Choosing the best anti climb fencing

The phrase ‘anti-climb’ fencing is used a lot, but what’s the best type of fencing to protect against this risk? The purpose of anti-climb fencing is to prevent unwanted visitors entering a building or outdoor space by scaling the barrier. There are a great many options on the market, so it helps to explore what’s out there, and how exactly it works to protect your property, so you can specify the right type.

Thanks to advanced design and engineering practices, anti-climb fences don’t have to be toweringly high with barbed wire on top. Anti-climb fencing includes metal railings, vertical bar fencing, mesh security fencing, and timber acoustic barriers; there are plenty of styles to choose from within each range. Each type of fencing performs differently, and each can also satisfy the requirement for objectives such as visibility, strength, noise reduction, and aesthetic value.

 

For certain sites, such as prisons, data centres, and military bases, protection from climbing is of utmost importance, and aesthetics less so. When securing the perimeter around parks and schools, more attention will likely be paid to the look of the fencing.

 

Anti-climb fencing features

Naturally, fencing with a solid design and flat profile doesn’t have hand or footholds to aid climbing intruders, so it immediately provides protection to a property. A number of timber acoustic barriers fall into this category as by nature, they need a solid profile with no gaps to prevent noise escaping, and they are generally installed at tall heights. Investment in acoustic security barriers allows property owners or managers to address noise issues as well as provide security. Our acoustic security barriers are often installed to combat noise as well as increase privacy and security at schools, along railways and highways, and around housing estates.

 

For specialist sites such as data centres or manufacturing facilities, there is often the same need for noise reduction as well as a perimeter security solution. We have combined the two requirements to create our Trident^® Jakoustic fencing range, and C5, F1, or G1 rated Jakoustic^® Class 3 acoustic barrier using a combination of timber and steel to offer high security options for noise reduction. The solid, flat profile of this fencing product makes it a savvy choice for those needing high anti-climb protection.

 

Around some sites, visibility takes prevalence over noise reduction, so a semi-solid style of fencing such as mesh or vertical bar is preferable. If you opt for tightly knit mesh for metal fencing, this means there are no spaces for finger holds, which again, will make climbing virtually impossible.

With metal railings, a lack of horizontal rails is advantageous, as rails create a step for intruders. If horizontal rails are necessary for support, they should be at an appropriate distance from the top rail to reduce this issue.

 

Height matters

Increasing the height of your fencing is another way to prevent your property being accessed. Opting for tall panels and posts is a good way to prevent scaling. Certain heights are required or recommended in different sectors. Read more about standard fence heights.

Additional security toppings

Where appropriate, fence spikes and security toppings can be used to enhance security against climbing and intrusion. Rotating spikes are powerful deterrents, because these add movement and instability, making entry even more difficult.

At Jacksons we have a wide range of security toppings including barbed wire, spikes, and rotary systems for fences, walls and drainpipes. All are designed to deter and deny entry to premises – their presence alone can be enough to dissuade anyone who is tempted to climb.

Be aware though, that the installation of security fence spikes may require planning permission or building regulations approval from your local authority. So, check before you go ahead with these products.

Also, ensure you install a warning sign alongside your fence spikes and security toppings. These will alert visitors and intruders that there are anti climb measures in place, avoiding potential injuries and damaging lawsuits, and acting as a deterrent in their own right.

Adding PIDS – Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems

Perimeter Intrusion Detection Systems (PIDS) are electronic sensors that detect and alert attempts to cut or climb the perimeter of a property, building or other secured area. When paired with CCTV and intruder alarm systems, they provide an efficient and effective method of detecting intruders.

Our Jaktronic range of PIDS includes multifunctional electronic perimeter intrusion detection and deterrent systems. These would suit any site which requires sophisticated measures to provide early warning of attempts to cut, climb, or vandalise the fence onto which they are mounted.

These PIDS can be easily integrated onto rigid perimeter security fencing, including chain link, mesh panels, vertical bar railings, and security toppings. They are commonly used in the protection of high-end properties, industrial properties, storage facilities, and warehouses, to prisons, government and military sites, and national infrastructure utilities. The PIDS work by a piezoelectric sensor cable which detects activity and sends signals to a seismic analyser.

Which climb protection fencing is suited to which kind of site?

As a rule of thumb, standard security fencing would suit schools and commercial properties; high security fencing would suit data centres and airports; extremely high would suit military sites, government properties and utilities.

