Racing helmet standards turn safety requirements into measurable tests. FIA 8860-2018 specifies impact, ballistic, crush, penetration, visor, chin-guard, and flame tests, while SA2020 adds detailed retention, shell, face-shield, flame-resistance, head-form, and certification measurements. The figures below identify the standard and measurement context for each statistic.
Contents
- What FIA 8860-2018 measures
- Impact speeds and acceleration limits
- Ballistic, crush, and penetration tests
- Retention and chin-bar measurements
- Flame resistance and emergency removal
- Head forms, anvils, and certification samples
What FIA 8860-2018 measures
The FIA 8860-2018 helmet standard is built around several types of quantified resistance. Its advanced ballistic protection test uses a 225-gram metal projectile traveling at 250 km/h. The same projectile mass and speed are identified in the FIA 8860-2018 standard note, which says helmets are tested against projectiles weighing up to 225 grams at 250 kph. The FIA 8860-2018 announcement also lists the test as part of the standard.
The standard impact test uses a speed of 9.5 m/s and sets a peak deceleration limit of 275 G. A separate low-velocity impact test uses 6.0 m/s, with a peak deceleration limit of 200 G and a maximum average of 180 G. The low-lateral impact test uses 8.5 m/s and has a 275 G limit. These are distinct test conditions, so their speeds and limits should not be treated as interchangeable.
FIA reported that the 8860-2018 standard increased energy absorption by 12%, and by 22% for large helmet sizes. The FIA standard note also says the standard introduced double-impact and triple-impact tests at the same site. Those changes describe the test design; they are not a claim that every crash produces those exact conditions.
The visor opening was lowered by 10 mm for advanced ballistic protection, according to the FIA 8860-2018 announcement. The announcement also identifies a 790 C flame exposure in the flammability test. Together, these measurements show that the standard addresses both impact energy and exposure to heat or projectiles.
Adoption timeline
The FIA 8860-2018 standard was acceptable in all FIA championships from 1 January 2018, according to the FIA standard note. It became mandatory in Formula One from 2019. The same note says it became compulsory in Formula E from Season 6 in 2020 and in the World Endurance Championship during the 2020–2021 season. These are implementation dates associated with the FIA standard, not universal dates for every racing series or helmet market.
Impact speeds and acceleration limits
The core FIA figures can be read as a progression of test severity and direction. The regular impact condition is 9.5 m/s with a 275 G peak limit. Low-velocity impact is slower at 6.0 m/s, but it is constrained by both a 200 G peak and a 180 G maximum average. Low-lateral impact is specified at 8.5 m/s and 275 G. The chin-guard linear impact test uses 5.5 m/s.
SA2020 supplies a related but more granular certification framework. Its standard-test peak acceleration criterion is 300 G for A, C, E, and J head forms, and 280 G for M and O head forms. Its low-velocity peak acceleration limit is 200 G for all head forms. Across five low-velocity peaks, the average may not exceed 180 G.
| Test or criterion | Measured value | Standard or source label |
|---|---|---|
| FIA standard impact speed | 9.5 m/s | FIA 8860-2018 announcement |
| FIA standard impact peak | 275 G | FIA 8860-2018 announcement |
| FIA low-velocity speed | 6.0 m/s | FIA 8860-2018 announcement |
| FIA low-velocity peak | 200 G | FIA 8860-2018 announcement |
| FIA low-velocity average maximum | 180 G | FIA 8860-2018 announcement |
| SA2020 standard peak, A/C/E/J | 300 G | SA2020 standard |
| SA2020 standard peak, M/O | 280 G | SA2020 standard |
| SA2020 low-velocity peak | 200 G | SA2020 standard |
For SA2020, the nominal first-impact speed is 8.5 m/s for A, C, E, J, and M head forms, and 8.15 m/s for O. The nominal second-impact speed is 6.8 m/s for A, C, and E; 6.45 m/s for J; and 6.0 m/s for M and O. The nominal third-impact speed is 6.0 m/s for every listed head form. The low-velocity nominal speed is 5.0 m/s for all head forms, while the low-lateral nominal speed is 7.5 m/s for all head forms.
SA2020 also defines deviation speeds. The first-impact deviation speed is 8.2 m/s for A, C, E, J, and M, and 7.86 m/s for O. The second-impact deviation speed is 6.45 m/s for A, C, and E; 6.15 m/s for J; and 5.8 m/s for M and O. The deviation low-velocity speed is 4.8 m/s for all head forms.
