If you’ve long owned a grill or certain types of metal cages, chances are you’re familiar with wire mesh. Wire mesh, which is available in both steel and other formats, includes parallel rows and basic intersecting columns – these are similar to perforated or expanded metal sheet, but are not the same thing in reality.

At Wasatch Steel, we offer a wide range of steel bar, tube, pipe and a variety of other steel options for you to buy. Today’s blog will go over everything you need to know about wire mesh – how it’s made, the common types used, and the applications this metal format is often used for.

Wire Mesh Basics

As we noted above, wire mesh is any metal screen type that has parallel rows and columns. It can be made in an almost unlimited array of shapes and styles, plus can be utilized on virtually any metal material or alloy you can think of.

Generally speaking, the wire used for this mesh process is made by progressively drawing down a metal through a series of round dies until it reaches the proper diameter. There are two joining formats that may be used for wire mesh: Welding or weaving, which we’ll discuss in our next section.

Common Mesh Types

These two joining formats serve as the two primary designations for wire mesh types, which have the following properties:

• Welded wire mesh: A type where rows and columns are welded together at each individual intersection. This process begins by drawing down the wire to the right diameter, then involves feeding it through a machine that welds the rows together all at once. At the same time, a parallel line of welds is met where perpendicular welds meet. The machine is then fed again for each intersection of wires. In most cases, the machine used for this welding will draw its heat source from electrical resistance, though there may be other formats used in some cases. When the mesh reaches the proper length, it’s sheared into a flat and rigid sheet.
• Woven wire mesh: In other cases, wires will be woven using a couple different potential processes. Wires are woven over and under perpendicular wires, usually two at a time. The machine used here is somewhat similar to a loom machine – straight wire is fed in, a pattern is selected, and the machine then bends the wires to their reverse position. This continues until the proper dimensions are reached, and the sheet can then be cut to whatever size you like.

Wire Mesh Applications

There are several areas where wire mesh is used in the field:

• Grills
• Cages
• Fences
• Sifters
• Safety barricades for various heavy equipment
• Concrete reinforcement
• Shelving

For more on wire mesh, or to learn about our steel products or buy steel online, speak to the staff at Wasatch Steel today.