Standard anti-climb protection:

Barbican^® – strong welded-pale-through-rail fencing

Barbican Imperial^® - round pale vertical bar fencing

Sentry^® - vertical bar stopped pale-through-rail

Barbican^® with Finials – welded Saxon finials on top of pales

Find all the products above in our vertical bar railings range. 

EuroGuard^® Regular and EuroGuard^® Extra – V mesh panels with vandal proof connectors

EuroGuard^® Flatform – welded mesh with horizontal twin wire

Find the products above in our mesh security fencing range.

High anti-climb protection:

Barbican^® Barbed Top – barbs on individual pales

Barbican Defender^® Xtreme – features cranked pales

358 Securi-Mesh^® – close-knit mesh stops finger holds

Barbican^® Extra – additional short pales between full height ones

EuroGuard^® Combi – welded mesh panel with timber slats

Extremely high anti-climb protection:

Securi-Mesh^® Plus – A double layer of close-knit mesh

UHS Extreme – Double skinned mesh

UHS Heavy – Double skimmed mesh with clamp bars

Jakoustic^® Class 3 – A solid flat profile with noise reduction

Find the products above in our high security fencing range.

Fencing that resists cutting, not just climbing

Climbing is just one method to breach a fence. A determined intruder is equally likely to cut it, and the products designed to resist these two types of attacks are not always the same. Therefore, it can be advantageous to specify against both.

Cut resistance comes from three things: the gauge and hardness of the steel, the geometry of the mesh or pales, and how the panel is fixed. Close-knit mesh such as 358 Securi-Mesh^® is difficult to cut because there is less room to get a bolt cutter or hand tool around a single wire. Double-skinned systems such as Securi-Mesh^® Plus, UHS Extreme and UHS Heavy, the last with clamp bars, double the work again, because every wire has to be cut twice. Heavier vertical bar sections take considerably longer to cut through than lighter tubular pales, and solid acoustic barriers such as Jakoustic^® Class 3 resist cutting simply because there is a great deal of material to get through.

Trident^® is our ultra high security fencing range, with each product designed to offer maximum protection against intruders, including acoustic options and mesh and timber combination solutions.

Security ratings need to be read carefully, because they do not all measure the same thing. LPS 1175 security ratings measure resistance to forced entry using a defined toolkit, expressed as a rating and a delay such as SR3 (C5) or SR5 (E10). That covers cutting. It does not test climb resistance specifically, so a highly rated fence is not automatically the hardest to climb, and the two requirements are best specified separately.

Where cutting is the primary concern, pair a close-knit or double-skinned mesh with a perimeter intrusion detection system so any attempt is detected as it is made.

What unclimbable, anti-intruder and anti-vandal fencing mean

The same fencing goes by a number of different names, and they often describe subtly different concerns.

Anti-climb fencing describes a fence designed to be difficult to scale: no hand or footholds, a flat or close-knit face, no horizontal rails to stand on, and sufficient height. You will also see it called unclimbable fencing, non-climbable fencing, climb-proof fencing, anti-scale fencing or an anti-scale barrier. All describe the same objective.

Anti-intruder fencing is a broader term. It covers climbing, but also cutting, lifting panels out and forcing a way through, which is why LPS 1175 rated products are usually what is meant when someone asks for anti-intruder fencing on a higher risk site.

Anti-vandal fencing usually refers to the resilience of the fence itself rather than to keeping people out: panels that cannot be prised off, fixings that cannot be undone, and coatings that survive being attacked. Concealed panel-to-post connectors, shear nuts and stainless steel fixings are what deliver it.

Anti-theft fencing generally means one of two things: a fence protecting something valuable, or a fence that cannot itself be stolen. Metal fence panels have genuine scrap value, and panels held in slotted concrete posts can be lifted out quietly, so secure fixings matter on both counts.

Most sites need a combination, and the products described above will satisfy any of these requirements. If you are unsure which applies, start from the threat rather than the terminology: what is being protected, who from, and how long the perimeter needs to hold.

Anti-climb fence panels and specifications

If you are specifying by panel rather than by system, these are the details that matter.

On mesh panels, aperture size determines finger and toe holds, and it is the single most important figure for climb resistance. Our EuroGuard^® Regular V mesh uses 200 x 50 mm apertures and our EuroGuard^® Extra 200 x 30 mm apertures. By contrast, 358 Securi-Mesh^® uses a 76.2 x 12.7 mm aperture, too small to admit fingers or standard hand tools. Wire diameter, and whether the panel is single or double skinned, determine how well it resists cutting.

