prEN 16448-2

Protective Clothing - Body Armour - Part 2: Bullet resistance, requirements and test methods

Part 2 of this of European Standard contains the performance requirements and test methods for determining the resistance of body armour to impacts by bullets from handguns (pistols and revolvers), and rifles.

Schutzkleidung - Körperschutz - Teil 2: Ballistische Schutzwesten - Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren

Teil 2 dieser Europäischen Norm enthält die Leistungsanforderungen und Prüfverfahren zur Festlegung des Widerstandes von Körperschutz gegen Treffer von Geschossen aus Handfeuerwaffen (Pistolen und Revolver) und Gewehren.

Vêtements de protection - Protection corporelle - Partie 2: Gilets pare-balles - Exigences et méthodes d'essai

La partie 2 de la présente Norme européenne contient les exigences de performance et les méthodes d'essai
permettant de déterminer la résistance d'une protection corporelle (gilet pare-balles) aux impacts de balles tirées
par des armes de poing (pistolets et revolvers) et des fusils.

Varovalna obleka - Neprebojno oblačilo - 2. del: Odpornost proti izstrelkom, zahteve in preskusne metode

General Information

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 29-Sep-2014
• ICS: 13.340.10 - Protective clothing
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 162 - Protective clothing including hand and arm protection and lifejackets
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 162/WG 5 - Resistance to mechanical impact of protective clothing
• Current Stage: 0098 - Decision to abandon - Definition of new project
• Start Date: 31-May-2018
• Completion Date: 14-Apr-2025
• Directive: 89/686/EEC - Council Directive 89/686/EEC of 21 December 1989 on the approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to personal protective equipment
• Mandate: M/031 - Standardization mandate to CEN/CENELEC concerning standards for Personal Protective Equipment
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN 16448-2:2012 - Protective Clothing - Body Armour - Part 2: Bullet resistance, requirements and test methods

Overview

The prEN 16448-2 is a European Standard developed by CEN that specifies performance requirements and test methods for bullet-resistant body armour. It focuses on ensuring the protection of wearers against handgun and rifle bullets by defining standardized test procedures and criteria. This document is essential for manufacturers, testing laboratories, certification bodies, and end-users to evaluate the ballistic resistance of body armour accurately.

This standard is part two of the EN 16448 series, which covers various aspects of protective clothing related to body armour. Part 2 specifically centers on bullet resistance - requirements and test methods - providing detailed definitions, classifications, and testing protocols to ascertain bullet impact resistance.

Key Topics

• Scope and Application: The standard covers resistance to bullets fired from handguns (pistols and revolvers) and rifles, applicable to both textile protective packages and hard armour plates.
• Performance Requirements:
  • No bullet perforation through the armour.
  • Indentation depth in backing material must remain within defined limits (generally no more than approximately 40-44 mm after calibration).
  • No bullet ricochet or slippage outside the armour.
  • Integrity of rigid panels, ensuring no fragments penetrate the backing material.
• Testing Procedures:
  • Specifies test ammunition types for different protection levels.
  • Defines test conditions such as shot distance, angle of impact (typically 90° or 25°), and number of shots per test.
  • Includes pre-conditioning and preparation of test specimens.
  • Details setup of test equipment including verified test barrels and backing materials.
• Terminology and Definitions:
  • Includes essential ballistic terms such as impact velocity, perforation, contact shot, and penetration.
  • Defines projectile classifications like Full Metal Jacket (FMJ), solid projectiles, and Armour Piercing (AP).

Applications

The prEN 16448-2 standard is critical in multiple sectors where ballistic threats exist, offering practical value in:

• Manufacturing of Bullet-Resistant Body Armour: Provides manufacturers with clear criteria and test methods to develop and produce armour that meets high safety standards.
• Certification and Compliance: Assists certification bodies in conducting uniform tests for official body armour approval, ensuring consistent quality across Europe.
• Law Enforcement and Military: Helps agencies select appropriately rated protective garments that conform to recognized European standards for enhanced personnel safety.
• Product Development and Innovation: Enables R&D teams to benchmark new materials and armour designs against established test criteria.
• Quality Control: Facilitates routine testing to monitor production consistency and durability over time.
• Consumer Assurance: Offers users and procurement officials confidence that products meet EU required ballistic performance levels.

