Do Ceramic Armor Plates Expire

However there are no guarantees and no official testing for expired armor.

Do ceramic armor plates expire. It has been proven that body armor does maintain some of its ballistic properties long after the standard 5 year lifespan. 1 body armor is heavy and hot. They have a label that said expires in 5 years and their website says shelf life of 5 years. No one wants to find out the hard way that an expired vest is no longer viable.

Both are really hot. The soft armor isn t much more than about five pounds but it will wear you out if you aren t used to having it on. Does body armor actually expire. You won t be able to move as quickly or get in and out of shooting positions easily while wearing it.

Plate armor is really heavy. You might have thought that expiration dates are limited to items like food and medicine but body armor and other similar safety products also have a shelf life. Although an expired vest may not be penetrable by a bullet or blade its internal components are more likely to warp crack or dent causing serious bodily harm to the wearer. Do they really stop working after that long.

Expired body armor may not provide adequate protection against deadly force. With the necessary spall coating maybe more. Considering the price ceramic level iv plates are a better investment. I literally only wear them once or twice a year for a class or match that requires them.

This is because the chemical compounds that make up a vest such as industrial fiber or kevlar degrade over time. A pair of those plates will run close to 200 if you don t skinflint the process. So i have a pair of ar500 level iv ceramic plates in my plate carrier. Steel plates are easily 8lbs or more each.