What Size Bird Netting Do I Need for a Balcony or Courtyard?

Written and reviewed by Elaine Bliss, Technical Manager, PestFix
Last reviewed 26 October 2026

To keep pigeons out of a balcony or courtyard you need 50mm mesh bird netting, in a net large enough to cover the whole opening between your fixing points, measured along the line the perimeter wire will run and rounded up to the next whole metre. For other birds, use 19mm mesh for sparrows, 28mm for starlings and 75mm for gulls. EnviroGuard’s 50mm pigeon netting cut to size costs £0.44 per square metre plus a £15 cutting fee per order, and pre-cut nets start at £10.20 for 5m x 5m, in black, stone or translucent. The net is fixed to a tensioned 2mm wire perimeter, with a corner fixing at each corner, intermediate fixings every metre and hog rings joining the net to the wire.

Prices and stock checked on 26 October 2026 and taken from the EnviroGuard shop, subject to change. All prices include VAT.

Bird netting mesh size by bird

The mesh has to be small enough that the bird you want to keep out cannot push through it. A smaller mesh keeps out every larger bird too, but it costs more and needs its intermediate fixings closer together.

Cut-to-size orders carry a £15 cutting fee per order, not per net. Fixing spacings are from our bird netting installation guide. All of these nets are knotted, UV stabilised polyethylene that does not absorb water or stretch, and the product pages give an indication of more than 10 years’ resistance to UV degradation in average UK sunlight. On 26 October 2026 every net in the table was in stock.

How to measure for bird netting

1. Decide where the net will go

On a balcony, the net usually closes the open front, from the underside of the balcony or soffit above down to the balustrade or floor, and from side wall to side wall. In a courtyard or light well, it usually runs across the top, from wall to wall. The net needs solid structure at every corner to take the wire.

2. Mark the corner fixing positions

Plan a corner fixing at every corner and wherever the wire changes direction, plus one every 10 metres along a straight run. These carry the load of the tensioned wire.

3. Measure along the wire line

Measure the width and the drop (or the length and width of a courtyard) between the corner fixing positions, along the line the wire will follow. Add up all the sides to get the perimeter. This is the minimum length of wire, so allow extra for the loops at the corner fixings, the barrel strainers and the wire ends, and for fixing and tensioning.

4. Round up to the next whole metre

Cut-to-size nets are made to the nearest whole metre, so a 22.5m x 31.2m area is supplied as a 23m x 32m net. Rounding each dimension up gives you a little surplus, which you trim off with netting shears once every mesh is fixed to the wire.

5. Compare pre-cut and cut-to-size prices

The product pages note that it may be cheaper to buy a larger stock size net than an exact-fit custom net, so check both. Pre-cut pigeon nets come in sizes from 5m x 5m to 20m x 20m; cut-to-size is the answer for anything larger or for several non-standard nets.

6. Count the fixings

For each straight run between corner fixings, divide the length by the intermediate spacing for your mesh, round up and take away one: that is the number of intermediate fixings for that run. Count the corner fixings separately, then add up all the runs. For 50mm pigeon netting the spacing is 1 metre, so a 4.2 metre run needs 4 intermediate fixings.

Two worked examples

• A balcony opening 4.2m wide and 2.6m high. Rounded up, that is a 5m x 3m net: 15 square metres at £0.44 is £6.60, plus the £15 cutting fee, so £21.60 cut to size. A pre-cut 5m x 5m pigeon net at £10.20, trimmed on site, is cheaper here. The perimeter is 13.6 metres, so one 25 metre roll of wire is enough with plenty to spare for fixing and tensioning, with four corner fixings and 12 intermediate fixings (4 + 2 + 4 + 2).
• A courtyard 8m by 6m, netted across the top. An 8m x 6m net is 48 square metres at £0.44, which is £21.12, plus the £15 fee, so £36.12 cut to size, against £40.86 for the nearest pre-cut net of 10m x 10m. The perimeter is 28 metres, so you need more than one 25 metre roll of wire, with four corner fixings and 24 intermediate fixings (7 + 5 + 7 + 5). Our installation guide notes that nets larger than 10m x 10m may also need extra cross wires to stop them sagging in the middle.

