NCJ Number
183652
Date Published
September 2000
Length
45 pages
Annotation
This standard establishes minimum performance requirements and test methods for the stab resistance of personal body armor intended to protect the torso against slash and stab threats.
Abstract
The scope of the standard is limited to stab resistance only. The standard does not directly address slash threats. However, stab threats are the more difficult to defeat, and body armor capable of defeating stab threats will perform satisfactorily against slash threats. The threat posed by a knife depends on, among other things, its sharpness, pointedness, style, handle and blade design, attacking angle, and the attacker’s physical condition and skill. Because these parameters can vary widely from one situation to another, armors that will defeat a standard test blade may not defeat other knife designs under similar conditions or the same knife design if other attacking parameters are changed. The threats treated in this standard are from hand-delivered impacts with sharp-edged and/or pointed instruments whose point or tip lies near the centerline of the clenched fist holding the weapon. Tables, figures, note, appendixes