Wire Mesh Fabrication
Terminology
CALENDARED WIRE CLOTH – wire cloth that has been passed through heavy rollers to reduce the thickness of the material or flatten the wire intersections to produce a smooth surface.
CLEAR OPENING – the space between adjacent parallel wires.
CRIMPS – corrugations placed in the wire which allow the wires to be woven together. The placement and style of the crimps determine the location of the intersections and permit tight locking of the wires.
CROSS WIRES – used in welded wire construction, and running the width or short way of the material, cross wires are placed on top of line wires and welded into place.
FILL WIRES – wires running across the width or short way of the material as woven. (Also referred to as shute or cross wires.)
GAUGE – a measure of wire diameter commonly used by manufacturers. To avoid confusion between ferrous and non-ferrous gauge dimensions, always specify your desired wire diameter in decimal inches.
HARDWARE CLOTH – square mesh cloth, galvanized after assembly and available in either woven or welded construction.
LINE WIRES – used in welded wire construction and running the length or long way of the material, lines wires are placed in a pattern and have cross welded in place. Also known as long wires.
MESH – the number of openings in a lineal inch measured from the center of one wire to a point one inch distant.
OPEN AREA – the proportion of open space as a percentage of the total material area.
SELVAGE – a finished edge used to prevent fraying or unraveling of woven wire cloth.
WARP WIRES – wires running parallel to the length or long way of the material as woven.
Percentage of Open Area
Open area, expressed as a percentage, is the ratio of clear area to screen area for a specific wire cloth. This ratio is useful for comparing how readily various materials or elements will flow through the cloth.
Weight Per Square Foot
Weight (lbs.) per square foot for square mesh wire cloth can be closely approximated using the following formula where DIAM is the wire diameter in inches and OPNG is the clear opening of the mesh. Common densities are given below.
