Plain-weave wire cloth
Each wire passes alternately over and under the next. The most common weave for insect screens, filtration and general screening, from coarse to about 100 mesh in aluminium.
Material guide
Aluminium Wire Mesh: Types, Mesh Sizes, Alloys & Selection
Aluminium wire mesh is a screen made by weaving or welding aluminium wire (or by slitting and stretching sheet, for expanded mesh) into a regular grid of openings. It weighs about one third as much as steel mesh of the same geometry, does not rust, and is the standard material for insect screens, light filtration, ventilation grilles and decorative facades. This guide explains mesh count and open area, which alloys and weaves to choose, and how to specify it.
- Mesh range
- About 2 – 200 mesh
- Wire diameter
- About 0.05 – 3 mm
- Alloys
- 5154 · 5056 · 5052 · 1100 · 3003
- Forms
- Roll · panel · cut piece
What aluminium wire mesh is and where it fits
Wire mesh (also called wire cloth or screen) is defined by three numbers: how many wires there are per inch, how thick each wire is, and how the wires are joined. From those, every useful property follows: the size of particle or insect it stops, how much air or light passes, how stiff the mesh is and how much it weighs.
Aluminium is chosen over steel and stainless steel when weight, corrosion resistance in ordinary atmospheres and cost matter more than strength and heat resistance. An aluminium insect screen does not stain or rust; a facade mesh can be anodised or powder coated in any colour; and a large ventilation grille is light enough to handle and hang without heavy framing. Where mesh must resist abrasion, high temperature or strong chemicals, stainless steel remains the better choice.
Metline supplies aluminium wire to mesh weavers in the alloys and tempers used for screening, and aluminium mesh in rolls, panels and cut pieces to specification, together with the sheet, coil and extruded frames that are often bought with it. The sections below give you the arithmetic and the selection rules to write a clear mesh specification.
Mesh count, opening size and open area explained
Mesh count is the number of openings per linear inch (25.4 mm), counted from the centre of one wire. A 10-mesh screen has ten openings per inch, so the wire pitch is 2.54 mm. When the count differs in the two directions, both are given: an 18 × 16 insect screen has 18 openings per inch one way and 16 the other.
- PitchPitch (mm) = 25.4 ÷ mesh count.
- OpeningOpening (mm) = pitch − wire diameter. For 10 mesh with 0.50 mm wire: 2.54 − 0.50 = 2.04 mm.
- Open areaOpen area (%) = (opening ÷ pitch)² × 100 for square mesh. For the same screen: (2.04 ÷ 2.54)² = 64.5 %.
- MassMass per m² ≈ 2 × wires per metre × wire cross-section × density, plus a few per cent for crimp.
Open area is what controls airflow, light transmission and visibility; opening size is what controls what passes through. Thicker wire on the same mesh count gives a stronger, more durable screen but less open area. For 18 × 16 mesh with 0.011 in (0.28 mm) wire, the most common insect screen in North America, the open area works out to about 66 %.
| Mesh (per inch) | Wire Ø (mm) | Opening (mm) | Open area | Approx. mass (kg/m²) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1.60 | 11.10 | 76 % | 0.855 |
| 4 | 1.00 | 5.35 | 71 % | 0.668 |
| 8 | 0.70 | 2.47 | 61 % | 0.655 |
| 10 | 0.50 | 2.04 | 65 % | 0.417 |
| 14 | 0.30 | 1.51 | 70 % | 0.210 |
| 18 | 0.28 | 1.13 | 64 % | 0.236 |
| 20 | 0.25 | 1.02 | 65 % | 0.209 |
| 30 | 0.20 | 0.65 | 58 % | 0.200 |
| 40 | 0.18 | 0.46 | 51 % | 0.216 |
| 60 | 0.15 | 0.27 | 42 % | 0.225 |
| 100 | 0.10 | 0.15 | 37 % | 0.167 |
| 200 | 0.05 | 0.08 | 37 % | 0.083 |
Calculated for square plain-weave mesh from geometry and a density of 2.70 g/cm³, ignoring crimp. Actual weight is slightly higher; confirm wire diameter and tolerance with the mesh specification.
Woven, welded and expanded aluminium mesh
Twill weave
Each wire passes over two and under two, allowing heavier wire on a finer count. Used for fine filtration where plain weave would be too weak.
Dutch weave
Thick warp wires and fine, tightly packed weft wires give a dense cloth with very small, angled openings for liquid and air filtration.
