Stab Resistance of Personal Body Armor (NIJ Standard-0115.00)

This standard, the first of its kind in the United States, specifies the minimum requirements for body armor designed to protect the torso against slash and stab threats. This NIJ Standard describes the test methodology used for the assessment and focuses primarily on knives that are readily available from sports equipment retailers—ones of high quality that feature very sharp machine-ground cutting edges and fine points. Lower quality, prison-made knives, ice picks, and shivs are not addressed in this report. The threats treated in this standard are from hand-delivered impacts from instruments whose points or tips lie near the centerline of the clenched fist holding the weapon.