Razor wire
metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans
Barbed tape, or razor wire, is a security barrier made of metal strips with sharp edges, designed to deter unauthorized passage across a boundary.
Use
The first use of barbed wire for warfare was in 1898 during the Spanish-American War, thirty-one years after the first patents were issued in 1867. One of the most notable examples during the Spanish-American War is the defense provided by the Moron-Jucardo Trocha. The trocha (or trench) stretched for fifty miles between the cities of Moron and Jucardo. Within this trench, and in addition to fallen trees, barbed wire was used. The barbed wire was arranged in a cat’s cradle formation that for every 12 yards of barbed fence built, 420 yards of barbed wire was strung (or 35 yards of wire per yard of fence).
Later versions of this type of barbed wire were manufactured by Germany during World War I. The reason for this was a wartime shortage of wire to make conventional barbed wire. Therefore, flat wire with triangular cutting edges began to be punched out of steel strips ("band barbed wire"). A welcome side effect was that a comparable length of barbed wire of this new type could be produced in less time. These precursors to NATO wire did not yet have an inner wire for stabilization, were therefore easy to cut with tin snips, and were also not as robust as normal barbed wire.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Razor wire” is metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Razor, wire and metal, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “metal strips with sharp edges whose purpose is to prevent passage by humans” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 2, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q89575. None of the 0 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1898 and 1867.
Overview language is designed for orientation and should not be treated as a substitute for the evidence cited beneath it. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
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The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Razor wire”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Razor wire primary sources, Razor wire archive and Razor research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Razor wire” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.