations. To protect against high-caliber rifle shots, level 4 body armor must be extremely durable. Level III armor plates are often made of steel, however, to withstand quicker and heavier bullets, the plate must be thicker and heavier. This is where the Level IV body armor comes in.
Unlike other armor types on the NIJ rating, the Level IV body armor provides ultimate ballistic protection and is constructed from hefty materials. Steel armor is the least expensive to construct, although it has several drawbacks, such as Spalling. It is possible for pieces of a bullet to be diverted toward innocent bystanders, fellow officers of the person wearing the armor, or even oneself. As a result, armor plates made of polyethylene or ceramic composite are preferable because they are lighter and easier to transport. Steel plates are not appropriate for level IV armor since they will be subjected to substantially larger projectiles. As a result, many well-known armor manufacturers, including AR500, use UHMW PE and ceramic composite to create their level 4 body armor.
As a result, most level 4 body armor plates have three distinct layers. The strike face is a ceramic layer attached to a PE backer plate on the rear. To disperse the impact of an approaching bullet, ceramic is used on the front, while the PE plate on the back absorbs it. After the ceramic strike face is fractured, a layer of rubber is placed on top of both the steel plate and the ceramic strike face to help distribute force and maintain the steel plate in shape.
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