On vertical bar panels, look for pale-through-rail construction rather than pales welded to the face of a rail. The former is significantly stronger. Concealed panel-to-post connectors and tamper-proof fixings prevent panels being unbolted and removed, pale spacing should meet anti-trap regulations wherever children are present, and panels can be manufactured to follow sloping ground rather than stepping down it.

Finish affects lifespan more than anything else. All panels are hot dip galvanised to BS EN 1461 as standard, and most of our mesh panels are zinc alloy coated, which extends coating life up to four times longer than galvanising alone. Polyester powder coating to BS EN 13438 is available in a range of colours.

Fixing detail matters as much as the panel itself. Install rails on the inside face so they cannot act as a step, and avoid slotted concrete posts, which allow panels to be lifted out quietly.

Every panel we manufacture carries a 25 year service life guarantee, and full specification sheets and drawings are available for all of them.

Anti-climb fencing compared

The three levels below are the practical way to narrow the choice.

Standard anti-climb protection suits schools and commercial properties: Barbican^®, Barbican Imperial^®, Sentry^® and Barbican^® with Finials in the vertical bar range, and EuroGuard^® Regular, EuroGuard^® Extra and EuroGuard^® Flatform in the mesh range.

High anti-climb protection suits data centres and airports: Barbican^® Barbed Top, Barbican Defender^® Xtreme with cranked pales, 358 Securi-Mesh^®, Barbican^® Extra with additional short pales between the full height ones, and EuroGuard^® Combi.

Extremely high anti-climb protection suits military sites, government properties and utilities: Securi-Mesh^® Plus, UHS Extreme, UHS Heavy and Jakoustic^® Class 3.

What separates the levels is how much purchase the fence offers and how long it takes to defeat. At standard level, pale spacing and construction make climbing awkward. At high level, apertures are too small for fingers or tools, or pales are cranked and barbed so there is nothing to hold on to. At the top level the fence is double skinned or entirely solid, so there is neither a foothold nor a quick way through it.

Anti-climb toppings and devices compared

Toppings are the most cost effective way to add climb resistance to a fence, a wall or an existing boundary, and the choice between them comes down to deterrence, appearance and where they are being fitted.

Rota Spike^® is a rotating spike system. Because it turns under load it removes the purchase a climber needs, which makes it one of the most effective options as well as one of the most visibly deterrent.

Viper^® Spike and Security Comb are fixed spike systems presenting a continuous line of points along the top of a fence, wall or gate.

Barbed wire and razor wire remain the lowest cost options, and are still widely specified on industrial and utility perimeters where appearance is not a consideration.

Alarm-aFence^® and our Jaktronic PIDS range add detection rather than deterrence, alerting you to an attempt to climb or cut rather than simply resisting it. A piezoelectric sensor cable detects activity and signals a seismic analyser, and the systems retrofit to chain link, mesh panels, vertical bar railings and existing toppings.

Toppings are versatile and can be fitted to walls, drainpipes and parapets as well as to fences. Those are often the weak point on a site where the fence line itself is sound.

Two practical points. Fitting fence spikes may require planning permission or building regulations approval from your local authority, so check before proceeding. And always install a warning sign alongside spikes and toppings: signage alerts visitors and intruders that anti-climb measures are in place, which avoids injuries and potential claims, and acts as a deterrent in its own right.

Anti-climb fence ideas for different sites

Anti-climb measures are easier to judge site by site than product by product, so here is where we would start on each.

At schools and playgrounds, tall bow top or vertical bar fencing with anti-trap pale spacing keeps sightlines open for supervision while remaining difficult to climb. Toppings are rarely appropriate where children are present, and anti-trap variations should be used below certain heights.

Around homes and gardens, use solid panels with rails on the inside face, secure panels to posts, and a height appropriate to the boundary. Then keep the fence line clear of bins, planters and overgrown planting that could be used as a climbing aid.

On commercial premises and industrial estates, mesh security fencing works for long runs, with vertical bar at the entrance where appearance matters and toppings on the sections furthest from view.

Some sites have a noise problem as well as a security problem. Acoustic barriers such as Jakoustic^® and Trident^® Jakoustic give a solid, flat profile with no hand or footholds, at height, while reducing noise and increasing privacy.

Data centres, utilities and government sites need close-knit or double-skinned mesh rated to the level set by NPSA guidance, with perimeter intrusion detection and, where a longer delay is required, staggered lines of fencing to build the rating up.

And if you would rather not replace an existing boundary, you can add height with an extension, fit a topping, install PIDS on the existing fence and remove nearby climbing aids. That is usually the fastest way to improve a perimeter.

If you'd like professional advice or a quote for anti-climb fencing please contact us.