WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN LOOKING FOR BALLISTIC PLATES?

The purpose of all this is obviously protection, so one would say "the more protection, the better" right? Well, if that were the case then everyone should be running around in Juggernaut suits. But if there's one thing we all learned from videogames is that such heavy protection comes at the cost of speed which can be a huge disadvantage.

Along with that you can imagine that wearing something so bulky can't be comfortable, especially for long durations. So there's an important tradeoff going on here between protection, comfort and mobility. And these are exactly the factors one need to consider when looking into ballistic protection.

The outcome of whether the full equation (in regards to plates solely) will work out for you depends on a few things. These are the plate's:

• NIJ protection level (IIIA, III, IV)
• Strength (SA or ICW)
• Material (Plastic, ceramic, metal)
• Thickness (Ranging from 0.5" to 1.5")
• Weight (Ranging from 1,25 to 4,5 kg per plate)
• Cut (Full, SAPI, Shooter, Swimmer)
• Curvature (Flat, Single-curve, Multi-curve)
• Special features (E.g. drop resistance, buoyancy, etc)
• Actual measurements (8x10", 10x12", 11x14", etc)

Here we will only focus on the actual measurements alone, since the rest can be quite extensive on its own.

WHY DOES PLATE SIZE MATTER?

A ballistic plate is meant to protect the most vital organs found in the torso. This includes the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, kidneys and "the great vessels". For this you obviously require a plate that's big enough to cover the entire area where these organs are located.

On the other hand, you don't want a plate that's too big either, because it will limit your range of motion and can even make certain movements (E.g. taking a seat, kneeling down, going in a prone position, etc) uncomfortable or impossible to do. 

So, our job here is to look at what plate size is "optimal" for your particular body, both in coverage and mobility/comfort. This all sounds difficult, but luckily there's a simple measurement process you can apply.

DETERMINING YOUR BALLISTIC PLATE SIZE

The only tool you need for this is a tape measure. For the plate's width, you want to measure across your chest from nipple to nipple. Make sure that the tape is leveled while doing so. For the height you want to measure from your sternum notch (= the top of your sternum) to your belly button and subtract 51 to 76 mm (or 2 to 3 inches).

Now it is simply a matter of picking a plate size that is closest to your personal measurements. Use the table below to determine this.

BALLISTIC PLATE & PLATE CARRIER SELECTION

Now that you're aware of what size of plate you need for your body measurements, it comes down to the actual selection of a ballistic or weighted training plate.

If you're looking for a training plate you only have to look for something that fits your required plate size and desired plate weight. For a ballistic plate your work is not finished yet, because it now falls back to the different factors we mentioned earlier. We will not dive in those here though as they would take up too much to cover.

Nonetheless, you now have a basic idea of what plate carrier sizes to look out for. Some plate carrier designs are also pretty universal in terms of what plates they can take. The brands behind these provide their own ways to determine what carrier size you would need for your particular body (this outcome is however no replacement for what plate size you need!).

Our selection of high quality plate carriers can be found on our shop.

WHAT ABOUT BACK & SIDE PLATES?

The size of back plate you need is nothing more than exactly the same size as the one for your torso. A common mistake made with back plate protection is that people tend to hang them too low when wearing a plate carrier. This has more to do with plate carrier fitment, but a good rule of thumb to know is that your back plate should hang equally in height as your front plate when viewed from aside as you're standing straight.

Side plates are also an option to consider to protect your vital organs from the sides. These can be worn in line with your shoulder or shifted towards the front or back (for protection against dead angles). These plates are either shaped in a square or rectangle with common sizes being 6x6" and 6x8". Of course the selection of these highly depends on what plates sizes the cummerbunds on your plate carrier can take.

A collection of high quality, plate compatible, cummerbunds and side plate mounts can be found through our shop.