Ceramic Polyethylene Armor Vs Steel

Whether you serve on a police squad sheriff s office or swat team in a large city where violence and active threats arise daily or you re in a smaller community that rarely sees such action you ve likely considered the question.

Ceramic polyethylene armor vs steel.

Steel body armor ancient body armor was made of steel. Now with the cons 1 can be vulnerable to high velocity threats such as m193 or m855 fired at a high velocity. This part of the ceramic vs. Mainly fmj and steel core penetrator type ammunition.

It is constructed from either steel plates ceramic composite or ultra high molecular weight polyethylene plastic. Soft vs hard armor generally hard armor plates are worn in a plate carrier which is a vest that fits over your other clothing. The bottom line is kevlar by itself only makes soft body armor. The tradeoff however is that it s currently not possible with available materials and processes to create a type iv level plate on a commercial basis meaning it is not rated to stop armor piercing rounds.

Weighing 8 to 10 pounds steel is also much heavier compared to ceramic and polyethylene plates but it is also the most affordable of of the three. Ceramic plates another more recent choice when it comes to hard armor plates is the ceramic plates. Both ceramic and steel armor strike a balance between optimal threat protection and exceptional comfort. Steel armor debate comes down to personal preference.

However ceramic polyethylene technology has reached a point where steel is obsolete for this role. What s the best body armor for my needs. Steel armor is more affordable than ceramic armor which makes it a great entry level armor type. Ceramic plates can be 2 3 times thicker than equivalent steel plates 0 5 vs.

3 steel with anti spall. Other materials such as steel ceramic and polyethylene are used to create armor plates that reinforce the soft body armor. Polyethylene plates weigh between 2 to 5 pounds making them lighter than steel and up to 70 lighter than ceramic plates. Most people are not in good enough physical shape for shtf scenarios like walking for miles with their bug out bag and armor on.

But steel plates can be 2 3 times as heavy 4 vs.