What the test measures
A protector is struck with a defined impact on a test rig, and a sensor beneath it records the force transmitted through it. The standard sets thresholds for that measurement: a protector below the higher threshold is level 1, one below the lower threshold is level 2. It is a single, repeatable laboratory measurement of one property, and the values themselves are published in the standard.
The types, which describe coverage
The same standard classifies coverage separately, as type A or type B, with type B covering the larger area. Level and type are independent: a protector can be level 2 type A, or level 1 type B. A listing that gives one without the other has given half the classification.
Why level 2 is a trade-off and not a rank
Transmitting less force generally requires more material, so a level 2 protector is thicker, stiffer and warmer than a level 1. Those are real costs, and they decide whether a protector fits its pocket, sits over the joint and gets worn. The standard measures force transmission; it does not measure any of the rest.
What the level does not describe
Where the protection is, whether the garment holds it over the joint when the limb is bent, how it behaves in cold, or whether it is comfortable enough to keep. Several makers publish a temperature range over which their material keeps its properties, and where that figure exists it says something the level does not.
How it appears on a product
Certified armour carries a printed marking with the standard, the level, the type, the maker and a size. A plain foam pad with no marking is not certified armour, and the difference is visible in seconds by taking the piece out of its pocket.
Questions riders send in about this
Is level 2 armour always the better choice?
It transmits less force in the test and it is bulkier. A protector too thick to lie flat in the pocket it was bought for sits worse than the level below it that does, which is a trade-off the level cannot express.
Does the level cover the whole garment?
No. EN 1621-1 classifies the protector. Whether a garment as a whole meets a standard is a separate document, and a jacket can meet one while its back pocket holds an uncertified pad.
Last reviewed 18 September 2026