Armor & ballistic steel plate
Quenched and tempered armor plate cut on laser and water jet to your protection drawing
Specifications
Specifying Ballistic Plate for Vehicle Armoring
Ballistic steel plate is the hard skin on money transport vehicles riot vehicles armored personnel carriers and combat vehicles.
This page is an engineering application brief built from published product data.
It is not a record of a delivered customer project and contains no customer name, quantity or date.
The Application
What the Material Has To Do
Ballistic steel plate is the hard skin on money transport vehicles riot vehicles armored personnel carriers and combat vehicles, and the same plate goes into armor doors armor walls ballistic windows frames bank counters confidential safes and shooting targets. In a vehicle armoring workshop it is cut into door skins floor pans roof panels wheel arch sections and B pillar inserts, then fitted inside or over the original body. The plate is quenched and tempered to a hardness of 500-600 HBW so that it deforms or breaks up an incoming projectile instead of being punched through. Thickness runs from 2.3mm to 100mm, and a vehicle build usually sits at the thin end of that range because every added millimeter is weight the suspension has to carry.
The Challenge
Where Specifications Usually Go Wrong
The trap in vehicle armoring is treating ballistic plate as a thicker version of structural plate. It is not: yield strength is 1250 MPa and tensile strength is 1600 MPa, and the hardness of ballistic steel is typically 500-600 HBW where structural steel may only be half of that. As hardness rises the ballistic performance of the same thickness improves and the ease of folding welding and cutting falls, which is why all fixing holes and cutting to size have to be performed on a laser machine or a water jet rather than in the workshop. The other failure is buying a protection level without naming the threat behind it, because a plate that is right for a handgun threat and a plate that stops a rifle round are different orders.
Pain Points
What Buyers Run Into
Holes and Cut Outs Attempted in the Workshop
Drilling or flame cutting hardened armor plate damages it around the cut. All fixing holes and cutting to size have to be done on a laser machine or a water jet, which means the hole pattern must be fixed on the drawing before the plate ships.
Protection Level Quoted Without the Threat
FB4+ FB5 FB6 FB7 NIJ IIIA NIJ III NIJ IV STANAG 4569 Level 1 and Level 2 and GA-3 through GA-6 all describe different things. The order needs the level the vehicle is being built to, not a general reference to bulletproof steel.
Weight Discovered After the Body Is Cut
Every extra millimeter across a door skin roof panel and floor pan adds mass on a chassis that was never designed for it. Thickness is selected panel by panel from 2.3mm upward rather than set once for the whole vehicle.
Hardness Treated as Free
The higher the hardness of the plate the higher the price, and the harder it is to fold weld and cut. Paying for hardness on a panel that does not face the threat direction adds cost and fabrication difficulty for nothing.
Overlap and Fixing Detail Left to the Fitter
A panel is only as good as its joint. Where the design is finalized on the drawing the panels arrive cut to match, and the overlaps and bolt lines do not have to be improvised around a plate that is too hard to trim.
Specification Logic
Narrowing To the Right Grade and Size
Name the Protection Level First
Protection level is available across FB4+ FB5 FB6 FB7 NIJ IIIA NIJ III NIJ IV STANAG 4569 Level 1 and Level 2 and GA-3 GA-4 GA-5 and GA-6. The stated capability of the plate is that it can stop AK47 NATO 5.56 x 45 NATO 7.62 x 51 and M80, and the level you build to decides everything downstream.
Set Thickness Panel by Panel
Thickness is supplied from 2.3mm to 100mm. Work outward from the threat direction, keeping the heavier section on the panels that face it and the thinner section where the original body already contributes.
Fix the Hardness Class
Hardness is 500-600 HBW in quenched and tempered condition, with yield strength of 1250 MPa and tensile strength of 1600 MPa. As hardness rises the ballistic performance of the same thickness improves, and so does the price and the difficulty of fabrication.
Finalize the Cutting and Hole Drawing Before Ordering
Because all fixing holes and cutting to size are performed on a laser machine or a water jet, the panel outlines bolt holes and cut outs belong on the drawing sent with the enquiry rather than being added at the workshop.
Choose the Grade Family
The plate is available as Armox 500 type, Armor 500 550, NP550 and PRO500, and as rolled homogeneous armour plate. Quoting the designation you have already built and tested to is faster than describing the requirement from first principles.
Settle the Documentation and the Destination
The certificate supplied with ballistic plate is a test report. Give the destination port and the end use with the enquiry so the paperwork required for that destination can be checked before the order is confirmed.
Material Options
Grades Worth Comparing
| Armox 500 Type Bulletproof Steel Plate | Use when: General vehicle armoring panels where a well known 500 class plate is already written into the build specification. Trade-off: A widely recognized reference point at 500-600 HBW, and like every hardened plate it has to be laser or water jet cut rather than worked in the shop. |
|---|---|
| Armor 500 550 Steel Plate | Use when: Where a step above the 500 class is wanted on the panels facing the threat without going to a full thickness increase. Trade-off: Higher hardness improves ballistic performance at the same thickness, and raises the price and reduces the ease of folding and cutting. |
| NP550 PRO500 Bulletproof Steel Plate | Use when: Vehicle panels shooting targets and armor car work where these designations are the accepted reference in your market. Trade-off: Supplied quenched and tempered at 500-600 HBW from 2 to 100mm, so the same fabrication constraints apply as the other hardened grades. |
| Rolled Homogeneous Armour Steel Plate | Use when: Armor doors armor walls hull and body sections and explosion resistant projects where a homogeneous plate is specified rather than a proprietary brand grade. Trade-off: Available from 2.3mm to 100mm quenched and tempered, and the protection level still has to be named because the designation alone does not fix it. |
| Bulletproof Steel Sheet and Ballistic Steel Plate | Use when: Armor walls bank counters confidential safes and fixed installations built alongside a vehicle program. Trade-off: Same hardness and thickness family as the vehicle plate, with no weight constraint to fight, so thickness can be used instead of hardness. |
Getting It Right
Processing Quality and Packing
Processing Notes
- All fixing holes and cutting to size have to be performed on a laser machine or a water jet, so send the panel drawing rather than planning to trim the plate on site.
