What Does Military Grade Mean? Find All the Answers Here

The military is tasked with the all-incredible task of protecting an entire nation and its people. So, it only makes sense that it is tough and robust.

Then, when we hear that something is described as being “military-grade,” we automatically assume that it is tough and robust too.

Unfortunately, this is not the case.

… So what does military grade mean?

“Military grade” products satisfy one of the U.S military‘s standards. But there are just about a bazillion standards in the military, and not all of them are about the soundness of a product. There are ones about formats and other aspects completely irrelevant to quality.

That being said, the phrase “military-grade” is (more often than not) taken advantage of and used as just a marketing tool to get customers (like you and us) to pay more.

For more details, keep reading! We will dive deeper into military standards, and towards the end, we will also answer two frequently asked questions. When you finish reading, you should have a sound grasp on what military grade entails and make other decisions like whether you should spend money on military grade products.

Everything About Military Grade

As we have mentioned, the meaning of “military-grade” is often misunderstood, simply because we think and associate the military with superior toughness and robustness.

The actual definition is that it complies with any (of the very long list of) military standards. Just for your reference, the non-exhaustive on Wikipedia specifies over 50 standards in the U.S military, as follows:

Sometimes, the material(s) of a product can be described as being “military-grade.” In this case, it might just be a material, such as steel, that is used by the military for various applications.

For example, the Ford F-150 military-grade aluminum alloy that was “laughed at” during its marketing campaign in 2015. (You may have heard of the discussion on Reddit conversation chain).

You can watch the marketing video for its campaign here.

According to Alex Hollings, an ex-Marine, the phrase military-grade is “mostly just a marketing ploy.” He also points out that using the same materials as the military is not as incredible as it sounds because the military does not always get the ‘top-of-of-the line’ materials; most of the time, the ‘cost-effective’ one is chosen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

So, does that mean we should not get products that are called military-grade?

Being described as military-grade does not render a product useless or low-quality. Hence, you do not have to be worried about not being able to use a military-grade product at all, especially when it comes to gear and outdoor items like a pocket knife or anything that is actually used by the military as an Army tough box.

Here is an example of an “Army tough box”:

And here is a military grade phone case sold on Amazon:

However, the military-grade label can be an “excuse” for manufacturers and brands to ramp up the price tag. So, for items that are not used by the military, such as an “Army grade phone case,” we recommend against shelling out money for the “military-grade” description.

What are some items that are commonly marketed as military grade?

You can find flashlights, laptops, smartphones, signal mirrors, luggages, watches, belts, glasses, goggles, ponchos, and T-shirts — to name a few.

Here is an example of a pair of glasses marketed as being military grade:

Conclusion

So, to recap our answer to, “What does military grade mean?” It is a marketing ploy that tricks us into adding intrinsic value to a product and perceiving it as having “higher quality.” As a result, we will be more willing to pay a high price for it.

However, a product can easily become “military grade” as long as it meets just one of the long and various lists of military standards. For example, a product can be considered military grade if it satisfies the MIL- STD-810, which is in fact a military standard, but is only a loose collection of rules for the manufacturers and not the product itself.

A product can also become “military grade” if its main material is one that is used by the military, but this is not necessarily good as the military typically prioritizes a material’s cost-effectiveness.

If you are thinking about adding that military grade phone case to your cart and putting the one that is not called military grade back to the shelf, think again! Do not fall for this marketing language and waste a bunch of money!

If you found this article informative and interesting, please leave us a comment. Share your thoughts on this topic and any other questions you have in the comments as well. And, help us share this article with other readers like your family and friends. Thanks!

Everett Bledsoe

I am Everett Bledsoe, taking on the responsibility of content producer for The Soldiers Project. My purpose in this project is to give honest reviews on the gear utilized and tested over time. Of course, you cannot go wrong when checking out our package of information and guide, too, as they come from reliable sources and years of experience.