Related Standards

• EN 16448-1: General requirements for body armour including design, ergonomic properties, and basic safety metrics.
• EN 16448-3: Covers knife stab resistance, which is critical to complement bullet resistance for dual-purpose body armour.
• EU Directive 89/686/EEC: The standard supports essential requirements of this Personal Protective Equipment Directive, aligning product safety with regulatory compliance.
• Additional ballistic and protective clothing standards developed by CEN/TC 162 provide supporting frameworks for comprehensive protective wear testing and certification.

---

Adhering to prEN 16448-2 helps ensure body armour delivers certified ballistic performance, enhancing wearer safety against handgun and rifle threats through standardized, rigorous testing methods aligned to European regulations. This promotes innovation, market confidence, and cross-border product acceptance of bullet-resistant protective clothing.

Standards Content (Sample)

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-september-2012
9DURYDOQDREOHND1HSUHERMQRREODþLORGHO2GSRUQRVWSURWLL]VWUHONRP
]DKWHYHLQSUHVNXVQHPHWRGH
Protective Clothing - Body Armour - Part 2: Bullet resistance, requirements and test
methods
Schutzkleidung - Körperschutz - Teil 2: Ballistische Schutzwesten - Anforderungen und
Prüfverfahren
Vêtements de protection - Protection corporelle - Partie 2: Gilets pare-balles - Exigences
et méthodes d'essai
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 16448-2
ICS:
13.340.10 Varovalna obleka Protective clothing
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

EUROPEAN STANDARD
DRAFT
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
June 2012
ICS 13.340.10
English Version
Protective Clothing - Body Armour - Part 2: Bullet resistance,
requirements and test methods
Vêtements de protection - Protection corporelle - Partie 2: Schutzkleidung - Körperschutz - Teil 2: Ballistische
Gilets pare-balles - Exigences et méthodes d'essai Schutzwesten - Anforderungen und Prüfverfahren
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee CEN/TC 162.

If this draft becomes a European Standard, CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which
stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language
made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management
Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland,
Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Kingdom.

Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are aware and to
provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without notice and
shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

Management Centre: Avenue Marnix 17, B-1000 Brussels
© 2012 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 16448-2:2012: E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
Foreword .4
1 Scope .6
2 Normative references .6
3 Terms and definitions .6
3.1 General ballistic terms .6
4 Requirements, classifications and test conditions .8
4.1 General .8
4.2 Permitted indentation depth in backing material .8
4.3 Test ammunition to be used for different protection levels .8
4.4 Test conditions and Test Specimen/samples .9
4.5 Number of test shots to make for different protection levels and features .9
4.5.1 Basic tests .9
4.5.2 Additional tests on soft armour . 11
5 Test equipment and test resources . 11
5.1 Test set up . 11
5.2 Precision of test equipment . 11
5.3 Backing material . 12
5.3.1 General . 12
5.4 Specification of test barrel . 13
6 Test procedure . 13
6.1 Parameters relevant for testing . 13
6.2 Number of test specimens . 14
6.3 Size of the test specimen . 14
6.4 Pre-conditioning of the test specimens before testing . 14
6.5 Check of the backing material . 15
6.6 Attachment of specimen to backing . 15
6.7 Specification of the points of impact . 15
6.8 Positioning of the weapon . 15
6.9 Impact angle . 15
6.10 Number and distance of the hits . 15
6.11 Test of protection body armour for females . 16
6.12 Execution of the tests . 16
6.13 Recording of the test results . 16
6.14 Preparations for subsequent shots . 17
6.15 Repetition of tests. 17
7 Documentation of the test . 18
Annex A (informative) Set-up of the test installation . 20
Annex B (normative) Positioning of the impact points . 24
B.1 Positioning of the impact points for tests of body armour with a textile protection
package (90° fire) . 24
B.2 Positioning of the impact points for test of body armour with a textile protection package
(25° fire) . 25
B.3 Positioning of the impact points for test of body armour with hard protection element (90°
fire) . 26
B.4 Positioning of the impact points for tests of body armour with hard protection element
(25° fire) . 27
Annex ZA (informative) Relationship between this European Standard and the Essential
Requirements of EU Directive 89/686/EEC . 28
Figures
Figure 1 — Angle of impact . 6
Figure 2 — Testbarrel . 13
Figure 3 — Measurement method for indentation depth . 17
Figure A.1 — Measuring set-up at 90° fire (lateral view) . 20
Figure A.2 — Measuring set-up 25° fire (view from above) . 21
Figure A.3 — Box with round shoulders . 22
Figure A.4 — Test set-up for contact shot . 23
Figure B.1 . 24
Figure B.2 . 25
Figure B.3 . 26
Figure B.4 . 27
Tables
Table 1 — Specfication of test ammunition . 9
Table 2 — Specfication of Number of shots per bullet type, protection level and test type. . 10
Table 3— Number of extra shots/test series with knife protection add-on . 11
Table 4— Number of extra contact shots on female body armour . 11
Table 5— Barrel twist rates . 13
Table ZA — Correspondence between this European Standard and Directive (Add the reference and title of
the Directive) . 28

