Viewing distances: is that mark actually a defect?

The MBIE Guide to Tolerances judges a finish from the distance you’d normally view it — not with your nose against it or a torch raking across it.

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Viewing distance is the fair-minded rule at the heart of the MBIE Guide to Tolerances (§10): a building element is judged from the distance you’d normally view it — standing back in the room, on the lawn, or out on the street — not up close under raking light. For a builder it’s the single most useful thing to know when a client points at a hairline mark: if it isn’t visible from the normal distance, it isn’t a defect.

The principle: judge it from where you’d normally stand

The Guide to Tolerances sets a simple, fair principle. You assess a surface from the spot a person would actually look at it from — back in the room, on the lawn, on the street — not with your nose against it and not with a torch raking across it. If a mark isn’t visible from the normal viewing distance, it is not a defect.

Normal viewing distances by surface

Each type of surface has its own normal viewing distance. These are the distances the Guide uses to decide whether a mark counts:

Fixtures, fittings and bench tops — 600mm or more.
Bathroom & kitchen cabinetry — 600mm to 1m.
Non-concrete floor finishes (including decking) — 2m or more.
Tiled surfaces — 2m or more.
Painted non-concrete surfaces — 2m or more.
Glass with a sky background — 2m or more.
Concrete or asphalt — 3m.
Roofs — 3m or more.
Architectural masonry feature walls — 6.1m.

Tolerances are a cap, not a rate

One thing that trips people up: tolerances are not proportioned. A 4mm deviation over 2m means that same 4mm can sit within any 1m or 500mm section of that run. It’s a cap on the total, not a rate you scale down for a shorter length.

Plain-English guide, not advice. This page helps you understand and navigate the rules — it is general information, not design, engineering or consent advice, and it does not reproduce the copyrighted tables of NZS 3604 or any Standard. Always check the current Standard or Acceptable Solution and your BCA, and use a suitably qualified LBP, engineer or QS where it matters.

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Common questions

If a client can see a hairline mark up close, is it a defect?

Not on its own. The MBIE Guide to Tolerances (§10) judges a surface from its normal viewing distance — standing back in the room, on the lawn, or on the street, not with your nose against it or a torch raking across it. If the mark isn’t visible from that normal distance, it is not a defect.

What’s the normal viewing distance for painted walls and tiles?

Both painted non-concrete surfaces and tiled surfaces are judged from 2m or more. Non-concrete floor finishes (including decking) and glass with a sky background also use 2m or more.

How far back do you view concrete, roofs and masonry?

Concrete or asphalt is judged at 3m and roofs at 3m or more. Architectural masonry feature walls are judged from 6.1m. Closer-up surfaces like fixtures, fittings and bench tops are viewed from 600mm or more, and bathroom & kitchen cabinetry from 600mm to 1m.

Does a 4mm tolerance get smaller over a shorter length?

No. Tolerances are not proportioned. A 4mm deviation over 2m means that same 4mm can be within any 1m or 500mm section — it’s a cap on the total, not a rate that scales down for a shorter span.

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