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This page explains what governing bodies, standards bodies and researchers publish. It is not a substitute for lessons from a qualified coach, for a qualified armourer's checks or for medical advice.
What clothing can and cannot be said to do
No jacket, plastron, breeches, chest protector or glove is presented here as preventing injury, and none is said to be homologated, certified, safe or legal. The rule says what the cloth must resist; the FIE's homologation, the standard and the national body decide what qualifies, and officials check it. The IOC's fencing injury chapter (Harmer, 2010) records that the under-plastron was introduced after a fatal penetrating injury at the 1951 World Championships, where the jacket was found to be too thin, and also that, as of its publication, no research had tested the efficacy of the FIE's safety-related equipment and rule changes. The FIE Technical Rules (December 2024 edition, t.20) say the rules' safety measures reinforce safety but cannot guarantee it. An injury needs medical care; see what protective equipment is tested for.
The levels, item by item
| Item | FIE events (Material Rules, August 2026) | British Fencing | USA Fencing (October 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacket | 800 Newtons, FIE label (m.25.2, m.25.3.c) | CEN 1 (350 Newtons) for classes, club sparring and BF competition; CEN 2 (800 Newtons) with FIE mark at FIE events (Equipment by Activity, 2 October 2026) | FIE-homologated uniform not required (note to t.64.1); standard uniform, no FIE label (Athlete Handbook) |
| Under-plastron | 800 Newtons, obligatory (m.25.3.c) | CEN 2 (800 Newtons) for general training and BF competition; 350 N allowed at under-14 level with size 3 or smaller blades and below (Domestic Variations, 6 December 2023) | At least two layers, sleeve to the elbow, no armpit seam; need not be 800 Newton material (note to t.64.5) |
| Breeches | 800 Newtons, fastening below the knee (m.25.3.c, m.25.5.a) | CEN 1 (350 Newtons) below FIE level; 350 Newtons at domestic events (Domestic Variations) | Standard uniform, no FIE label (Athlete Handbook) |
| Chest protector | Compulsory for women, optional for men, at all weapons (m.25.4.c) | Compulsory for anyone with female breasts (Safety Guidelines, 23rd edition, 1.5) | Required for women; allowed for men under the jacket (Athlete Handbook) |
| Sabre glove | 800N on the areas shown, seams at least 200N, cuff 350N, FIE label stating 800N (m.33.1) | Glove with the FIE 800N label at sabre (Equipment by Activity) | 800 N at every level of competition (Athlete Handbook) |
Two British Fencing disagreements matter to buyers. On plastrons, its markings page (as at 13 March 2026) gives a 350N minimum for metal club fencing with 800N recommended, while the Equipment by Activity page (2 October 2026) requires 800 Newtons for general training; its under-plastron page (8 June 2026) advises personal buyers to choose 800N because that meets the standard for all activities. On chest protectors, the Domestic Variations page (6 December 2023) makes one mandatory for women's foil and optional for men's foil, while the newer pages make one compulsory for anyone with female breasts in every activity listed. USA Fencing's own rulebook also disagrees with itself: its reproduced m.25.3.c states 800 N for under-plastrons, while its note to t.64.5 says 800 Newton material is not needed. British Fencing lists a 24th edition of its Safety Guidelines, Board approved in September 2026, which could not be read; the section numbers on this page are from the 23rd.
What the FIE asks of the clothing itself
- Coverage: the jacket overlaps the breeches by at least 10 cm on guard and has a double-thickness lining on the sword-arm sleeve to the elbow and on the flank to the armpit (m.25.4.a, m.25.4.b). At epee the jacket must cover the whole trunk (m.25.4.b).
- Fastening: no buckles or openings that could catch a point, jacket and collar fully fastened, and zips covered by a flap on the sword-arm side (m.25.2, m.25.3.c).
- Colour: any colour except black (m.25.3.d).
- Vital parts: the FIE Medical Committee lists what the plastron must cover (the neck under the bib, the hollows above and below the collar bone, the area around the sword-arm armpit and the heart) and says the trousers must protect the abdomen, groin and genitals, the last by a protective cup (Annexe A, 3.2).
- Chest protector at foil: worn under the plastron, its outer face covered with soft material such as 4 mm EVA and carrying the SEMI technical mark (m.25.4.c). British Fencing requires FIE-standard chest protectors at its Cadet, Junior, U23 and Senior ranking events, with the British Youth Championships exempt (Domestic Variations).
- Gloves: at all weapons the gauntlet covers about half the forearm, with no hole in the hand, even for the bodywire (m.25.6). A foil glove may be slightly padded (m.26).
