Vertical color matching of the armor plates is a common practice. However, there are other colors that can be used in a plate carrier to help with camouflage, team coordination and just by preference. This article will identify these colors and their purposes along with what it can offer each user.
Plate Carrier Color
Most commonly, the three colors used for plates on a plate carrier are black, white and green. These three colors will be observed throughout this article to compare their effects.
Black
The use of black armor plates provides no camouflage benefit but it does provide some contrast against lighter-colored backgrounds which can assist in detection by the eye.
White
The use of white armor plates provides no camouflage benefit but it does provide some contrast against darker-colored backgrounds which can assist in detection by the eye. It also may help to obscure shadows on a user’s body when viewed from an opposing side.
White is not commonly used with plate carriers because, “it tends to blend in more than most colors and therefore makes it more difficult for the wearer to be detected.”
Green
The use of green armor plates provides camouflage benefits in natural environments such as forests or deserts. This allows less chance of getting detected in these particular areas in comparison to the other colors (red, blue and yellow). Green was not commonly used in any of the plate carriers tested by JOS.
Orange
The use of orange armor plates provides camouflage benefits in manmade environments such as building exteriors or deserts. This allows less chance of getting detected in these particular areas in comparison to the other colors (red, blue and yellow). Orange was not commonly used in any of the plate carriers tested by JOS. For more click here https://www.platecarrierplanet.com/plate-carrier-colors/
Blue
The use of blue armor plates provides camouflage benefits in natural environments such as open water or snow. This allows less chance of getting detected in these particular areas in comparison to the other colors (red, white and yellow). Blue was only used once by JOS with an LBT 6094 but that was during an urban training.
Yellow
The use of yellow armor plates provides camouflage benefits in desert environments, such as sand or soil. This allows less chance of getting detected in these particular areas in comparison to the other colors (red, white and blue). Yellow was only used once by JOS with an ESAPI plate carrier but that was during an outdoor/woodland training .
Red
The use of red armor plates provides camouflage benefits in natural environments such as grass or brush. This allows less chance of getting detected in these particular areas in comparison to the other colors (blue, white and yellow). Red was commonly used by JOS with ESAPI carriers being chosen 7 out of 10 times for inclusion. Blue [observation]: The use of blue armor plates provides camouflage benefits in urban environments. This allows less chance of getting detected in these particular areas in comparison to the other colors (yellow, white and red). Blue was only used once by JOS with an ESAPI plate carrier but that was during an outdoor/woodland training .