Foreword
This document (prEN 16448-2) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC “Protective clothing
including hand and arm protection and life jackets”, the secretariat of which is held by DIN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
This document has been prepared under a mandate given to CEN by the European Commission and the
European Free Trade Association, and supports essential requirements of EU Directive(s).
For relationship with EU Directive(s), see informative Annex ZA, which is an integral part of this document.
This standard consists of the following Parts:
EN 16448-1 Protective clothing — Body armour — Part 1: General requirements.
EN 16448-2 Protective clothing — Body armour — Part 2: Bullet resistance — Requirements and test
methods
EN 16448-3 Protective clothing — Body armour — Part 3: Knife stab resistance — Requirements and test
methods
Introduction
Compliance with this part of the Standard (prEN 16448-2) does not imply that the body armour provides
resistance against knife stabs, or stabs by needles or spikes. Testing according to other parts of this Standard
is necessary to provide this information.
Attention is drawn to other parts of this standard:
1 Scope
Part 2 of this of European Standard contains the performance requirements and test methods for determining
the resistance of body armour to impacts by bullets from handguns (pistols and revolvers), and rifles.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and are
indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references,
the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
EN 16448-1, Protective clothing — Body armour — Part 1: General requirements
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1 General ballistic terms
3.1.1
impact velocity
velocity of the bullet measured at the specified distance from the strike face of the test specimen
3.1.2
point of impact
Specified point on test specimen where the projectile is intended to hit the test specimen
3.1.3
angle of impact
is the angle between the line-of-fire of the threat and the line which is parallel to the surface of the sample on
the point of impact
Note 1 to entry: A perpendicular angle of impact would be 90° (see Figure 1).

