S2000 vs S2010 Snell Ratings

Question:
IS a Snell rating of S2010 better than a rating of S2000? In other words if a requirement is to have a helmet with at least a SA 2000, would a SA 2010 comply?


Answer:
Thanks for your question!


The SA2010 rating is a "safer" rating than SA2000, but only because the verifications have become more thorough. 
The rating refers to the standard date the helmet adheres to. The ones you are likely see are SA2000, SA2005, SA2010. Every 5 years, Snell releases a new standard which is a new series of tests the helmets must pass in order to receive the new rating. The rating a helmet receives generally means it's legal for use in most event types for 10 years from the rating:
SA2000 - Good until 2010
SA2005 - Good until 2015
SA2010 - Good until 2020

That is all a long way to say that yes, if your event is requiring at least an SA2000 helmet than any more recent Snell SA helmet will be legal (and safer the more recent it is.) You can go up to a SA2005 or SA2010 and pass verification.

Hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions!