If it could be shaped, would chitin from giant insects make decent body armor?

I found a previous question on using chitin from giant insects to make weapons and armor, but the answer left out something I had considered for the medieval fantasy setting I'm developing. The answer suggested that the chitin pieces would not likely fit the shape of a humanoid race and would need to be fastened together into something akin to lamellar armor.

Weapons and armor from chitin

What I had wanted to explore was the possibility of being able to reshape pieces of chitin from these giant insects, allowing for a properly fitted set of armor to be made (as well as more styles than just looking like the creature the materials were harvested from.)

Maybe something of an alchemical process that makes it pliable for a short time, allowing it to be shaped. This also could allow for several pieces to be shaped and glued together to make a thicker piece of armor. I imagine the lower density might make it useful for some light armor. Probably not as good as a set of steel platemail.

My question is, if chitin was upscaled to a form that could be shaped into usable body armor, would it be useful in combat? How would it stack up against other forms of armor from the medieval period? At the very least, would it be useful as an alternative armor for people in regions where there is limited access to metal? Or would they be better off with other materials like hide and wood?

Clarification: I'm aware that giant insects wouldn't normally be able to exist. This is a fantasy setting, so I'm not too worried about that. I'm just interested in the mechanical properties of chitin itself and its usefulness as armor.

posted about 4 years ago

Arvex‭

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