The Static Pump Head is a term used to indicate the highest point which a pump must deliver a specific volume.
Think of the highest point of a persons body. It is the head when standing upright.
Static head is the head determined by the vertical height of the pipe system only.
This is simply the actual height above the pump center body.
Static head is not concerned with the developed back-pressure in the pipeline.
There is another aspect that has influence on static pressure.
Suction lift
When one is drawing water from below the pump, the length of the pipe that extends below the pump to the surface of the water, is also a static measurement.
This is known as suction lift and is normally added to the static head.
A pump with a 3 meter suction lift and a 50 meter discharge static head will have a combined static head of 53 meters.
Beware of Friction Losses
The static pump head must not be assumed to be the total head of the pump when selecting a pump. It is important to recognize the other factors that will influence the total head the pump will need to develop. Static head is at best the basic measurement of the demand on the pump. Friction losses and equipment losses will add to this head substantially if the pipe system design is not carried out by a competent person.