Building Crack Monitoring Equipment Malaysia Crack Width Measurement & Structural Monitoring
Published: 28 August 2026
Building Crack Monitoring Equipment Malaysia Crack Width Measurement & Structural Monitoring
QUICK ANSWER
If a crack is found in a building, concrete structure, retaining wall or other structural element, one of the most important questions is:
“Is the crack changing?”
A suitable Crack Width Gauge, Crack Width Meter or Crack Monitor can be used to document the crack and compare measurements over time.
If movement of the whole structure is suspected, crack measurement may be combined with:
Total Station
Monitoring Prism
Settlement Monitoring
Levelling Equipment
Concrete & Structural NDT
MTM Precision supplies crack measurement, surveying, structural monitoring and NDT equipment in Malaysia for engineers, surveyors, contractors, consultants and building inspection applications.
WHY MONITOR A BUILDING CRACK?
Cracks can occur for many different reasons.
Possible factors include:
Building settlement
Concrete shrinkage
Thermal movement
Construction activity
Nearby excavation
Foundation movement
Ground movement
Structural loading
Ageing or deterioration
Vibration
Seismic or earthquake-related ground movement
The presence of a crack alone does not establish its cause or structural significance.
However, repeated crack measurements can provide useful information about whether measurable change is occurring.
Instead of asking only:
“How wide is the crack?”
A monitoring programme can help answer:
“Is the crack getting wider over time?”
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO MEASURE?
Problem:
Visible crack
Measurement:
Crack width
Recommended Equipment:
Crack Width Gauge / Crack Width Meter
Problem:
Crack changing over time
Measurement:
Change in crack width
Recommended Equipment:
Crack Monitor / Crack Monitoring Gauge
Problem:
Possible building movement
Measurement:
Displacement of selected structural points
Recommended Equipment:
Total Station + Monitoring Prism
Problem:
Possible settlement
Measurement:
Elevation change
Recommended Equipment:
Auto Level + Levelling Staff / Total Station
Problem:
Concrete condition requires further investigation
Measurement:
Depends on engineering requirement
Recommended Equipment:
Appropriate Concrete & Structural NDT Equipment
1. CRACK WIDTH GAUGE
A Crack Width Gauge provides a simple method for measuring or estimating the width of a visible crack.
Typical applications include:
Initial building inspection
Concrete inspection
Building condition survey
Recording crack locations
Routine maintenance inspection
Before-and-after condition surveys
For applications requiring more detailed measurement or documentation, an optical or digital crack measurement instrument may be more appropriate.
2. CRACK WIDTH METER
A Crack Width Meter is designed for closer measurement of visible cracks.
Depending on the instrument, the user may be able to magnify the crack and obtain a clearer measurement than by visual inspection alone.
Typical applications include:
Concrete buildings
Columns
Beams
Walls
Bridges
Retaining walls
Tunnels
Civil structures
Infrastructure
Before selecting a crack width meter, consider:
Measurement range
Resolution
Magnification
Display method
Data recording requirement
Site conditions
The most expensive instrument is not automatically the correct choice.
The instrument should match the actual measurement requirement.
3. CRACK MONITORING OVER TIME
For many engineering investigations, one measurement is not enough.
A typical crack monitoring process may be:
Identify Crack
↓
Mark Measurement Location
↓
Record Initial Reading
↓
Record Date & Location
↓
Repeat Measurement
↓
Compare Results
↓
Observe Change or Trend
This creates a measurement history rather than relying only on memory or photographs.
Where possible, the same crack should be measured at a consistent location using an appropriate repeatable method.
4. CRACK MEASUREMENT VS CRACK MONITORING
These two terms are related but not identical.
Crack Measurement:
Measures the crack at a particular time.
Crack Monitoring:
Measures the same crack repeatedly to determine whether it is changing.
For example:
Day 1
→ Initial measurement
Day 7
→ Repeat measurement
Day 30
→ Repeat measurement
Day 90
→ Repeat measurement
The measurement trend may provide more useful information than one isolated reading.
5. WHAT IF THE WHOLE BUILDING IS MOVING?
This is where crack monitoring and surveying monitoring become different.
A Crack Width Meter measures the crack.
It does not automatically determine whether the entire building or structure has moved.
If structural displacement needs to be investigated, engineers and surveyors may establish fixed monitoring points and use:
Total Station
Monitoring Prism
Mini Prism
Permanent Monitoring Prism/span>
Survey Monitoring Target
Control Point
Reference Point
The monitoring points can then be measured repeatedly.
Initial Position
↓
Repeat Survey
↓
Compare Coordinates
↓
Identify Movement
↓
Establish Movement Trend
This approach is commonly associated with deformation and structural movement monitoring.
6. MONITORING PRISM FOR BUILDING MOVEMENT
Monitoring prisms provide repeatable survey targets for total station observations.
They may be installed at selected points on:
Building faades
Columns
Retaining walls
Bridges
Tunnels
Dams
Slopes
Adjacent buildings
Infrastructure structures
A permanent monitoring point helps the surveyor return to the same measurement target during subsequent monitoring rounds.
MTM Precision supplies professional surveying and monitoring accessories for structural deformation monitoring applications in Malaysia.
7. CRACK MONITORING + SETTLEMENT MONITORING
Sometimes a crack should not be investigated in isolation.
If settlement is also suspected, engineers or surveyors may monitor changes in elevation.
Depending on the required method and accuracy, equipment may include:
Auto Level
Levelling Staff
Total Station
Survey Benchmark
Permanent Reference Point
Settlement Monitoring Point
This allows two different questions to be investigated:
Crack Monitoring
→ Is the crack changing?
Settlement Monitoring
→ Is the structure changing in elevation?
These measurements provide different information.
8. CRACK MONITORING + STRUCTURAL DEFORMATION MONITORING
For more comprehensive monitoring:
Crack Width Meter
→ Measures
28 Aug 2026
