What Are Body Armor Plates Made Of?

Most body armor plates are a combination of different materials. The following are the most common components that manufacturers use in the production of body armor plate sets.

• Ceramic: Ceramic body armor plates contain boron carbide, silicon carbide, or similar materials frequently used in the military. A ceramic body armor plate is superior to metal armor in several ways, including its ability to bend tungsten core penetrators and its resistance to high-velocity projectiles. The strength of ceramic materials makes them effective barriers against projectiles.

• Metal: Steel and titanium are the metals of choice for most metal body armor plates. Body armor plate manufacturers also use aluminum and other metal alloys. A steel plate can shatter a projectile and send dangerous particles across the plane of the plate. However, the most used steel, AR500 steel (Abrasion Resistant/ Brinell Hardness 500 steel), was not designed for armor purposes and can therefore experience significant variations in hardness. 

• Plastic: Ballistic protection can increase by using many layers of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), making it an attractive alternative to heavier metal plates. They help in trauma reduction and a remote but not impossible possibility of fracture. Body armor plate manufacturers usually use UHMWPE because they spin it into a thread during production. They then weave it into a competitive fabric with modern aramid fabrics in terms of strength, flexibility, and weight. However, UHMWPE does have weaknesses, most notably its vastly inferior heat and flame resistance due to being a thermoplastic with a low melting point (130 degrees °C, or 266 degrees F). Due to the delamination, the composites in UHMWPE also tend to bulge rapidly after being shot. 

• Nanomaterials: Carbon nanotubes and nanocomposites have the potential to outperform other materials in terms of strength-to-weight ratio. The strength and durability of nanomaterials make them an attractive option for use in body armor plates.

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