personalguard/nij-body-armor-certification-check

NIJ Body Armor Certification Check (October 2026)

Which body armor is really on the U.S. National Institute of Justice (NIJ) compliant products list? This dataset holds a dated, sourced check of 17 commercially sold armor products against that list, NIJ's 2026 advisory and safety notices compared with the list's own status column, the NIJ protection levels with their test rounds and velocities, and a snapshot of both NIJ lists as published on October 4, 2026.

This dataset was assembled with the assistance of an AI system. The list snapshots and notice statuses were copied programmatically from NIJ's published data; every product finding was checked against the manufacturer's own page and NIJ's records on the date shown. It is maintained by PersonalGuard, a protective-equipment research site. The full write-up, with the method and every source, is the guide Body Armor: Is It Really NIJ Certified? How to Check.

A daily copy of the full list. The two list files here are a snapshot from October 4, 2026. PersonalGuard also keeps a copy of both NIJ lists that is refreshed from NIJ's data every day, company by company, with the advisory and safety notices that name listed models shown beside the status in NIJ's table: NIJ certified body armor list, updated daily.

Search it. The NIJ Body Armor Lookup Space searches every listing by model, NIJ model code or company, with the notices shown beside NIJ's status (NIJ data as of October 15, 2026).

Files

File	Rows	What it holds
armor-nij-checks.csv	17	One row per product: the NIJ reference in its specifications, the result (listed, not-listed or not-covered), a short verdict, the full finding, the check and review dates, and the NIJ, manufacturer and PersonalGuard pages
nij-notices-2026-vs-list.csv	5	Every NIJ advisory and safety notice issued in 2026 through September, with the status NIJ's list data showed for the same model on October 4, 2026
nij-protection-levels.csv	20	The test rounds, bullet masses and reference velocities for each level of NIJ Standard 0101.06 (2008) and NIJ Standard 0123.00 (the levels used by 0101.07)
nij-list-0101-06-2026-10-04.csv	4,516	Snapshot of NIJ's list of armor compliant with NIJ Standard 0101.06: one row per listee and model, with level, type, test configuration, status and test laboratory
nij-list-0101-07-2026-10-04.csv	67	Snapshot of NIJ's list of armor compliant with NIJ Standard 0101.07

What the check found

• 5 of 17 products are on NIJ's list, each at a plain NIJ level. Three plates sold as "Level III+" are listed at Level III, and a vest sold as "IIIA+" is listed at Level IIIA. Neither NIJ standard defines a plus level.
• 4 are not on the list or cannot be matched to a listed model. Two claim compliance with NIJ 0101.06 without naming a listed model; two describe laboratory testing to NIJ methods.
• 8 are kinds of product NIJ never certifies: two backpacks, two backpack inserts and four helmets. NIJ states it "has never tested nor certified ballistic items, such as backpacks, blankets, or briefcases, other than body armor for law enforcement", and its compliance program publishes no helmet list.
• The list lags its own notices. On October 4, 2026, three models suspended by 2026 advisory notices (SAS-IIIA-2, CP 4K10 and TYR-HA3/ST ICW TXP3A63) still showed "Active" in NIJ's list data, and XR32, permanently removed by a September 2026 safety notice, still appeared with a "Suspended" status. Check the notices as well as the list.

How the check was done

For each product, the manufacturer's product page or specification sheet was read for its exact NIJ claim and any model designation. Both NIJ tables were then searched by listee and by model, and the testing program's page of active advisory and safety notices was read the same day. A product counts as listed only when its maker names a model designation that appears on the list; not-listed means no listing was found or none could be tied to the product; not-covered means NIJ does not certify that kind of product. Each finding is due for review on January 4, 2027.

Sources

• NIJ Compliant Products List: Ballistic Resistant Body Armor (both list snapshots and the scope statements)
• Active NIJ Advisory and Safety Notices at the Criminal Justice Technology Testing and Evaluation Center
• NIJ Standard 0101.06 and NIJ Standard 0123.00 (protection levels)
• Justice Department statement on claims of NIJ certification of ballistic backpacks
• Each manufacturer page is linked in the maker_source column

License and attribution

The product checks, verdicts and findings are released under CC BY 4.0; please credit PersonalGuard. The two NIJ list snapshots and the protection-level values are works of the U.S. government, reproduced from NIJ's published records, and are in the public domain in the United States.

Limitations

This is a snapshot. NIJ listings, statuses and notices change, and the list's status column can lag a notice, so check NIJ's current records before relying on any row. PersonalGuard did not test any armor; the dataset reports what NIJ's records and the manufacturers' pages stated on October 4, 2026. A product that is not listed has no NIJ test record; that is not a finding that it fails. Nothing here is legal advice.