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Bamboo root barrier: height, thickness, and length

Updated: 22 October 2026

You have a trench in mind and a tab full of rolls, and the sheet with the most stars is not automatically the one that will hold running bamboo. A bamboo root barrier has to be tall enough for the depth you bury and the lip you leave above the soil, name a real plastic, and cover the run plus an overlap. This page is that specification check. The ten amazon.co.uk listings, with prices in pounds, are on the [root barrier comparison](/hub/garden-supplies/root-barrier). Listings and the RHS growing guide were checked on 20 October 2026. There was no laboratory test. If you buy through a link on this site, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

You have a trench in mind and a tab full of rolls, and the sheet with the most stars is not automatically the one that will hold running bamboo.

Our top picks

West Bay West Bay roll, 20 ft × 24 in

Best overall

West Bay West Bay roll, 20 ft × 24 in
8.9/10about £52.92
View offer
Gainspra Gainspra roll, 25 ft × 30 in

Rank 2

Gainspra Gainspra roll, 25 ft × 30 in
7.7/10about £141.04
View offer
aleawol aleawol roll, 6 m × 55 cm

Best value

aleawol aleawol roll, 6 m × 55 cm
7.4/10about £34.68
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Height before thickness
  2. 2.Millimetres, mils, and what the listing names
  3. 3.Length and overlap
  4. 4.What to check on the parcel

Height before thickness

The RHS growing guide describes a trench about 60 cm deep and a lip of about 7.5 cm left above the soil. A sheet that is only 60 cm tall can fill the trench or leave the lip. It cannot do both. Palm Centre asks for at least 60 cm and 5–10 cm above the soil for Phyllostachys. West Bay is the tallest HDPE sheet here with a review line: 24 in, about 61 cm, at about £52.92. Leave a 7.5 cm lip and you have buried about 53 cm. Gainspra states 30 in, about 76 cm, at about £141.04, with no reviews. That is the only height here that can sit 60 cm in the ground and still leave more than 7.5 cm proud. How the lip is set is the install guide.

Millimetres, mils, and what the listing names

Sixty mil converts to about 1.52 mm, because one mil is 0.0254 mm. That is arithmetic, not a caliper on the roll that arrives. West Bay, Gainspra, Heicofer, and Joewuzun claim 60 mil. aleawol states 1.5 mm of HDPE. The RHS growing guide does not set a millimetre. The only 2 mm claim here is Tasofac, 5 m by 50 cm at about £45.99, with no reviews, and 50 cm is still short of a 60 cm trench. HDPE is named on West Bay, Heicofer, Gainspra, aleawol, and Tasofac. ANLEBUY does not name the polymer. Windhager is coated fleece, and reviews doubt it for bamboo. Whether the plant is a runner is the bamboo page.
West Bay West Bay roll, 20 ft × 24 in

Testsieger

West Bay West Bay roll, 20 ft × 24 in
8.9/10about £52.92
View offer

Length and overlap

The RHS asks for an overlap of at least 30 cm, sealed. Palm Centre publishes at least 0.5 m, closed with gaffer tape or a bolted fastener and kept free of soil. For a large Phyllostachys the RHS guide asks for an enclosure at least 2.5 m across. The circumference is about 7.9 m. Add 30 cm and you need about 8.2 m before the ring closes once. A 6 m roll does not close that circle. West Bay is 20 ft, about 6.1 m. Gainspra is 25 ft, about 7.6 m, still short once the overlap is included. Two shorter rolls can, if each join is overlapped and sealed.

What to check on the parcel

Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 says goods must match the description: the height, the length, and the plastic you paid for. Tape both dimensions before you cut or bury anything. The Joewuzun title says 20 ft by 18 in at about £73.97, while item dimensions in the same file read 7.49 m by 0.91 m. The West Bay package line is the rolled parcel, not the unrolled sheet. A star line is not a report from a UK garden. If the delivered sheet is shorter than the title, photograph the tape and use the seller’s returns route.

Common questions

How deep should the barrier be for running bamboo?
The RHS growing guide describes a trench of about 60 cm, with about 7.5 cm of sheet left above the soil. Palm Centre asks for at least 60 cm in the ground and 5–10 cm visible for Phyllostachys. The sheet has to be taller than the trench, because the lip is part of the same piece of plastic.
Does a 60 cm roll leave room for a lip?
Not if you also bury 60 cm. A 60 cm sheet used to the RHS trench depth finishes at soil level. The 30 in Gainspra roll, about 76 cm, can take a 60 cm bury and still leave more than 7.5 cm above the soil. It has no reviews in the file we checked.
Is 60 mil the same as 1.5 mm?
Sixty mil converts to about 1.52 mm, because one mil is 0.0254 mm. That is a unit conversion, not a measurement of the roll in your hand. aleawol states 1.5 mm directly. One Heicofer review reported a thinner tape reading.
Is 2 mm required, or is that a seller rule?
The RHS texts used here do not require 2 mm. A 2 mm HDPE specification comes from specialist sellers. The only 2 mm claim in this set is Tasofac, on a 50 cm height at about £45.99, with no reviews. A thicker sheet that is too short still fails the trench.
How many metres close a 2.5 m circle?
A circle 2.5 m across has a circumference of about 7.9 m. The RHS overlap of at least 30 cm takes that to about 8.2 m. A single 6 m roll does not close it. A 25 ft roll is about 7.6 m, still short once the overlap is included.
What if the delivered sheet is shorter than the title?
Measure it before you dig. The Joewuzun listing shows a title of 18 in and 20 ft, item dimensions of 7.49 m by 0.91 m, and buyer tapes around 17 in. Section 11 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires goods to match the description.
Which of these listings actually names HDPE?
West Bay, Heicofer, Gainspra, aleawol, and Tasofac name HDPE. Joewuzun names polyethylene in the bullets and Bamboo in a material field. ANLEBUY does not name a polymer. Dehner is polypropylene. Windhager is a coated fleece, not a solid sheet.

Related pages

Root barrier sheet or panels

Root barrier

Best root barrier: which HDPE roll to order first?

Bamboo root barrier UK: runners, clumps, and the fence

How to install a root barrier so the lip stays visible

Sources

Public UK sources for this comparison. Prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk listings captured on 19 October 2026. Page updated 22 October 2026.

  1. RHS: bamboo growing guide (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. RHS: bamboo control (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. RHS: trees near buildings (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. Environment Agency: RPS 178 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. PCA: Japanese knotweed code of practice, November 2023 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Natural Resources Wales: Japanese knotweed (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. DeepRoot: root barrier installation manual, 2025 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. HSE: excavations and underground services (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  9. Palm Centre: how to install bamboo root barrier (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  10. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 11 (retrieved 22 October 2026)