Updated October 2026. For the full breakdown of the latest independent test data, read Perma-Gel vs. Ballistic Gelatin: What Independent Testing Shows.
Over the years, several papers have looked at Perma-Gel as a soft tissue simulant for ballistic testing. Most of them compare it to the long-standing benchmark: 10% ordnance gelatin. Here's what that research consistently finds.
1. How it compares to ordnance gelatin
- 10% ordnance gelatin is still the reference. Researchers measure every simulant against it, and so do we.
- Perma-Gel is lighter. Its density is about 0.87 g/cc versus about 1.04 g/cc for ordnance gelatin and muscle. At handgun velocities, bullets lose less speed in it and penetrate deeper.
- It's stiffer and springier. Indentation testing found it stiffer than calibrated ballistic gelatin. High-speed video shows it pulls projectiles back after they reach max depth ("snap-back"), so the visible track reads shallower than the true penetration.
- Low and high speeds behave differently. Very slow projectiles, like BBs under roughly 300 fps, actually stop shallower in synthetic gel than in ordnance gelatin. Faster projectiles go deeper. There is no simple conversion factor between the two.
2. Where Perma-Gel shines
- Clarity: it's perfectly transparent, which makes it ideal for high-speed photography of the bullet path and the temporary and permanent cavities.
- Room-temperature stability: unlike ordnance gelatin, which must be shot at 4°C (39°F), Perma-Gel works at room temperature, is stable up to about 110°F, and doesn't grow bacteria.
- Reusability: melt it at about 200°F and recast it, 2–5 times if done right. It can also be frozen for storage.
3. More research
- A study titled "Ballistic Penetration of Perma-Gel" used high-speed video to analyze the large, recoverable elastic deformation that happens as a projectile passes through.
- A 2020 AFTE Journal study by forensic examiners Lucien Haag and Alexander Jason measured Perma-Gel against ordnance gelatin with Doppler radar and 20,000 fps video. We break down its findings here.
The bottom line
10% ordnance gelatin remains the gold standard when you need numbers that line up with forensic and FBI-protocol testing. Perma-Gel is the clear, durable, reusable option for filming, demos, training and side-by-side comparisons. Use it to see, use organic gel to measure.