Key
1 specimen
2 line-of-fire
Figure 1 — Angle of impact
3.1.4
penetration
passage of an object into a test specimen
Note 1 to entry: An object can penetrate into a test specimen without perforating it.
3.1.5
perforation
passage of an object through all layers of a material, for example through a test specimen
Note 1 to entry: A perforation is observed when a bullet, any part of a bullet, any other material or fragments has
passed through the specimen or is visible from the body side
3.1.6
contact shot
test shot made with the muzzle of the weapon pressed towards the specimen.
3.1.7
backing material
defined material that is placed behind a test specimen during projectile, test blade, and test spike impact
testing
3.1.8
indentation diameter
maximum diameter of the indentation made in the backing material in an impact test.
3.1.9
indentation depth
maximum depth of the indentation made in the backing material in an impact test.
Note 1 to entry: The depth is measured relative to the original front surface of the backing material as indicated by the
level of surrounding undisturbed material
3.1.10
shot distance
distance between muzzle of weapon and the point at which the bullet hits the test specimen
3.1.11
distance between two impacts
distance between the points of two impacts on the same test specimen
3.1.12
distance between impact and edge
distance between one impact point and the nearest edge of the test specimen
3.1.13
overlapping design
design of body armour where parts of the body armour are overlapping other parts, for example like in an old
fashioned knights armour.
3.2 Terms, definitions and abbreviated terms for projectiles
3.2.1
solid projectiles
SOLID
projectile made from a homogeneous material, e.g. lead, brass, copper alloy without projectile coat
3.2.2
Full metal jacketed projectile
FMJ
projectile made from a deformable material and jacketed by a hard metal
Note 1 to entry: The core could be made of for example lead or iron, and the jacket can be made of for example
coated steel or copper alloy.
3.2.3
Armour piercing projectile
AP
projectiles with a hard non-deforming core or core component and a jacket.
4 Requirements, classifications and test conditions
4.1 General
After being completely tested according to section 6 in this standard, the following requirements shall be
fulfilled:
a) No perforation as defined in section 6.13 shall be detected.
b) The indentation depths in the backing material after each shot shall be less than the maximum allowed
indentation depth as defined in section 4.2.
c) No ricochet shall be observed, as described in section 6.13.
d) No bullet shall be observed slipping outside the specimen from the side, as described in section 6.13.
e) If a rigid panel is incorporated in the design, no part of that panel, i.e. pieces of metal or ceramic plate,
shall be found in the backing material.
Bullet resistant body armour shall also meet the requirements described in Part 1 of this standard.

NOTE Compliance with Parts 1 and 2 of the Standard does not imply that the body armour provides stab protection.
Compliance with Parts 1 and 3 of this standard is necessary for stab protection. For dual-purpose body armour i.e. Ballistic
+ Stab, compliance with Parts 1, 2 and 3 is required.
4.2 Permitted indentation depth in backing material
For any shot, the indentation in the backing material shall not exceed 22 mm + the average deformation value
determined during the backing material plasticity calibration.
NOTE Since the maximum allowed spread in the plasticity calibration value is 20 ± 2 mm, the actual limit in
indentation value will vary between 40 and 44 mm depending on the actual plasticity of the backing material.
4.3 Test ammunition to be used for different protection levels
When testing a body armour according to this document, depending on the protection class, ammunition,
shooting distance and impact velocity according to the following specification shall be used.
Table 1 — Specification of test ammunition
Class Ammunition Test Conditions
Caliber Type Mass Producer Model Mfg Bullet Impact Distance
(mm) (g) code description velocity (m)
(m/s)
G1 9x19 FMJ 8,0 RUAG DM41 #21258 Tin coated 415 ± 10 5 + 0,5
97 steel jacket,
lead core
G2 9x19 SOLID 7,0 RUAG Penetr #21260 Solid brass 405 ± 10 5 + 0,5
ator 01 bullet
G3 7,62x51 FMJ 9,45 MEN DM41 #23009 Steel jacket, 830 ± 10 10 ± 0,5
2 lead core
7,62x51 FMJ/A9,7 MEN HPC #23037 NATO 820 ± 10 10 ± 0,5
P 4 specified
armour
piercing
NOTE 1 The use of particular reference bullets implies a full specification of the bullets (e.g. DAG DM41 fully defines a
particular bullet).
NOTE 2 Information on how to measure the distance can be found in section 6.8.
NOTE 3 The distance is picked only to allow for the bullet to stabilise in the air, and the accuracy shall allow for testing on
curved specimens without moving the target between shots. The important parameter for defining the impact energy, is the
impact velocity in the table above. The retardation of the bullet over a distance of one meter (the accuracy of the distance) is
not considered significant.
4.4 Test conditions and Test Specimen/samples
If protection in levels G2, G3 and G4 is achieved by adding extra insert plates onto a combination of carrier
and body armour with basic protection, then:
a) the tests for those classes shall be made with the insert plats mounted on the carrier/basic body armour;
b) the carrier/basic body armour itself shall pass a full test for protection class G1.
4.5 Number of test shots to make for different protection levels and features
4.5.1 Basic tests
4.5.1.1 Regular basic test
When testing a Body Armour according to this document, depending on the protection class and the type of
test to be performed, the following number of shots shall be made.