As a guide to the full materials list, the balcony above, fixed into masonry with galvanised fixings, comes to £62.49: the £10.20 pre-cut net, a pack of 10 M6 corner eye bolts (£10.07), 100 screw eyes (£11.33) with red wall plugs (£4.80), a 25 metre galvanised wire roll (£4.26), 10 barrel strainers (£7.80), 20 wire rope grips (£2.70), 500 stainless steel hog rings (£7.38) and 100 corner ties (£3.95). If you do not already have the tools, the Standard Netting Tool Kit is £80.97, and you will need a drill with masonry bits to suit the fixings; each product page gives the hole size.

The fixings you need

Every net hangs from a tensioned wire perimeter. These are the parts for a typical balcony or courtyard fixed into brick, block, stone or concrete. Our netting installation guide lists the alternatives for timber, steel and cladding.

The Net Guide product page describes it as ideal for balcony nets where temporary opening is required, letting you draw the net back like a curtain after unzipping one end, and the S Clip page notes it is commonly used on balcony netting for the same reason. Browse every part in our netting fixings and netting tools ranges.

Getting the best from your net

• Keep it tight. A net that is slack or poorly tensioned can trap birds rather than keep them out, so tension the wire with the barrel strainers and hog ring every mesh to it.
• Choose a colour that blends in. Pigeon netting comes in black, stone and translucent. Pick the one that sits best against the building behind it when seen from outside; translucent pre-cut nets cost slightly more, from £11.09 for 5m x 5m.
• Plan for access. If you need to reach the balcony edge, lights or gutters behind the net, fit an access zip or net guides when you put the net up.
• Keep escape routes clear. Do not obstruct an escape route. Any netting near one must be agreed through the building’s fire-risk assessment and keep the route clear. Where a specification calls for it, flame retardant 50mm pigeon netting is available, from £17.59 for 5m x 5m; it is black with a red strand so it can be identified once fitted.
• Check before you drill. If you live in a flat, check your lease or ask the building’s managing agent before fixing into the balcony or walls.

Bird netting and the law

Netting is exclusion, and preventing birds from landing, roosting or nesting is not a licensable activity, provided the method does not injure them or trap them. All wild birds are protected, including feral pigeons: under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to intentionally kill, injure or take a wild bird, or to take, damage or destroy its nest while it is in use or being built. A net must not trap a bird inside, which is why netting is inspected and maintained rather than fitted and forgotten, and a nest that is already in use is protected whatever method you were planning, so check behind the net before you close it off. Starlings and house sparrows nest from March to August, and feral pigeons can nest in any month, given shelter and food. Our guide to bird control and the law sets out the position for England in 2026; the rules in Scotland and Wales differ.

Common questions

What size mesh stops pigeons?

50mm mesh. EnviroGuard’s 50mm pigeon netting is £0.44 per square metre cut to size, plus a £15 cutting fee per order, or from £10.20 for a 5m x 5m pre-cut net.

Will 50mm netting keep out smaller birds?

No. A 50mm mesh is sized for pigeons, so smaller birds such as starlings and sparrows can get through it. Use 28mm netting for starlings, or 19mm netting to keep out sparrows, starlings and pigeons together, with intermediate fixings every 0.3m.

How do I measure a balcony for bird netting?

Measure the opening between the points where your corner fixings will go, usually from the soffit or balcony above down to the balustrade or floor, and from side wall to side wall. Round each dimension up to the next whole metre, and add up all four sides for the minimum length of perimeter wire, then allow extra for fixing and tensioning.

Should I buy cut-to-size or pre-cut bird netting?

Check both. A pre-cut net slightly larger than your area, trimmed on site, can cost less than an exact-fit net with its £15 cutting fee, as in the balcony example above. Cut-to-size netting suits areas over 20 metres in either direction, or several non-standard nets on one order.

What fixings do I need for balcony netting?

Corner fixings at each corner, intermediate fixings every metre for 50mm netting, 2mm wire rope, a barrel strainer for each run, wire rope grips or ferrules for the ends, hog ring staples to join the net to the wire and corner ties. Net guides or S Clips let you draw a balcony net back when you need to.

Can I open bird netting to get on to my balcony?

Yes. Fit a netting access zip, from £5.03 for 1 metre, or use net guides with a zip at one end so the net draws back like a curtain.

See the full bird netting range and our bird netting installation guide, or read our guides to whether fake owls scare pigeons and whether solar panel mesh clips damage the panels.