How Tall is the Great Wall of China?
How Tall is the Great Wall of China?
The wall varies in height, with some sections standing as tall as 46 feet (14 meters), while others are only a few feet tall. The average height of the wall is approximately 20 feet (6 meters), but this varies depending on the terrain and the materials used in its construction. Where the hillocks were steep, the walls were constructed lower, and where they were flat, they were constructed higher; where it was important strategically, the walls were higher, and where it was a common place, they were lower.
The total thickness of the wall, which was the main part of the defense against the enemy, is wide. The width of the foundation is all 21 feet (6.5 meters), and the width of the floor of the wall is also 19 feet (5.8 meters) on average, guaranteeing two supply wagons to run parallel.
Different Great Wall Sections: Wall Height, Brick Height & Elevation
| Section | Wall Height (m) | Brick Height (cm) | Max Elevation (m) | Min Elevation (m) | Structural Features | Function in History |
| Badaling Great Wall | 7-8 | 10-12 | 1,015 | 600 | Brick and stone cladding with intact stacks | Ming military stronghold, troop passage |
| Mutianyu Great Wall | 5-7 | 9-11 | 1,039 | 486 | Double side stacks with dense shot holes | Capital defense, built under Qi Jiguang |
| Jiankou Great Wall | 4-6 (partly ruined) | 8-10 (burrstone) | 1,144 | 200 | Rough stone piling with severe slumping | Unrestored "wild wall," extreme terrain |
| Simatai Great Wall | 6-9 | 11-13 | 986 | 295 | Single sided wall (up to 40cm narrow), barricaded | Ming warning system with "Dagger Towers" |
| Jinshanling Great Wall | 5-7 | 10-12 (Inscription brick) | 1,000 | 400 | Inscribed Inscriptions on text tiles, horse blocking stones | Qi Jiguang’s model frontier wall |
| Gubeikou Great Wall | 4-5 (partly ruined) | 9-11 (rammed earth bricks) | 665 | 200 | Mixed rammed earth and burr stone | Liao-Jin era strategic pass |
| Huangyaguan Great Wall | 6-8 | 10-12 (shaped bricks) | 750 | 150 | Eight Trigram City design with unique water gateway | Qi Jiguang’s innovative defense |
| Jiayuguan | 9-10 | 12-14 (rammed earth brick) | 1,700 | 1,500 | Yellow earth rammed and wrapped in bricks with sharp corners | Western terminus on Silk Road |
| Shanhaiguan | 8-9 | 12-14 (giant bricks) | 25 | 0 | Granite base, Stone base with brick battlements | "First Pass Under Heaven," sea meets wall |
Please note:
Fun facts about the Great Wall Height:
- The Highest Great Wall is the 10-metre-high Jiayuguan that can withstand a Western cavalry charge.
- The shortest Wall is the 4-metre-high Jiankou Great Wal, which was not intentionally raised due to the dangerous mountainous terrain.
- According to the height of each brick is 12cm, the Badaling Great Wall needs about 80-100 bricks per meter of the wall. In other words, the number of bricks used in the whole Badaling is more than 100 million.
- The replacement rate of bricks in Shanhai Pass and Jiayuguan Pass in recent years was <5 per cent, and gross stones of Jiankou Great Wall were strictly prohibited from being moved.
5-day Beijing Great Wall Hiking Tour
Private Beijing Great Wall Day Tour
4-day Beijing Tour with the Great Wall
How Many steps are in the Great Wall of China?
One of the most impressive features of the Great Wall of China is the number of steps it contains. While the exact number of steps is difficult to determine, it is estimated that the wall contains over 10,000 steps. Hiking and climbing the Great Wall can be a challenging yet rewarding experience, and many visitors take pride in reaching the highest points of the wall.