Image: Wikimedia Commons

chainmail

Metal fabric consisting of iron or steel rings, riveted or pressed together, typically used in armor

EntityQ659631

Also known as mail · maille

Subclass of: body armor
, ring armour
, coat armor

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · Read full article · Text CC BY-SA 4.0

Mail is a type of armour consisting of small metal rings linked together in a pattern to form a mesh. It was widely used in European militaries from the 3rd century BC to the 16th century AD, while in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East it remained in military use until 18th century. Chain mail is still in use in industries such as butchery and as protection against the powerful bites of creatures such as sharks. A coat of this armour is often called a hauberk or sometimes a byrnie.

Overview

All data

29 statements · 17% with external sources · numbers in brackets are citations

Made from material: mail

On other databases

22 identifiers linking chainmail across the web's reference databases

Data quality

statements

17%

externally sourced

Source last edited October 18, 2026. AIDB refreshes this page daily.

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AIDB. (2026). chainmail (Q659631). Retrieved from https://aidb.si/e/chainmail-Q659631