Welded mesh
Straight wires welded at each crossing form a rigid panel that does not unravel when cut. Used for guards, partitions, enclosures and fencing; usually in wire of about 1 mm and above.
Crimped and architectural mesh
Pre-crimped heavy wire or flat strip woven into rigid panels, or cable-and-rod meshes for facades, ceilings, balustrade infill and sun screening.
Expanded mesh
Not woven: aluminium sheet is slit and stretched into diamond openings in one piece. Stiff, cheap and light, for walkways, gutter guards, filters and cladding. See our expanded metal guide.
Hexagonal netting (chicken-wire style) and knitted mesh are also made in aluminium for garden and lightweight enclosure use, but they lack the precision of woven cloth and are not normally specified for screening or filtration.
Which aluminium alloy and temper for mesh wire?
| Alloy | Type | Character | Typical mesh use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5154 / 5056 | Al-Mg (non-heat-treatable) | Good strength and very good corrosion resistance; holds shape when woven fine | Insect screens, window and door screening, outdoor and coastal mesh |
| 5052 | Al-Mg | Similar to 5154 with slightly lower strength; widely available | General woven mesh, guards, marine screens |
| 1100 / 1050 | Commercially pure | Soft, highly formable, high conductivity | Fine cloth, decorative mesh, EMI shielding, knitted mesh |
| 1350 | Electrical-grade pure aluminium | Highest conductivity | Shielding and conductive screens |
| 3003 | Al-Mn | Economical, a little stronger than pure aluminium | Indoor decorative and craft mesh |
| 6061 | Al-Mg-Si (heat-treatable) | Strongest of the group, used as rod and heavy wire | Welded panels and structural mesh |
Mesh wire is supplied in a controlled temper. Hard tempers (H18 and similar) give stiff, flat screens that resist denting; softer tempers (O or H14) weave more easily into fine counts and are better for mesh that will be formed, pleated or knitted. For insect screening, a hard-drawn Al-Mg wire is normal because it keeps the screen taut in its frame.
Alloy and temper should be stated on the order and confirmed on the mill certificate for the wire. Wire diameter tolerance is tight on fine mesh: a 0.28 mm screen wire typically holds within a few thousandths of a millimetre, because small changes alter open area noticeably.
Choosing mesh by application
| Application | Typical construction | Typical mesh / wire | What matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window and door insect screens | Plain-weave cloth | 18 × 16 or 18 × 14 mesh, about 0.25 – 0.28 mm wire | Insect exclusion, visibility, airflow, tautness |
| Fine insect and no-see-um screens | Plain-weave cloth | 20 × 20 mesh and finer | Smaller opening at the cost of airflow |
| Air filtration and vents | Plain or twill cloth, pleated or layered | About 30 – 200 mesh | Pressure drop, capture size, cleanability |
| Fuel, oil and water strainers | Twill or Dutch weave | Fine counts | Opening tolerance, chemical compatibility |
| Guards, enclosures and partitions | Welded or crimped panels | 2 – 10 mesh, 1 – 3 mm wire | Rigidity, impact resistance, visibility |
| Facades, ceilings and sun screens | Architectural woven or expanded mesh | Coarse; to design | Appearance, solar shading, coating durability |
| EMI / RF shielding | Fine pure-aluminium cloth | Fine counts | Conductivity, continuous contact at edges |
Two practical rules help. First, select opening size from what must be stopped, then pick the thickest wire that still gives enough open area for the airflow or visibility you need. Second, match the mesh to its frame: an aluminium screen in an aluminium frame avoids galvanic corrosion, while a steel frame needs isolating or coating.
Aluminium mesh compared with stainless steel, galvanised steel and fibreglass
| Property | Aluminium | Stainless (304/316) | Galvanised steel | Fibreglass (PVC-coated) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Density | 2.70 g/cm³ | ≈ 8.0 g/cm³ | ≈ 7.85 g/cm³ | Low |
| Strength and dent resistance | Moderate | High | High | Low; does not dent, but tears |
| Corrosion in normal outdoor air | Very good | Excellent | Good until zinc is consumed | Does not corrode |
| Coastal exposure | Good with Al-Mg alloys or coating | Excellent (316) | Poor to fair | Good, but UV ageing |
| Maximum service temperature | Moderate | High | Moderate | Low |
| Finishes | Anodised, powder, painted | Usually bare | Zinc only | Colour in coating |
| Relative cost | Low to medium | High | Low | Lowest |
In short: aluminium is the all-round choice for screens and light-duty mesh; stainless steel is for strength, heat, abrasion, food and pharmaceutical processing or demanding chemical service; galvanised steel is for cheap, heavy fencing; and fibreglass is for low-cost residential screens where denting is a bigger concern than durability.
