Wire Mesh Glossary

Cross wires are laid on top of long wires and are resistance welded together at each intersection creating very even square openings. Welded mesh is more rigid (less flexible) than woven wire mesh. Typically welded wire mesh is 4 mesh or larger (4 wires to the inch or less), and is .047” diameter wire or greater.

Wires are woven, over-under-over-under, to create mesh that is more flexible than welded mesh. This flexibility allows woven mesh to be formed into one-piece bowls or pans. There is also an almost unlimited selection of woven wire mesh sizes and wire diameters.

All wire meshes are designated by a “Mesh Number” (number of wires per inch) and a “Wire Diameter” (the diameter of each wire).
Example: 4 mesh x 0.063″ woven wire has 4 wires per inch (in both directions) and each wire is 0.063″ in diameter.

The opening size of any mesh is approximately 1/(Mesh Number) minus (Wire Diameter).
Example: the openings in 4 mesh x 0.063″ woven wire are (1/4 – 0.063) or (.250-0.063) = 0.187