A Gold color metal and enamel device 1 1/8 inches (2.86 cm) in height overall consisting of a shield blazoned: Per fess enhanced Or and Sable, a chevron in point embowed between two fleurs-de-lis Vert and in base a battle-axe and key in saltire of the first. Attached below and to the sides of the shield is a Gold scroll inscribed "SUPERO OMNIA" in Black letters.
The gold of the shield is the color for Armor. The fleurs-de-lis symbolize the organization's Normandy and Northern France campaigns. The chevron "in point embowed" recalls the Battle of the Bulge, the Ardennes-Alsace campaign. The key, occurring frequently in the civic arms of the towns of Rheinprovinz (the province in which the Rhine River crossing was made and the Siegfried line breached), symbolizes the Rhineland campaign. Symbolical of the important successes of this campaign, it allegorically represents the "Key to Victory" in Europe. The battle-axe, a favorite Teutonic weapon and heraldic charge throughout the entire medieval period, signifies the Central Europe campaign.
The distinctive unit insignia was originally approved for the 81st Medium Tank Battalion on 18 April 1953. It was amended to correct the spelling of the Latin motto on 19 April 1954. The insignia was redesignated for the 81st Armor Regiment on 31 January 1962.