Ballistic Ratings
The foremost independent assurances that a product will perform as intended is the Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Listing. The UL Listed label means the entire assembly or product has undergone extensive investigation and testing along with follow-up inspections by UL. Thus, a UL Listed assembly will have the correct overall design, tolerances, frame connections and hardware to perform as desired.
Products that are marketed with the wording “meets” or “complies” with a UL rating does not necessarily mean the product is investigated or listed by Underwriters Laboratories, Inc.
Many of the products manufactured by National Bullet Proof, Inc. meet the ballistic standards created by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), a research, development, and evaluation agency of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Below is a sampling of the UL and NIJ standards.
| Rating | Ammunition | Weight Grain | Velocity |
Number of Shots |
| UL Level 1 | 9mm full metal copper jacket w lead core | 124 gr | 1175 fps | 3 |
| UL Level 2 |
.357 Magnum jacketed lead, soft point | 158 gr |
1250 fps | 3 |
| UL Level 3 |
.44 Magnum lead semi-wadcutter gas checked | 240 gr | 1350 fps | 3 |
| UL Level 4 | .30 caliber rifle lead core soft point | 180 gr |
2540 fps | 1 |
| UL Level 5 |
7.62 mm rifle lead core full metal copper jacket, military ball | 150 gr |
2750 fps | 1 |
| UL Level 6 |
9 mm full metal copper jacket with lead core | 124 gr |
1400 fps | 5 |
| UL Level 7 |
5.56 mm rifle full metal copper jacket with lead core | 55 gr |
3080 fps | 5 |
| UL Level 8 |
7.62 mm rifle lead core full metal copper jacket, military ball | 150 gr |
2750 fps | 5 |
gr – grain, fps – feet per second.
UL – Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. UL Standard for Safety for Bullet-Resisting Equipment, UL 752. Eleventh Edition, September 2005. www.ulstandards.com
| Rating | Ammunition | Weight Grams | Velocity |
Number of Shots |
| NIJ – I | 38 Special | 10.2 g | 259 mps | 5 |
| NIJ – II-A | 357 Magnum | 10.2 g | 381 mps | 5 |
| NIJ – II | 357 Magnum.44 mag | 10.2 g | 425 mps | 5 |
| NIJ – III-A | 44 Magnum | 15.55 g | 426 mps | 5 |
| NIJ – III | 7.62 mm | 9.7 g | 838 mps | 5 |
| NIJ – IV | 30-06 | 10.8 g | 868 mps | 1 |
g – grams, mps – meters per second
NIJ – National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Ballistic Resistant Protective Materials, NIJ Standard 0108.01, September 1985. nij.ojp.gov