Reading a label
The FIE uniform label is indelible and circular, 50 mm across, showing the maker's emblem, the year and month of manufacture and the FIE emblem (Annexe A, 4); the same annexe says chip and label installation requirements are suspended, without a date. British Fencing's markings page says the CE mark is the maker's declaration of compliance with EU law, that an item marked 800N without an FIE mark is not approved for FIE competitions, and that meeting CEN Level 2 does not make an item FIE-approved. EN 13567:2002+A1:2007 is the standard in force, with a revision in progress at CEN/TC 162; its text was not read for this site, so the 350 N and 800 N level figures here are British Fencing's. A regulator example of a failing label: European Commission Decision 2011/49/EU (25 January 2011) upheld a UK prohibition of a 350N fencing jacket and breeches after a UK test found insufficient penetration resistance under EN 13567:2002. Details are on recalls and incidents.
Condition counts
The FIE requires clothing to be clean and in good condition (m.25.2). British Fencing's jackets and breeches page (8 June 2026) says clothing that is damaged, visibly torn or weakened by heavy use must not be used, and its FIE and EFC guidance says gloves with repaired holes fail weapon control. USA Fencing's Athlete Handbook 2026-2027 bars uniforms with rips, tears or holes. Sizing and fit are not described here; they are checked in person.
Wheelchair fencing
The Wheelchair Fencing Material Rules Amendments of January 2018, the newest found, require foil and sabre conductive jackets to cover the whole target with the fencer seated on guard, and any belt fastening the unarmed hand must not be elastic or loose and must not cover the valid target (m.25.4.d, m.28.6, m.25.9.11).
Our picks by category
Fencing jackets
Jackets. 350 Newtons (CEN 1) is British Fencing's level below FIE events; 800 Newtons with the FIE label is required at FIE events (m.25.3.c). USA Fencing does not require an FIE label. Sizing is not covered here.
Best for: Fencers buying their own kit, at the level their events require
Under-plastrons
Under-plastrons. Obligatory at 800 Newtons at FIE events (m.25.3.c); British Fencing asks for 800 Newtons for general training and BF competition, with 350N allowed for under-14s; USA Fencing's rule sets layers and coverage rather than a newton level.
Best for: Every fencer who spars
Fencing breeches
Breeches fastening below the knee (m.25.5.a). 800 Newtons at FIE events; 350 Newtons at British domestic events.
Best for: Club and competition fencers
Chest protectors
Rigid chest protectors. For anyone taking a lesson on site at an official FIE competition, the FIE's published record of decisions of the Congress of 22 November 2025 shows t.20.2 amended to require a chest protector, with a mask, a glove, a top covering the torso and shoulders and shorts to within 10 cm of the knee; that wording was read from the document's tracked changes, not from a clean 2026 edition of the Technical Rules. At foil under the FIE rules the outer face needs a soft 4 mm EVA cover carrying the SEMI mark (m.25.4.c), and British Fencing requires FIE-standard protectors with an approved soft layer at its Cadet to Senior ranking events. British Fencing recommends chest protection for girls from age ten, or the onset of puberty if earlier.
Best for: Women and girls at the ages the rules set; optional for men in bouts at FIE events
Fencing gloves
Gloves with a gauntlet covering about half the forearm and no hole in the hand (m.25.6). British Fencing accepts any fencing glove at foil and epee in its activity chart.
Best for: Foil and epee fencers
Sabre gloves
Sabre gloves rated 800N with a 350N cuff and an FIE label stating 800N (m.33.1). USA Fencing requires an 800 N glove at every level, and British Fencing a glove with the FIE 800N label.
Best for: Every sabre fencer
Sources
- FIE, Rules for Competitions, Book 3, Material Rules (edition dated August 2026), m.25, m.26, m.33, m.38 and Annexe A
- FIE, Technical Rules (December 2024 edition, copy published by the German Fencing Federation), t.20
- FIE, 2025 Congress held in Manama on 22 November 2025: Decisions (t.20.2 read from tracked changes)
- AFNOR catalogue, NF EN 13567+A1 (June 2007)
- Genorma standards catalogue, prEN 13567 rev
- British Fencing, Equipment by Activity: Safety Guidelines (updated 2 October 2026)
- British Fencing, Domestic Variations from FIE Rules (updated 6 December 2023)
- British Fencing, CE, CEN and FIE Markings on Fencing Equipment (as at 13 March 2026)
- British Fencing, FIE and EFC equipment rules (updated 13 March 2026)
- British Fencing, Under plastrons safety information (updated 8 June 2026)
- British Fencing, Jackets and breeches safety information (updated 8 June 2026)
- British Fencing, Safety Guidelines, 23rd edition (approved 25 June 2026)
- British Fencing, safety policies and guidelines page (updated 2 October 2026)
- USA Fencing, Rules for Competition (October 2026)
- USA Fencing, Athlete Handbook 2026-2027, 2.17.1
- European Commission Decision 2011/49/EU of 25 January 2011 (legislation.gov.uk copy)
- Harmer, Fencing, in Epidemiology of Injury in Olympic Sports (IOC Encyclopaedia of Sports Medicine, 2010; FIE-hosted copy)
- Wheelchair Fencing Material Rules Amendments, January 2018 (copy hosted by the Brazilian fencing confederation)