Barbed wire became common in the American West in the 1870s and in World War I first found wide use in fortifications.

Razor wire was first manufactured by Germany during World War I, as an expedient measure during a shortage of wire. Since it was simply punched out of a rolled ribbon of steel tape, it could be manufactured much more quickly. This early razor wire had triangular barbs and no reinforcing wire; consequently, it was more difficult to cut with ordinary wire cutters, easier to cut with shears, and was generally of lower tensile strength.

From the early 1970s, unreinforced razor wire was commonly used in perimeter barriers of US prisons. In the early 1980s, several manufacturers began offering razor wire with an embedded reinforcing wire and the product has been the subject to a patent dispute. Early brand names of reinforced razor wire included "Man Barrier" and "Razor Ribbon". The latter probably lent its name to the modern slang term.