Masks: what the rules require, weapon by weapon.

FIE rules for every mask (Material Rules, August 2026)

• Mesh: openings of at most 2.1 mm, of wire at least 1 mm in diameter (m.25.7.a). Annexe A specifies woven stainless steel mesh with a square aperture of 1.9 mm, up to 2.1 mm allowed in the curved zone, a front grille interior angle of no more than 130 degrees, and wire of types 304, 304 L or 321 in 1.0 or 1.1 mm diameters (Annexe A, 2.1 and 2.2).
• Strength: the whole mesh must withstand a conical punch at 12 kg pressure without permanent deformation (m.25.7.c). That is the requirement as stated; the test method is not reproduced here.
• Bib: cloth resistant to 1600 Newtons (m.25.7.d). Annexe A describes several layers of cloth, at least one inner layer of Kevlar fibre or similar, with penetration resistance of 1600 Newtons or more, reaching about 10 to 12 cm to protect the neck (Annexe A, 2.2, 4.3).
• Rear fastening: two different safety systems at the rear, with both strap ends firmly fixed to the sides; any retro-fitting to an existing mask must be done by the original maker (m.25.7.a and m.25.7.e). For a mask with a metal tongue, the central strap is at least 45 mm wide, sits low enough on the neck that the mask cannot slide off, and closes with a double security system with a minimum breaking strain of 750 N/cm. For a mask without a metal tongue, the main strap sits low enough that the mask cannot slide off, has 3 fixing points, and the magnetic strap remains mandatory (m.25.7.e). Mechanical rear fixing systems are "not allowed at the moment" (Annexe A, 2.2, para 4).
• Label and colour: masks are made to the Annexe A safety standards and carry its quality label (m.25.7.b), an indelible circular label 25 mm across showing the maker's emblem, year and month of manufacture and the FIE emblem (Annexe A, 4). Coloured or decorated masks need FIE Executive Committee approval, after which the design is published on the FIE website (Annexe A, 2.1.2).
• At weapon control: a fencer may hand in at most two masks at an official FIE competition (m.38.1), and a mask that fails the safety requirements is made visibly unusable in front of the person who presented it (m.38.6).

The three weapons' masks

British Fencing's guidance for FIE and European Fencing Confederation events (updated 13 March 2026) notes that foil and sabre masks are fully conductive and cannot be used for epee, and USA Fencing's Athlete Handbook 2026-2027 says the same at every level. The foil mask wire rule has changed: the FIE's 2009 homologation handbook allowed a 40 to 45 cm wire or a coiled cable 25 cm long at rest, where the August 2026 rules require 30 to 40 cm and ban coiled wires.

When did the two-rear-system rule begin? Sources disagree

• FIE SEMI minutes, Lausanne, 5 and 6 July 2014: after masks came off fencers during bouts, the SEMI drafted an urgent decision that from the start of the 2014-2015 season (1 September 2014) only masks with two independent security systems would be allowed at FIE events. A later passage in the same minutes records that the requirement should take immediate effect, and single-system masks were accepted at the 2014 World Championships in Kazan only with a guarantee letter from the athlete. The final urgent-decision text was not found.
• Fencing Australia (8 December 2018) announced new FIE mask-fastening requirements under m.25.7, after several incidents of masks falling off in bouts, for its circuit events from 1 January 2019. The UIPM (modern pentathlon), in a letter of 18 December 2018, adopted the same two-rear-system rule from 1 January 2019.

These may be two stages, an urgent 2014 decision and a 2019 rule text with detailed strap specifications, but no FIE decision document confirming that was found.

Transparent (visor) masks

The FIE's 2009 handbook allowed transparent visor masks that carried the CE mark and "EN 13567", with the visor valid for two years from its month and year of manufacture. The SEMI's July 2014 minutes record agreement that the visor-mask section of Annexe A should be removed, and say visor masks had been removed from use with a period allowed to buy replacements. The August 2026 contents page still lists a "Transparent masks" heading, but the body text read has no such section, so the current FIE position on visor masks is unconfirmed.

National rules below FIE level

• USA Fencing (Rules for Competition, October 2026, m.25.7): the bib must resist 350 Newtons; an FIE-homologated mask is not required; masks need two different rear safety systems meeting requirements approved by the US SEMI Commission, and a secondary strap is mandatory on masks without a metal tongue. The Athlete Handbook 2026-2027 adds that masks must withstand the 12 kg punch test and have an elastic strap at the back, that masks failing are impounded and marked not approved for use at any level, that the conductive foil bib is required at all levels, and that coloured mask designs need Referees' Commission approval at least 30 days before first use, or the head referee's discretion.
• British Fencing (Equipment by Activity, 2 October 2026): a CEN 1 mask with a 350N bib and back strap for beginner classes, lessons, under-14 and under-10 fencing and BF competitions other than the National Championships named next; a CEN 2 mask with a 1600N bib and two rear safety systems at National Championships for U17, U20, U23 and Senior, and with the FIE mark at FIE competitions. Its Domestic Variations date the two-system requirement at those championships to 1 September 2022 and permit mesh designs other than FIE-approved ones at domestic events. The Safety Guidelines (23rd edition, 1.2; British Fencing lists a 24th edition, Board approved in September 2026, which could not be read) define a back strap as elastic at least 35 mm wide, fixed to the side mesh at each end, and require a separate back strap on masks with a fabric main retainer at FIE (CEN level 2) events.
• British Fencing Safety Committee notice (20 March 2026): masks must be fitted securely, clubs lending kit must provide the right size, safety checks are not solely the referees' job, and referees give a yellow card for a mask that is not securely fastened or falls off and may confiscate it.

How 350 N and 1600 N relate to the EN 13567 levels is on EN 13567 and protection levels, and mask withdrawals and incidents are on recalls and incidents.