Finishes, supply forms and specifications
Bright (mill)
Natural aluminium, which dulls to a soft grey as the oxide film thickens. Lowest cost.
Black or charcoal coated
Painted or electrophoretically coated wire. Black screens reduce glare and are easier to see through from inside.
Anodised
Clear or coloured anodising on wire or finished mesh for higher corrosion resistance and a uniform look.
Powder coated
For architectural and welded panels after fabrication, in any RAL colour.
Rolls
Common widths around 0.5 – 1.5 m and lengths of tens of metres, on cores, for screen fabricators and filter makers.
Panels and cut pieces
Flat sheets such as 1 × 2 m or 1220 × 2440 mm, and pieces cut to size with edge finishing or framing.
Specification checklist
- Construction
- Plain, twill or Dutch weave; welded; expanded
- Mesh and wire
- Mesh count each direction and wire diameter, or opening size and open area
- Alloy and temper
- e.g. 5154-H38 wire, 1100-O wire
- Size and form
- Roll width and length, or panel dimensions and tolerances
- Finish
- Bright, coated (colour), anodised or powder coated
- Standard
- ASTM E2016 or ISO 9044 for industrial woven wire cloth; project specification for architectural mesh
- Packing
- Rolls on cores in film and kraft, panels on pallets or in cases with corner protection
Common mistakes when buying aluminium mesh
- Giving only a mesh count. Without wire diameter the opening and open area are undefined; two "18-mesh" screens can differ a lot.
- Confusing mesh count with opening size. A 10-mesh screen does not have 10 mm openings; it has ten openings per inch.
- Using soft wire for screens. Annealed wire sags and dents; specify a hard temper for taut screening.
- Mixing metals. Aluminium mesh fixed with plain steel screws or framed in bare steel will corrode at the contact; use aluminium or stainless fasteners and isolate.
- Choosing aluminium for hot or abrasive duty. Furnace screens, sand sieves and heavy wear call for stainless steel.
References and standards
- ASTM E2016 – Standard Specification for Industrial Woven Wire Cloth
- ISO 9044 – Industrial woven wire cloth: technical requirements and tests
- ISO 4783 – Industrial wire screens and woven wire cloth: guide to the choice of aperture size and wire diameter combinations
- ASTM B211 – Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Rolled or Cold Finished Bar, Rod, and Wire
- The Aluminum Association – alloy designations and properties
Aluminium (aluminum) wire mesh: frequently asked questions
What does mesh count mean?
Mesh count is the number of openings per linear inch. A 20-mesh screen has 20 openings per inch, so the centre-to-centre wire spacing is 25.4 ÷ 20 = 1.27 mm. Subtract the wire diameter to get the opening size.
How do I calculate the open area of aluminium mesh?
For square mesh, open area = (opening ÷ pitch)² × 100. A 10-mesh screen with 0.5 mm wire has a pitch of 2.54 mm, an opening of 2.04 mm and an open area of about 64.5 %.
Is aluminium wire mesh rust-proof?
Aluminium does not rust, because it has no iron to form red rust. It forms a thin protective oxide instead. In salty or polluted air it can pit slowly, so use an Al-Mg alloy such as 5154 or a coated or anodised mesh near the sea.
What is the standard aluminium insect screen size?
The most common is 18 × 16 mesh with 0.011 in (about 0.28 mm) wire, giving roughly 66 % open area. Finer 20 × 20 mesh is used where very small insects are a problem.
Should I choose aluminium or stainless steel mesh?
Choose aluminium for light weight, low cost and good outdoor durability in screens, vents and facades. Choose stainless steel for high strength, abrasion, heat, food processing or aggressive chemicals.
Can Metline supply both the wire and the mesh?
Yes. Metline supplies aluminium wire in mesh alloys and tempers, and aluminium mesh in rolls, panels and cut pieces to specification, with certificates and export packing to customers worldwide.
Specifying aluminium mesh or mesh wire?
Send the mesh count, wire diameter, alloy, finish, size and quantity. We will reply with availability, certification and a delivered price.
