Everyone forges 155mm bodies. The choice is variant coverage and supply state.
A 155mm shell body is a standard-pattern forging: NATO calibre, standard fuze well, driving band on the same dimensions across the industry. Where suppliers differ is how many variants they cover and whether they will sell you a body empty for you to fill, or only a completed round. We supply bodies in every current variant, empty or filled, against classification and end-use controls.
The bodies are supplied in every current variant and in two states, empty as an unfilled body or filled as a filled and fuzed round. The manufacturer's identity and fuller documentation are shared on receipt of an enquiry. No origin, alliance or sustainment claim is made for this product; the reference figures below describe standard-pattern 155mm projectiles, not this manufacturer's specific product.
Side by side
| Attribute | Represented by Unstrat155mm Shells (Empty & Filled) | Rheinmetall Denel MunitionAssegai projectile bodies1South Africa / Germany | Nammo155 mm series projectiles23Norway | General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical SystemsM795 body and projectile metal parts56United States |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Body variants offered126 | Every current variant: HE, extended-range full-bore in boat-tail and base-bleed forms, smoke, illuminating and practice | HE, IM HE, IM HE preformed fragmentation, VLAP, screening and red-phosphorus smoke, visible and infrared illuminating, practice and practice-inert bodies | HE, HE-ER, IM HE-ER and Target Practice ER bodies; no smoke or illuminating body published | M795 HE body plus a broad projectile metal-parts line for large-calibre cannons; MR103 training body on the artillery page |
| Supply state, empty or filled126GD OTS is the clearest published parallel to an empty-body supply, through its Scranton projectile-metal-parts line; the others publish completed rounds. | Both: empty as an unfilled body, or filled as a filled and fuzed round | Brochure presents filled and fuzed rounds; a separate empty-body offer is not stated | Rounds presented as complete natures; the HE is offered with an inert ballistic-match fill, but an unfilled-body option is not stated | M795 presented as a filled projectile; separately, GD OTS Scranton produces projectile metal parts (bodies) for large-calibre cannons |
| Calibre and standard-pattern compatibility125 | 155mm NATO calibre; standard-pattern bodies match fielded guns, driving bands and fuzes | 155mm, driving-band diameter 157.94 mm, standard NATO fuze cavity, compatible with 39 to 52 calibre guns | 155mm, compatible with L39 and L52 gun systems, fuzes per STANAG 2916 | 155mm with a gilding-metal rotating band, stated compatible with all current and future towed and self-propelled 155mm howitzers |
| Fuze interface126 | Standard NATO point-detonating and mechanical or electronic time fuzes (standard-pattern reference) | Standard NATO fuze cavity across the family | Compatible with all fuzes per STANAG 2916 | MR103 training round uses a standard STANAG 2916 fuze cavity; M795 accepts standard 155mm fuzing |
| HE body material and mass (standard-pattern reference)135Our figure is the standard-pattern M107 reference from catalogue.ts, not a manufacturer-specific claim. Competitor figures are their own published masses. | Standard-pattern HE body is forged steel, about 43.2 kg complete, TNT or Composition B fill about 6.9 kg (M107-pattern reference) | Nominal mass without fuze 42.7 kg boat tail / 42.4 kg base bleed; M2000 HE fill 8.3 kg TNT/HNS | 44.2 kg HE-ER with fuze; about 9 kg TNT/Comp B | 103 lb (about 46.7 kg) HF1 high-fragmentation steel body; 23.8 lb (about 10.8 kg) TNT or IMX-101 |
| Extended-range body forms145 | Boat-tail and base-bleed forms of the extended-range full-bore body | Boat tail and base bleed interchangeable on all bodies except VLAP; VLAP is rocket-assisted | Interchangeable base bleed and hollow base on the HE-ER and IM HE-ER bodies | M795 body is a conventional boat-tail form; base-bleed reach sits on the separate M1128-I body |
| Smoke body (standard-pattern reference)1 | Standard-pattern smoke body is steel, about 44.7 kg, white-phosphorus fill (M110-series reference) | M2002 screening smoke body, 5.5 kg pyrotechnic, 180 s; M2004 red-phosphorus smoke body, 3.8 kg, 70 s | Not published in the 155 series | Not published on the artillery page |
