What material is a bulletproof vest made of?

A bulletproof vest consists of a cover and an implant. The cover itself does not protect you from bullets; that is the role of the implant. The implant is made from extremely strong fibers that absorb and distribute the energy from a projectile throughout the vest. By distributing the energy, the impact force – also known as "blunt trauma" – is minimized, making it less painful to be hit by a bullet.

Note that we say "less painful." Even though you are protecting your life with a bulletproof vest, and even if you do not die from being hit by a bullet, it does not mean that it won't hurt to be hit.

The Fibers in the Implant

The implant can consist of aramid (including Kevlar and Twaron) or UHMWPE (including EA-TEX and Dyneema). Regardless of the type of fibers the implant is made from, the fibers are woven crosswise until they are ultimately impenetrable.

Protection Level

Depending on how high the protection level is in the bulletproof implant, the implant can consist of different numbers of layers. The fewer layers, the lower the protection level.

The protection level on the side is defined in NIJ standard 101.06 level IIIA (Level 3A), which is the highest level for soft bulletproof vests, also known as "Soft Armor." If a higher protection level is desired, some of our models can be upgraded to "Hard Armor" by using a trauma plate, thus achieving level IV protection.

The Composition of a Bulletproof Vest

A bulletproof vest is composed of ballistic fibers, and when the ballistic fibers are assembled, they must subsequently be wrapped. The wrapping of the ballistic fibers can be done in two different ways – as described below.

Some manufacturers use rubber sealing, which helps ensure that the fibers remain dry. The downside, however, is that the rubber sealing is not breathable, making the vest typically uncomfortable to wear for extended periods.

All Elite Armor implants are sealed with a high-tech membrane designed to keep the implant dry while being breathable and allowing for a higher degree of comfort.

Specifically for EA-TEX

Here at Elite Armor, we have developed our own sealing material for our implants, known as EA-TEX. EA-TEX is very similar to similar technologies like Gore-Tex. This membrane ensures maximum breathability, providing comfort for the end user and helping to protect the fibers in the implant. Additionally, a layer of comfort foam is added, made from ultra-light and very soft material. The comfort foam is placed between the implant itself and the sealing of the implant – of course, with the soft side facing the body, making the vest as comfortable as possible to wear.

The comfort foam comes in many qualities, and the purpose of this foam layer is precisely to make the vest more comfortable to wear. There is also a variant of our comfort foam that provides a cooling effect, which can naturally help make the vest comfortable to wear, even over longer periods.

Covers

There are different types of covers or "covers" for our bulletproof implants. Some covers will have pockets on the chest, allowing for the insertion of extra protection in the form of a trauma plate, also known as a "hard armor plate."

Other types of covers include those with fabric "straps" that hang down. These straps also provide an additional form of protection, making it more difficult for a potential attacker to grab underneath the vest and pull it up, leaving the abdomen unprotected. For example, we can refer to our RX1 model, which comes with these straps.

Some of our covers also have an extra feature consisting of fabric "straps" that are to be tucked into the pants. This makes it more difficult for an attacker to grab underneath the vest and pull it up, resulting in a higher degree of protection for the abdomen by keeping the vest in place.

The Finished Vest

An Elite Armor vest therefore consists of up to 3 parts, depending on the desired protection level. Generally, most of our "soft armor" vests are rated to have a protection level corresponding to NIJ Level IIIA. If a higher level of protection is desired, one can achieve NIJ Level IV protection with certain of our vests by using trauma plates.

A bulletproof vest is therefore composed of both an implant and a cover. Some vests can be supplemented with a trauma plate or consist only as a "plate carrier," where protection is only achieved by inserting plates.