What ladder height for what job?
The length of the ladder is not your working height
This is the misunderstanding that costs the most. When a listing says "3.8 m ladder", that figure is the length of the ladder once fully extended, measured along the stiles. It is neither the height you will climb to, nor the height you will work at.
Two things reduce that figure, and one adds to it.
First, a leaning ladder is never set up vertically. It leans against the wall at roughly 75 degrees, which costs you a little vertical height. Second, you never climb onto the top rungs: you need something to hold on to. Your arms, on the other hand, add around two metres to the height at which you place your feet.
The rule in one line
Real working height = the length of the ladder, minus around 1 metre of safety at the top, plus around 2 metres of arm reach.
The table that answers your case
Here is what the heights in the range give once that calculation is applied. The right hand column is the one to look at if you want to reach a gutter or a roof, because in that case the ladder must extend around one metre above the point where you step off.
| Ladder length | Working height | Roof or gutter access |
|---|---|---|
| 2.6 m (8.5 ft) | around 3.5 m | up to 1.5 m |
| 3.2 m (10.5 ft) | around 4.1 m | up to 2.1 m |
| 3.8 m (12.5 ft) | around 4.7 m | up to 2.7 m |
| 4.4 m (14.4 ft) | around 5.2 m | up to 3.2 m |
| 5.1 m (16.7 ft) | around 5.9 m | up to 3.9 m |
| 6.2 m (20.3 ft) | around 7.0 m | up to 5.0 m |
Figures calculated for a lean of 75 degrees, with a user of around 1.75 m. Rounded to the nearest ten centimetres.
Translated into real jobs
If you are not sure which row of the table applies to you, start from what you actually have to do.
- Painting a ceiling, fitting a wall light, changing a bulb in a stairwell: you are working between 2.50 m and 3 m. A 2.6 m is more than enough.
- Clearing a garage gutter, trimming a tall hedge, cleaning ground floor windows: working height around 4 m. A 3.2 m or a 3.8 m.
- Painting a facade, fitting shutters, working on an upstairs window: you are between 4.50 m and 5 m of working height. A 4.4 m or a 5.1 m.
- Reaching an upstairs gutter, getting onto a roof, fitting an aerial: your access point is at 4 or 5 m. You need a 6.2 m, nothing less, because of the compulsory metre of overhang.
The three mistakes that lead people to buy the wrong ladder
Believing you will climb right to the top
The top rungs are not there to be used. On a leaning ladder, the accepted rule is that you do not climb above the fourth rung down from the top. A ladder bought to sit exactly on your requirement will in practice be too short.
Forgetting the metre of overhang
To step from a ladder onto a roof or a terrace, the ladder must extend around one metre above the bearing point. That is what gives you a handhold for the transfer, the moment when you feel most exposed. Without that overhang, the step across becomes an acrobatic exercise.
Buying too big "just in case"
The opposite mistake exists too. A 6.2 m folded down is still a metre long object weighing around 16 kg. If you only go onto a roof once every three years, you will be carrying that weight and that bulk for every small job. Better to get the right size for everyday use, and hire something bigger for the exception.
Franck's advice
"When someone is torn between two sizes, I always ask the same question: where do you climb most often, not how high can you climb? Nine times out of ten, the answer settles it."
"And if there really are two very different uses, a 4 in 1 multi purpose ladder often solves the problem better than one big leaning ladder."
One last point on stability
Choosing the right length counts for nothing if the ladder is badly set up. Keep to a lean of around 75 degrees, which means setting the foot of the ladder away from the wall by a quarter of the bearing height: for a bearing point at 4 m, the foot sits 1 m from the wall. On soft, sloping or uneven ground, a stabiliser bar widens the base and removes the sideways sway.
And whatever the height, the maximum load stays at 150 kg all in: you, your clothes, your tools and whatever you carry up with you.
Still unsure about your height?
Four questions and you have the model that matches how you will use it. Or talk it through directly with Franck, every day from 8am to 11pm on WhatsApp.