was typically found in prisons , where the increased breaching time for a poorly equipped potential escapee was a definite advantage. Until the development of
in the early 1980s, it was rarely used for military purposes or genuine high security facilities because, with the correct tools, it was easier to breach than barbed wire. Since then some military forces have replaced barbed wire with barbed tape for many applications, mainly because it is slightly lighter for the same effective coverage and it takes up very little space compared to barbed wire or reinforced barbed tape when stored on drums.
Due to its dangerous nature, razor wire/barbed tape and similar
fencing/barrier materials is prohibited in some locales.
Razor-wire has a central strand of high tensile strength wire, and a steel tape punched into a shape with barbs. The steel tape is then cold-crimped tightly to the wire everywhere except for the barbs. Barbed tape is very similar, but has no central
reinforcement wire. The process of combining the core wire with the steel tape was invented by the current owner of
Razor Wire International, Renne Cano. The process of combining the two is called roll forming.
Like
barbed wire, barbed tape is available as either
straight wire or
concertina wire. Unlike
barbed wire, which usually is available only as
plain steel or galvanized,
barbed tape is also manufactured in
stainless steel, to prevent the points from rusting to bluntness. Typically the core wire is high tensile
galvanized wire and the tape is stainless sheet or hot dipped galvanized sheet, although fully stainless barbed tape is used for expensive permanent installations or under water.
Barbed tape is also characterized by the shape of the barbs. Although there are no formal definitions, typically
short barb barbed tape has barbs from 10 mm to 15 mm long,
medium barb tape has barbs 20 mm to 25 mm long, and
long barb tape has barbs from 60 to 66 mm long. There does not seem to be much available research to indicate whether longer barbs are actually more effective in resisting penetration, but they provide a stronger psychological deterrent.