When comparing swimming pools, it is easy to look at the advertised length and width and assume that a 10m x 4m pool is the same as another 10m x 4m pool.
It isn’t necessarily.
The internal shape and wall profile of a pool can make a significant difference to the amount of usable space inside the pool. Two pools can have the same advertised external dimensions, yet provide quite different swimming areas and water volumes.
The difference is in the walls
A large number of fibreglass pools sold in New Zealand are manufactured overseas and transported long distances before reaching the customer.
To make this process commercially viable, most overseas manufacturers design their pools with more heavily angled or tapered walls. This allows multiple pools to be nested inside one another for shipping, significantly reducing the amount of space required during transport.
While this can make shipping more efficient, there is a trade-off for the pool owner: more of the pool’s overall footprint is taken up by the sloping walls, leaving less usable space inside the pool.
In other words, the advertised external dimensions don’t necessarily tell you how much pool you actually get.
More usable pool inside the same footprint
At Bermuda Pools, we take a different approach.
Our pools are manufactured here in New Zealand with straighter, more vertical wall profiles, allowing us to maximise the internal dimensions of the pool.
That means more usable swimming space, more room for family and friends, and greater water volume – without necessarily requiring a larger footprint in your backyard.
It is a simple difference, but one that can make a significant difference to how your pool feels and performs once it is installed.
Compare the litres, not just the dimensions
A good example is our Bermuda Senator.
The Senator is advertised at 10m x 4m, which is the same headline size advertised by one of our competitors.
However, comparing the actual water capacity tells a different story:
| Bermuda Senator | Competitors | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised size | 10m x 4.0m | 10m x 4.2m |
| Water capacity | 52,000 litres | Less than 49,000 litres |
| Difference | More than 3,000 litres |
Both pools may be described as a “10m x 4m pool”, but the Bermuda Senator provides more than 3,000 litres of additional water capacity.
We have also found a competitor advertising a 12m pool with the same water capacity as our 10m model.
That difference represents additional usable space inside the pool – not simply a bigger number on a brochure. Check out the table below showing Bermuda pools water volumes against competitors advertised specifications.
| Pool | Length | Width | Water Volume |
| Bermuda 6m Executive | 6.1m | 3.06m | 22,000 Litres |
| Competitor A | 6.0m | 2.90m | 16,356 Litres |
| Competitor B | 6.0m | 3.10m | 17,550 Litres |
| Competitor C | 6.0m | 2.90m | 18,000 Litres |
| Bermuda 8m Senator | 8.0m | 3.90m | 38,000 Litres |
| Competitor A | 8.15m | 4.40m | 36,490 Litres |
| Competitor B | 8.0m | 3.50m | 32,100 Litres |
| Competitor C | 8.0m | 4.0m | 34,900 Litres |
| Bermuda 10m Emperor | 10.0m | 4.0m | 53,000 Litres |
| Competitor A | 12.0m | 4.40m | 53,950 Litres |
| Competitor B | 11.0m | 3.90m | 50,700 Litres |
| Competitor C | 11.0m | 4.0m | 67,000 Litres |
| Bermuda 12.5m Senator | 12.5m | 4.20m | 73,000 Litres |
Look beyond the headline dimensions
When comparing fibreglass pools, we recommend looking beyond the advertised length and width.
Ask:
- What are the actual internal dimensions?
- How much of the pool footprint is taken up by angled walls?
- What is the actual water capacity, and what is the cost of my pool per litre of water capacity..?
- How much usable swimming area is available?
- Are the advertised dimensions internal or external?
- How has the pool been designed for transportation and installation?
At Bermuda Pools, we believe you should know exactly what you are buying.
The size of a pool isn’t just what’s written on the brochure. It’s the space you actually get to use.
Have a look at these images below, and note how the pool narrows from the top flange to the floor on these other two competitors pools, with the straight sides of the Bermuda pool on the right.
Built here. Built for you.
Bermuda Pools are manufactured in Christchurch, New Zealand.
By manufacturing locally, we don’t have to design our pools around the requirements of international shipping and nesting multiple pools together for transport.
Instead, our focus is on building a pool that maximises the usable space available to the homeowner.
So when you’re comparing pools, don’t just compare the dimensions.
Compare what you actually get inside.
