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5 Common Uses for Wire Mesh

Wire mesh is an incredibly flexible material. Not just in its ability to be bent and shaped but also in its ability to be turned into lots of everyday products we see all around us.

There are two main types of wire mesh, welded and woven. Welded mesh is secured in a grid pattern and usually comes in sheets or rolls. Woven wire mesh uses an under and over pattern to create flexible rolls for a multitude of uses.

Wire mesh is available in a huge range of sizes, diameters, material types, finishes and construction.

That’s why we see it everywhere, including:

Fencing

You’ll see wire mesh used extensively in fencing. Both welded mesh and woven mesh are used across the country protecting everything from racetracks to prisons.

You’ll see mesh fencing everywhere, on farms, on the road, in commercial premises, schools, playgrounds and hundreds of other places.

Wire mesh is ideal for fencing because it’s light, flexible, can be easily affixed to other surfaces and doesn’t block the view on the other side.

It’s also cheap, comes in a range of colours and finishes and can be installed quickly and easily with minimal equipment and manpower.

Gabion baskets

Gabion baskets typically use welded wire mesh made from galvanised steel. They are manufactured in sheets, cut to size and formed into boxes using metal fixings.

You can fill gabion baskets with anything and use them anywhere. From railway or motorway cuttings to garden projects. You’ll see them in landscaping as an effective retaining wall supporting the different levels. They will often be filled with spoil and faced with an attractive stone.

They are supplied flat and constructed onsite, offering cheap transport and ease of use, just some of the reasons they are so popular.

Concrete reinforcement

Many larger commercial or industrial buildings use reinforced concrete that includes large gauge wire mesh or rebar. The thickness depends on the application, but you’ll find reinforced concrete everywhere.

It typically uses welded wire mesh that uses galvanised steel. The mesh is set into the concrete form and held off the surface by supports. Concrete is poured over it so the mesh sits in the centre.

The result is a stronger concrete better able to cope with stress and movement than concrete alone.

Protection products

Wire mesh is used extensively for protecting people from machines. Wire guards in industrial machinery, protection from cutting blades or other moving parts and even fall matts in tall open spaces.

You’ll see a variety of wire mesh products in factories, production facilities and other commercial premises protecting users from machinery.

Mesh is light, enables you to see what’s going on and monitor the machine while providing an effective guard between staff and moving or sharp parts.

Sifting and filtering

Wire mesh is used extensively for sorting and filtering everything from coffee to boulders. It’s an essential, but underrated used for the product.

It’s used in water pipes to filter large stones or rocks, in refining to filter out debris from oil or petroleum products or in the kitchen as a sieve or coffee filter.

The design is largely the same but the gauge of wire and the gaps within the mesh can define how useful it is in a given situation. Either way, wire mesh works incredibly well for sifting and filtering.

As you can see, wire mesh has a multitude of applications. Some will have been obvious, like fencing while others like sifting and filtering or protection products perhaps not so obvious.

Mesh may be a simple product but it punches way above its weight in terms of utility, usefulness and real world applications!