Do Ceramic Armor Plates Expire

Steel plates are easily 8lbs or more each.

Do ceramic armor plates expire.

Both are really hot. However there are no guarantees and no official testing for expired armor. 1 body armor is heavy and hot. No one wants to find out the hard way that an expired vest is no longer viable.

Expired body armor may not provide adequate protection against deadly force. 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. So i have a pair of ar500 level iv ceramic plates in my plate carrier. Does body armor actually expire.

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. 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. Do they really stop working after that long. If your armor is expired and you cannot afford something new keep on wearing it.

A pair of those plates will run close to 200 if you don t skinflint the process. I literally only wear them once or twice a year for a class or match that requires them. They have a label that said expires in 5 years and their website says shelf life of 5 years. With the necessary spall coating maybe more.

Plate armor is really heavy. This is because the chemical compounds that make up a vest such as industrial fiber or kevlar degrade over time. You won t be able to move as quickly or get in and out of shooting positions easily while wearing it. You should expect to wear expired armor at your own risk.