| Illuminating body (standard-pattern reference)1 | Standard-pattern illuminating body is forged steel, about 41.7 kg, roughly one million candlepower on a time fuze (M485-series reference) | M2003 illuminating body, 2.5 kg pyrotechnic, 90 s, about 1 million candela; M0236 IR illuminating, 2.8 kg, 180 s | Not published in the 155 series | Not published on the artillery page |
| Practice body (standard-pattern reference)126 | Standard-pattern practice body is inert, ballistically matched to HE (M804-series reference) | M2000 Practice (inert with RDX/wax booster) and M2000 Practice Inert bodies, ballistically matched | Inert ballistic-match version of the HE, plus a Target Practice ER body | MR103 training body, no main charge, ballistically matched to M107 |
| Qualification temperature envelope14 | Not published | Operational -46 to +63 degrees C, storage -51 to +71 degrees C | Service temperature -46 to +63 degrees C | Not published in the brochure |
| Governance on transfer126 | Every transfer governed by classification and end-use controls; manufacturer identity and fuller documentation shared on enquiry | Export subject to South African and German licensing | Export subject to Norwegian licensing | Export subject to US licensing and end-use conditions |
Competitor values are quoted from the vendor documents listed under Sources, as published on the date shown. Configurations vary, so treat every row as a starting point for the evaluation rather than a like-for-like test result.
What the table means
A body is a standard-pattern forging before it is a brand
The dimensions that make a 155mm body work are shared across the industry. Rheinmetall Denel Munition publishes a driving-band diameter of 157.94 mm and a standard NATO fuze cavity; Nammo quotes STANAG 2916 fuze compatibility; General Dynamics uses a gilding-metal rotating band compatible with all current and future 155mm howitzers. Our bodies follow the same standard patterns, so calibre, band and fuze well match the guns and fuzes a force already fields. The comparison on a raw body is therefore less about whether it fits and more about which variants you can get and in what supply state.
Empty or filled is the question the completed-round brochures skip
Most vendor literature presents finished, filled and fuzed natures, because that is what most armies buy. Fewer publish an empty-body option. General Dynamics is the clearest published parallel: its Scranton operation produces projectile metal parts, bodies, for large-calibre cannons alongside the filled M795. Our offer is explicit on both states. Empty lets a force hold bodies and fill them to its own natures within its own arrangements, which keeps the loading step, and the choice of fill and fuze, under the buyer's control. That is a supply-chain decision as much as a ballistic one.
Variant coverage is where the bodies actually diverge
Rheinmetall Denel Munition's Assegai family offers the widest cited set of bodies: HE, insensitive-munition HE, preformed-fragmentation, velocity-enhanced, two smoke types, visible and infrared illuminating, and matched practice. Nammo lists HE and training bodies but no smoke or illuminating. General Dynamics lists the M795 HE body and a broad metal-parts line. Our bodies cover HE in both extended-range forms, smoke, illuminating and practice.
Questions buyers ask
Can you buy empty 155mm shell bodies rather than complete rounds?
Yes, and it is worth asking every supplier the question directly, because most brochures show only filled and fuzed natures. General Dynamics publishes a projectile-metal-parts line out of its Scranton operation alongside the filled M795, which is the clearest published parallel. Our bodies are offered explicitly in two states: empty as an unfilled body, or filled as a filled and fuzed round. Buying empty lets a force hold bodies and fill them to its own natures within its own arrangements, keeping the loading step and the choice of fill and fuze under its own control. Every transfer is governed by classification and end-use controls.
Are 155mm shell bodies interchangeable across NATO guns and fuzes?