Table 2 — Specification of number of shots per bullet type, protection level and test type.
Test condition Clause ref Number of shots/bullet type
Class G1 Class G2 Class G3 Class G4
Angle: 90°
3+1 3 3 3
Temperature:
+20 °C
Angle: 25°
3 3 3 3
Temperature:
+20 °C
Contact shot
3 0 0 0
Temperature:
+20 °C
Angle: 90°
3 3 3 3
Temperature +40 °C
Angle: 90°
3 3 3 3
Temperature:
+70 °C
Angle: 90°
3 3 3 3
Temperature: -20 °C
Lowest number of
specimens per class 6 5 15 5
necessary
NOTE The table lists the number of test shots per bullet type. For some protection classes test shots might be prescribed with
more than one bullet type, and the number of total shots will then increase.

If a body armour shall offer both bullet resistance as well as stab resistance simultaneously, a non-detachable
construction shall be subjected to both a ballistic test according to this document and a stab test according to
part 3 of this standard.
The ballistic tests and the stab tests are performed on different test specimens.
If another shooting angle than 25° could be expected to be more severe for the body armour, then that angle
should be tested with three additional shots at +20 °C.
4.5.1.2 Shatter gap test
For each bullet tested, an additional test shall be made with six shots at +20 °C and a bullet velocity 100 m/s
slower than the nominal bullet velocity for that bullet
4.5.1.3 Edge test
For body armour tested to level G1 an additional impact (edge impact) shall be shot at a distance to the edge
of the specimen of 30 ± 5 mm and at least 75 mm from the corner.
NOTE As described in 6.10, the indentation depth in the backing material is not measured for this shot.
4.5.2 Additional tests on soft armour
4.5.2.1 Stab protective body armour
If a body armour, that has passed the tests according to this document, can be equipped with an add-on
knife/spike stab resistant part, the body armour shall be subject to additional ballistic tests according to table 3
with the knife/stab protection mounted on the garment. The additional ballistic tests are performed on different
specimens.
Table 3— Number of extra shots/test series with knife protection add-on
Number of shots/test series
Test condition
Non-overlapping Overlapping design

design
90°/+20°C 6 6
25°/+20°C - 6
4.5.2.2 Female body armour
If a body armour is designed for females, additional contact shots shall be made on according to Table 4. This
will require additional test samples.
Table 4— Number of extra contact shots on female body armour
Number of contact shots/place
Transition
Test condition
between chest and Top of breast

breast
90°/+20°C 2 2
25°/+20°C 2 -
4.5.2.3 Other additional tests
If, during testing or test preparations, a potential deficiency or weakness is noted, which will not be detected
by testing according to the shooting patterns prescribed in this standard then the product should be subjected
to further testing in the potential weak or deficient areas using test conditions according to this standard.
This is particularly valid for body armour with overlapping design or body armour consisting of adjacent plates.
Overlapping design is tested with 3 shots with 25° angle of impact, adjacent plates are tested with 3 shots with
0° angle of impact.
5 Test equipment and test resources
5.1 Test set up
Test set up shall be according to Annex A of this standard.
5.2 Precision of test equipment
Precision of test equipment shall be as follows:

 Measurement of impact velocity: 1 %;
 Temperature measurement: ± 0,5 °C;
 Measurement of humidity: ± 1 % relative humidity;
 Measurement of linear dimensions: ± 1 % of measured value;
 Measurement of angular dimensions: ± 0,5°;
 Measurement of masses: 1 ‰ of measured value.
5.3 Backing material
5.3.1 General
To mount the test specimens and measure the indentation depth modelling clay shall be used. This shall be
placed into a box with inside dimensions of 350 mm x 400 mm x 150 mm, with one side open (350 x 400 mm),
so that it is filled completely to the edges, air locks are to be avoided. Before the plasticity calibration test, the
modelling clay is to be treated to approximately 30 blows evenly distributed over the surface (e.g. with a
wooden ma
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