- Bending welding decoiling cutting and punching are available as processing services, and bending in particular gets harder as hardness rises so agree the radius before production.
- Surface is supplied natural or painted, and painted is worth specifying where the panels will be stored before the vehicle build slot.
- Keep panel numbering on the drawing consistent with your build sequence so the cut parts arrive labeled the way the fitters work.
- Where a program mixes vehicle panels with fixed installation work, split the two on the enquiry because the weight constraint only applies to one of them.
Quality Notes
- The certificate supplied with ballistic and armor plate is a test report issued for the ordered plate.
- Hardness is quoted at 500-600 HBW with yield strength of 1250 MPa and tensile strength of 1600 MPa, and those figures should appear on the documentation you file with the build record.
- Thickness is checked against the ordered range before cutting, which matters because ballistic performance at a given hardness follows thickness.
- Cut panel dimensions and hole positions are verified against the drawing before packing, since a mispositioned hole cannot be corrected in the workshop.
- State the protection level on the purchase order so the test report and the vehicle build record refer to the same requirement.
Packing Notes
- Panels are marked to the drawing so a build team can identify a door skin from a floor pan without laying the whole set out.
- Edge and corner protection is checked before loading because a hardened panel that arrives distorted cannot be straightened in the shop.
- Group the packing by vehicle or by assembly rather than by plate thickness when the order covers several builds.
- Give the destination port and the consignee details early so the shipping documents can be prepared against the right end use.
- Confirm the marking content you want on each panel so it matches the part numbers in your build documentation.
Before You Ask For a Price
What To Send With Your Enquiry
- The panel drawing or cutting list with outlines hole positions and cut outs
- The protection level being built to such as NIJ III NIJ IV FB6 or STANAG 4569 Level 2
- The grade or equivalent you have already used such as Armox 500 NP550 PRO500 or rolled homogeneous armour
- Thickness per panel and the total quantity by piece or by weight
- Destination port the end use and the consignee for the shipping documents
- Surface finish natural or painted and confirmation that the test report is required with the shipment
Materials
Products For This Application
Armoxs 500 Bulletproof Steel Plate
A 500 class ballistic plate supplied cut to panel size for vehicle and building armoring
Specifications
Armor 500 550 Steel Plate
Two hardness classes from one stock so each zone gets the level it actually needs
Specifications
NP550 PRO500 Bulletproof Steel Plate
High hardness ballistic plate for shooting targets armor plate and armored vehicle work
SpecificationsRelated
Ranges and Sectors Behind This Brief
Bulletproof Steel Sheet
Ballistic plate and hard armor inserts for armored vehicles protective structures and body armor carriers
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Steel Sheet
The flat plate program spanning mild structural plate through to armor wear and shipbuilding grades
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Wear Resistant Steel Plate
The abrasion resistant branch of the steel plate range for chutes liners buckets and crusher wear parts
Read more
Defense and Security
Vehicle armouring shops, security equipment makers and cash in transit builders buy armour steel against a protection le
Read moreQuestions Buyers Ask
Ballistic Plate for Vehicle Armoring FAQ
What thickness of ballistic plate do we need?
Thickness is supplied from 2.3mm to 100mm. It is set panel by panel from the threat direction and the protection level rather than once for the whole vehicle, because every millimeter across a door skin roof and floor pan is weight on a chassis that was not designed for it.
Can we drill and cut the plate in our own workshop?
No. As the hardness of the plate increases the ease of folding welding and cutting decreases, so all fixing holes and cutting to size have to be performed on a laser machine or a water jet. Put the hole pattern and the panel outline on the drawing and the parts ship ready to fit.
What protection levels can be supplied?
FB4+ FB5 FB6 FB7 NIJ IIIA NIJ III NIJ IV STANAG 4569 Level 1 and Level 2 and GA-3 GA-4 GA-5 and GA-6. The plate is stated to stop AK47 NATO 5.56 x 45 NATO 7.62 x 51 and M80. Name the level on the purchase order so the test report matches your build record.
How hard is the plate and how does that compare with structural steel?
The hardness rating is 500-600 Brinell, typically quoted as 500-600 HBW, where structural steel may only be half of that. Yield strength is 1250 MPa and tensile strength is 1600 MPa, which is what gives it multi hit capacity.
Does more hardness always mean a better plate?
As hardness rises the ballistic performance of the same thickness improves, and so does the price and the difficulty of folding welding and cutting. On panels away from the threat direction a lower hardness or a thinner section is usually the better engineering and commercial answer.
What documentation comes with the plate?
A test report is issued for the ordered plate. Tell us the destination port and the end use with the enquiry so the shipping documentation for that destination can be checked before the order is confirmed.
Specifying Material For Ballistic Plate for Vehicle Armoring
Start with the panel drawing or cutting list with outlines hole positions and cut outs. With that plus the quantity and destination we can put real numbers against each grade.