Bullet resistant panels are wall panels engineered to stop a defined threat rather than to look like a wall. ShapeShift Technologies builds them in architectural FRP, which is what allows a rated panel to be light enough to fix to ordinary stud framing and finished well enough to leave exposed.
Rated at 35 mm. ShapeShift’s ballistic panel is tested to UL 752 Level 4 at 35 mm thickness. Full certification detail, threat levels and the tested build-up sit on the ballistic wall panel page.
Where they are used
Banks and cash handling, court buildings and custody areas, embassies and consulates, police and defence facilities, control rooms, secure receptions and safe rooms. The common thread is a wall that has to stop a specific threat while still being a wall that people work in front of every day.
Because the panel is FRP rather than steel or ceramic, it can be installed by the same trades that install the rest of the lining, on the same framing, without a structural upgrade to carry the weight. That is usually the reason it gets specified over the alternatives.
How rating works
A ballistic panel is rated against a standard and a level, never in the abstract. UL 752 is the North American standard and runs from Level 1 to Level 10, each level defined by a specific weapon, projectile mass and velocity, with a stated number of shots in a defined pattern. European work usually quotes EN 1522 and EN 1063, and NIJ levels appear in some specifications. These scales are not interchangeable and a level in one does not map cleanly to a level in another.
The rating attaches to a tested build-up, not to a material. Panel thickness, backing, fixing, joint treatment and the detail at penetrations are all part of what was tested. A rated panel installed with an untested joint detail is not a rated wall.
ShapeShift’s panel is tested to UL 752 Level 4 at 35 mm. Where a project calls for a different standard or a higher level, say so at tender: a test programme has a lead time and a cost, and it is far cheaper to resolve before shop drawings than after.
Finish and integration
The panel is architectural FRP, so it takes integral colour and the standard surface finishes, and can be left exposed rather than clad over. It can also be made to curve, which matters for reception desks, counters and curved secure screens.
Related products in the same material include the ballistic whiteboard for education and corporate environments, where the rated panel is also the working surface.
On fire, note carefully: ShapeShell-RT is FRP and is not non-combustible. It holds an EN 13501-1 classification of B-s2, d0 from Intertek on the 10 mm laminate, AS 1530.3 indices, and a BS 8414 and AS 5113 facade test through BRE Global. Where a ballistic wall also has a fire requirement, that is a separate assessment on the complete system. See the fire test evidence page.
At a glance
| Property | Position |
|---|---|
| Ballistic rating | UL 752 Level 4 at 35 mm |
| Material | Architectural FRP, ShapeShell-RT |
| Why FRP | Rated protection at a weight that fixes to standard framing without a structural upgrade |
| Geometry | Flat and curved, custom sizes |
| Finish | Integral colour and the standard surface finishes, suitable to leave exposed |
| Other standards | EN 1522, EN 1063 and NIJ levels are separate scales and do not map across from UL 752 |
| Fire | FRP is not non-combustible. Fire performance is a separate assessment on the complete system |
| Manufacturing | Batam Island, Indonesia. ISO 9001 accredited for ten years |
Certification detail and the tested build-up are on the ballistic wall panel page. For the base material see ShapeShell-RT, and for where the panels are made see the factory page.
Terms explained
Short definitions of the terms on this page, in our facade materials encyclopedia.
Common questions
What rating do ShapeShift ballistic panels hold?
UL 752 Level 4 at 35 mm thickness. Full certification detail and the tested build-up are on the ballistic wall panel page.
Why FRP rather than steel?
Weight. A rated FRP panel can be fixed to ordinary stud framing by the same trades that install the rest of the lining, without a structural upgrade to carry the load. It can also be left exposed as a finished surface.
Do UL 752 levels map to EN 1522 or NIJ levels?
No. They are separate scales built around different weapons, projectiles and test protocols. A level in one standard does not convert to a level in another.
Is the rating a property of the panel or the wall?
The tested build-up. Panel thickness, backing, fixing, joints and penetration details are all part of what was tested. A rated panel with an untested joint detail is not a rated wall.
Can the panels be curved?
Yes. The material is architectural FRP, so curved reception desks, counters and secure screens are possible in the same rated build-up subject to engineering.
Are ballistic panels fire rated?
FRP is not non-combustible and is not described that way. Where a ballistic wall also carries a fire requirement it is a separate assessment on the complete system, set by the project fire engineer.
Reviewed by Richard Halvorsen, General Manager, ShapeShift Technologies.