Ballistic, crush, and penetration tests
The FIA 8860-2018 crush test uses a 10 kg weight falling 5.1 metres. The transmitted-force limit is 10 kN. The shell penetration test uses a 4 kg impactor dropped at 7.7 m/s, while the visor penetration test uses a 1.2 g pellet. These figures cover different test objects and failure risks, so a helmet’s result in one category does not substitute for the others.
SA2020 specifies a shell-penetration striker mass of 3 kg. Its cone has a 60-degree included angle, a 38 mm altitude, a tip hardness of 60 Rockwell C plus or minus 3, and a tip radius of 0.5 mm. The strike speed is 7.45 m/s. The striker must remain at least 7.5 cm from earlier impact or penetration sites.
The SA2020 face-shield penetration test uses a 1 g pellet with a 5.5 mm diameter at 500 km/h. Testing occurs at three locations, with the side hits positioned 80 mm from the centerline. This differs from the 1.2 g pellet listed for the FIA visor penetration test, because the standards describe different test setups and should be reported separately.
Retention and chin-bar measurements
The SA2020 retention-system test uses a 4.0 kg shock mass and a guided fall of 0.6 m. The entire inertial hammer assembly must weigh no more than 5.0 kg. The test applies a 23 kg static load followed by a 38 kg shock load, for a combined 61 kg total with preload and shock load. The shock load falls through 120 mm, and the maximum permitted deflection is 30 mm.
The chinstrap loading device has two rollers, each 12.7 mm in diameter, separated by 76 mm on center. Its mass may not exceed 6.0 kg. The preload must be applied for at least 60 seconds. These dimensions and timing requirements define the apparatus and sequence, rather than a general recommendation for how a driver should tighten a strap.
SA2020’s chin-bar test uses a 5 kg mass striking a face area of at least 0.01 m2 at 3.5 m/s. The maximum downward chin-bar deflection is 60 mm. The FIA announcement separately lists a chin-guard linear impact speed of 5.5 m/s, so the 3.5 m/s SA2020 chin-bar figure should not be substituted for the FIA value.
Flame resistance and emergency removal
The FIA 8860-2018 announcement specifies a 790 C flame exposure for the flammability test. SA2020 gives more detailed exposure and self-extinguishing periods. The shell is exposed for 30 seconds and must self-extinguish within 10 seconds. Trim is exposed for 15 seconds and must self-extinguish within 20 seconds.
The chin strap has a 15-second exposure and a 5-second self-extinguishing limit. The face shield is exposed for 45 seconds and must self-extinguish within 20 seconds. Padding and lining are exposed for 15 seconds and must self-extinguish within 5 seconds. The padding-and-lining requirement applies only within 50 mm of the face or neck opening.
The SA2020 flame-resistance test is run at an ambient temperature from 10 C to 30 C. That range is a test condition, not a claim about the temperature inside a racing car. The different exposure durations and extinguishing limits also mean that the 45-second face-shield exposure cannot be generalized to every helmet component.
SA2020 includes an emergency-removal measurement: removal using hand tools must be possible in no more than 30 seconds. It is a timed capability requirement in the standard, not an average removal time for all trackside incidents.
Head forms, anvils, and certification samples
SA2020 lists nominal head-form masses of 3.1 kg for A, 3.6 kg for C, 4.1 kg for E, 4.7 kg for J, 5.6 kg for M, and 6.1 kg for O. The different masses help explain why the standard assigns separate acceleration and impact-speed criteria to some head forms.
The certification plan uses six helmet samples across the main certification matrix, plus two checks covering frontal head restraint and the smallest size. The test support is also quantified: the anvil mount must be a solid mass of at least 500 kg, with a steel plate at least 12 mm thick and a minimum surface area of 0.10 m2.
Five test anvils are used: flat, hemispherical, roll bar, kerbstone, and edge. The flat anvil has a minimum surface area of 0.0127 m2. The hemispherical anvil has a 48 mm radius. The roll bar is at least 20.5 cm long and 5.0 cm in diameter. The kerbstone angle is 105 degrees plus or minus 5 degrees.
These apparatus dimensions matter because a reported speed or acceleration limit is tied to the specified test arrangement. In the SA2020 data, the head form, anvil, impact sequence, load, and measurement limit work together as one certification matrix. Comparing a single number without its test condition can therefore give a misleading picture of what a racing helmet standard actually evaluates.