Types of Steel used in Roman Armor and Helmets
When shopping for a nice collector’s piece of Roman armor it is important to know the different types of steel used in building and holding the armor together. Most real roman armor historically was made out of overlapping heavy iron plates. The helmets were also made out of a thick iron and probably was not adorned with brass and sweeping designs like you might see in today’s replicas.
In modern times, we’ve advanced a little bit so all replica lorica segmentatas are going to be made out of a 16-18 gauge mild steel. Some reenactors may have their armor made out of a thicker 14 gauge steel. A quick side note: the gauge of steel directly relates to the thickness of it. The lower the gauge, the thicker the steel. Most battle-worthy armor is built to be 14-16 gauge steel, and costume or display armor is usually at 18 gauge steel. Ok, let’s get back to armor material in today’s online stores. Most of the armor I’ve seen is at 18 gauge thickness. I’ve owned a couple different types and I can assure you that this is plenty thick for most purposes. The weight of the lorica with this thickness can be 18-24 lbs., which gets heavy after about 15 minutes (unless, of course, you’ve been training for this). 16 gauge roman armor is more hard to find and more common in roman helmets.
Speaking of army helms the Romans used, let me comment on the different types of helmets that you can buy today. Most of the replicas out there are going to be a “one size fits most”, which is usually a size 7 7/8 size hat or larger. Actually, in my experience the helmets are so large that you will have to buy a helmet liner or padding to go with it, often times called an arming cap. However, you may be able to find reenactment helmets that already come leather lined and even have a leather chin strap to pull the cheek guards nice and close for a snug fit. These helmets are going to be more expensive and are harder to find. If you’re just going to display or casual wearing (like costume parties or around the house fun), then probably most of the non-lined helmets are going to be just fine for you.
The thickness of most roman helmets is going to be 18 gauge steel, but there are quite a few 16 gauge steel roman helmets that are SCA reenactment worthy. These are probably more historically accurate to the real helms that the imperial Roman army used. Just keep in mind what you are using the helmet for. Are you going to be wearing it casually or for some public event? Is it for display only? Once you get that figured out, you should be able to make a good buying decision.
Tags: roman helmets | roman armor
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