NIJ Standard 0101.07 is the US National Institute of Justice's updated framework for ballistic body armour, published 29 November 2023 alongside a companion threat specification, NIJ Standard 0123.00. It rewrites how protection is classified.
What changed: the old levels are being replaced. Handgun protection moves to HG1 and HG2 (replacing II and IIIA); rifle protection moves to RF1, RF2 and RF3 (replacing III and IV), with RF2 a new intermediate rifle rating. The standard also brings tougher soft-armour test methods and, notably, dedicated women's-fit testing to better reflect real-world hits. Per NIJ, the practical catch is timing: as of early 2026 the 0101.06 (2008) standard remains the active framework because the 0101.07 Compliant Products List had not yet been published, and the NIJ compliance programme expects to maintain the 0101.06 list through at least the end of 2027.
Operator implication: do not assume a vendor's 0101.07 claim means certified product. Until the 0101.07 CPL is live, NIJ-certified armour is 0101.06-listed, so check the actual compliant-products listing rather than the marketing. Learn the new HG/RF grammar now because procurement language is already shifting, and the new RF2 intermediate rating matters for threat-matching against intermediate-calibre rifle rounds. When specifying, map the threat to the rating and verify certification at source rather than trusting a level printed on a label.
