Barbed tape Barbed tape or razor wire is a mesh of metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans . The term " razor wire " , through long usage , has generally been used to describe barbed tape products . While razor wire is much sharper than the standard barbed wire , it is named after its appearance , but is not actually razor sharp . However , the points are very sharp and made to rip and grab onto clothing and flesh . The multiple blades of a razor wire fence are designed to inflict serious cuts on anyone attempting to climb through and therefore have a strong psychological deterrent effect . In many high - security applications , barbed tape supplanted barbed wire , which could be circumvented relatively quickly by humans with tools , while penetrating razor wire barriers without tools is very slow and difficult , giving security forces more time to respond . Razor wire contains a core hardened steel strip that is often under tension , so if cut , it strikes the cutter . Use . Starting in the late 1960s , barbed tape was typically found in prisons and secure mental hospital s , where the increased breaching time for a poorly equipped potential escapee was a definite advantage . Until the development of reinforced barbed tape 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 . More recently barbed tape has been used in more commercial and residential security applications . This is often primarily a visual deterrent since a well prepared burglar can breach barbed wire and barbed tape barriers in similar amounts of time , using simple techniques such as cutting the wire or throwing a piece of old carpet over its strands . Residential usage of barbed tape has been criticized by some as the aggressive appearance of the barbs is thought to detract from the appearance of a neighborhood . Due to its dangerous nature , razor wire / barbed tape and similar fencing / barrier materials is prohibited in some locales . Norway prohibits any barbed wire except in combination with other fencing , in order to protect domesticated animals from exposure . Some local jurisdictions further regulate or prohibit barbed wire altogether . Construction . Razor - wire has a central strand of high tensile strength wire , and a steel tape punch ed into a shape with barbs . The steel tape is then cold - crimp ed 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 . Types . Like barbed wire , barbed tape is available as either straight wire or spiral 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 galvanized and the tape is stainless , 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 . History . Barbed wire became common in the American West in the 1870s and in World War I first found wide use in fortifications . Barbed tape was first manufactured by Germany during World War I , as an expedient measure during a shortage of wire . Since it was simply punched out of a rolled ribbon of steel tape , it could be manufactured much more quickly . This early barbed tape had triangular barbs and no reinforcing wire ; consequently , it was more difficult to cut with ordinary wire cutter s , easier to cut with shears , and was generally of lower tensile strength . From the early 1970s , unreinforced barbed tape was commonly used in perimeter barriers of US prisons . In the early 1980s , several manufacturers began offering barbed tape with an embedded reinforcing wire and the product has been the subject to a patent dispute . Early brand names of reinforced barbed tape included " Man Barrier " and " Razor Ribbon " . The latter probably lent its name to the modern slang term .