The standard-pattern bodies are dimensioned to the NATO 155mm calibre, so the calibre, driving band and fuze well match fielded guns and fuzes. Rheinmetall Denel Munition publishes a 157.94 mm driving-band diameter and a standard NATO fuze cavity; Nammo quotes STANAG 2916 fuze compatibility; General Dynamics uses a rotating band compatible with all current and future 155mm howitzers. Our bodies follow the same patterns, so a force fielding standard NATO point-detonating and time fuzes should find the interfaces match. Confirm the specific fuze family in the enquiry, since fuze setters and precision fuzes vary.
Which supplier offers the widest range of 155mm body variants?
On published documents, Rheinmetall Denel Munition's Assegai family is the broadest: HE, insensitive-munition HE, preformed-fragmentation, velocity-enhanced, screening and red-phosphorus smoke, visible and infrared illuminating, and matched practice bodies. Nammo publishes HE and training bodies but not smoke or illuminating. General Dynamics publishes the M795 HE body plus a general metal-parts line. Our bodies cover every current variant, HE in boat-tail and base-bleed forms, smoke, illuminating and practice, which puts us alongside Assegai for breadth when a force wants one body supplier for the whole nature set.
What does a standard 155mm HE shell body weigh?
Standard-pattern HE bodies run roughly 42 to 47 kg complete. The M107 reference pattern is about 43.2 kg with a TNT or Composition B fill near 6.9 kg. Rheinmetall Denel Munition publishes 42.7 kg boat tail without fuze; Nammo publishes 44.2 kg with fuze; General Dynamics publishes 103 lb, about 46.7 kg, for the high-fragmentation M795. Those figures are the vendors' own published masses, while our reference figure is the standard M107 pattern rather than a manufacturer-specific claim. Ask for the exact mass of the specific body and fill you intend to procure.
What is the difference between a boat-tail and a base-bleed 155mm body?
Both reduce base drag to extend range, and the best families let you interchange them on the same body. A boat-tail body tapers the base to clean up the wake; a base-bleed body adds a small gas generator that fills the low-pressure region behind the shell and adds meaningful range. Rheinmetall Denel Munition and Nammo both publish interchangeable forms; the General Dynamics M795 is a conventional boat-tail body, with base-bleed reach on its separate M1128-I. Our extended-range full-bore body is supplied in both forms, so a force can match the body to the fire plan.
Sources
- 1. Rheinmetall Denel Munition, Assegai Projectile Family (product brochure, 2021)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Full family list, JBMoU design baseline, boat-tail and base-bleed interchangeability, 39 to 52 calibre compatibility, 52-cal and 39-cal range table, physical characteristics and carrier-projectile (smoke, illuminating) data. Read from a public mirror of the vendor's own brochure, so cited by URL only rather than kept as a local PDF.
- 2. Nammo, 155 mm-series (product family overview)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Series contents: High Explosive (live and inert ballistic-match), High Explosive Extended Range, IM High Explosive Extended Range and Target Practice Extended Range; STANAG 2916 fuze compatibility.
- 3. Nammo, 155 mm High Explosive Extended Range (product specifications)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · JBMoU L52 gun range, TNT/Comp B fill and dispersion figures.
- 4. Nammo, 155 mm IM High Explosive Extended Range (product specifications)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Projectile weight, muzzle velocity, base-bleed and hollow-base range with L52 and L39 guns, insensitive-munition explosive fill and qualification status.
- 5. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, 155mm M795 HE Artillery Projectile (product brochure, V05, July 2025) (copy held on this site)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · M795 mass, TNT or IMX-101 fill, insensitive-munition (IM) variant NSN, length and 22.5 km maximum range.
- 6. General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems, Artillery (product overview page)Retrieved: 2026-08-14 · Artillery line-up: M795 HE, MR103 training round (ballistically matched to M107, STANAG 2916 fuze cavity), plus separate extended-range and precision projectiles (M1128-I base bleed, SuperShot, ERA-HE, SMArt 155).