Expanded Metal Products
Xiongqian expanded metal is manufactured by simultaneously slitting and stretching a solid metal sheet, forming a mesh with diamond‑shaped openings and integral strands – creating zero material waste.
Unlike perforated metal, expanded metal produces no scrap during production, and its diamond opening structure offers both high strength and light weight.
We supply standard (raised) and flattened types, in materials including stainless steel, carbon steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, and copper.
Expanded metal is widely used for walkway platforms, machine guards, security fencing, building facades, and vehicle grilles. The continuous strand construction ensures excellent tensile strength, ventilation, and light transmission.
Types of Expanded Metal
Xiongqian expanded metal is available in three main types to suit different applications:
Standard Expanded Metal retains its raised, non‑slip surface after stretching, offering excellent traction and structural rigidity – ideal for walkways and machine guards.
Flattened Expanded Metal is cold‑rolled to a smooth, uniform surface, making it suitable for architectural cladding and precision fabrication.
Expanded Metal Grating is made from thicker sheets for higher load capacity – specifically designed for heavy‑duty industrial platforms and catwalks.
Choose from Three Expanded Metal Types
Standard expanded metal is formed by slitting and stretching a solid metal sheet, resulting in a raised diamond‑shaped surface that provides excellent anti‑slip properties and bending rigidity.
It is widely used for industrial walkways, stair treads, machine guards, vehicle footboards, and drainage covers. Read more about standard expanded metal.
Flattened expanded metal is produced by cold‑rolling standard expanded metal to a smooth, even surface with no raised strands – making it easy to paint, cut, or weld.
It is ideal for architectural facades, partition screens, equipment housings, fan guards, and light‑duty protection mesh. Read more about flattened expanded metal.
Expanded metal grating is manufactured from thicker sheets (3mm–8mm) with larger diamond openings, offering extremely high load capacity and impact resistance.
It is specifically designed for heavy‑duty industrial platforms, loading docks, oil drilling platforms, power plant access ways, and bridge inspection walkways. Read more about expanded metal grating.
How to Choose the Right Wire Mesh
When selecting wire mesh, Mesh Size, Mesh Count, and Weave Type are the three critical parameters that determine performance. Xiongqian breaks them down for you:
1. Mesh Size
Mesh size refers to the clear distance between adjacent wires, typically measured in millimeters (mm) or inches. Coarse particle screening (e.g., ores, grains) requires large openings (2mm–20mm); fine filtration (e.g., powders, liquids) needs small openings (0.02mm–1mm).
Xiongqian offers full‑range custom mesh sizes from 0.02mm to 20mm.
2. Mesh Count
Mesh count is the number of openings per linear inch (25.4mm). The higher the mesh count, the tighter the weave and the higher the filtration precision.
For example: 20 mesh for coarse screening, 200 mesh for micron‑level filtration, 500 mesh for ultra‑high precision. However, excessively high mesh count increases resistance and reduces flow rate.
Xiongqian engineers can recommend the optimal mesh count based on your media viscosity and flow requirements.
3. Weave Type
Plain Weave: The simplest over‑under pattern – uniform openings, high open area, economical. Ideal for most general filtration and protection applications.
Twill Weave: Each warp wire passes over two weft wires then under two – finer and stronger. Suitable for high‑pressure filtration and fine particle separation.
Dutch Weave: Combines thick warp wires with thin weft wires, creating a wedge‑shaped pore structure with filtration precision down to 5 microns and excellent anti‑clogging performance. Designed for high‑viscosity liquids or polymer melt filtration.
Choose Xiongqian – we not only supply standard wire mesh but also provide free selection consulting based on your operating conditions (temperature, pressure, corrosiveness, particle size distribution) to help balance precision, flow rate, and service life.
Applications for Wire Mesh
Perforated metal sheets, with their unique hole structures, high strength-to-weight ratio, and custom izability, are widely used across global industries.
Building Construction
Agricultural Fencing & Crop Protection
Industrial Filtration & Screening
Security Fencing & Protective Barriers
Architectural Decoration & Facades
Poultry Farming & Chicken Cages
Mining & Quarry Screening
Insect Screens & Window/Door Mesh
Frequently Asked Questions About Wire Mesh
How to choose the material of wire mesh?
Choose based on the environment:
- Stainless steel mesh (304/316L) for wet, corrosive, or high‑temperature conditions (chemical, food, outdoor);
- Galvanized mesh economical and rust‑resistant for general industrial guards and agricultural fences;
- Copper mesh conductive and antibacterial for electronics and special filtration;
- Low‑carbon steel mesh high strength, low cost for concrete reinforcement.
Xiongqian supplies all materials and offers free selection advice.
What is mesh count and how does it affect filtration precision?
Mesh count is the number of openings per linear inch (25.4mm).
Higher mesh count means denser weave and higher filtration precision, but lower flow rate. For example: 20 mesh for coarse screening (≈850μm opening), 200 mesh for micron filtration (≈74μm), 500 mesh for ultra‑fine (≈25μm).
Xiongqian recommends the optimal mesh count based on your media viscosity and flow requirements.
What are the differences between plain weave, twill weave and Dutch weave?
Plain Weave: Over‑under pattern – uniform openings, high open area, economical. Suitable for most filtration and protection.
Twill Weave: Warp passes over two wefts then under two – finer and stronger. For high‑pressure filtration and fine particle separation.
Dutch Weave: Thick warp + thin weft, wedge‑shaped pores – precision down to 5 microns with anti‑clogging. For high‑viscosity liquids and polymer melt filtration.
Xiongqian offers all three weaves and can customize.
What is the main difference between welded mesh and woven mesh and how to choose?
Welded mesh has intersections fusion‑welded, creating a rigid panel with stable openings – ideal for high load and fixed shapes (concrete reinforcement, security fences, shelving).
Woven mesh is interlaced, flexible and rollable, with higher open area – ideal for fine filtration, curved fitting, or irregular installation (vibrating screens, insect mesh, metal curtains). Xiongqian supplies both and recommends based on your strength and installation needs.
Can Xiongqian customize non‑standard wire mesh sizes, mesh counts or edge finishing?
Yes. Xiongqian supports full customization:
- mesh opening (0.02mm‑20mm),
- mesh count (4‑500 mesh),
- wire diameter (0.05mm‑6mm),
- width (up to 6m),
- length (rolls or sheets).
We also provide edge finishing (hemming, welded frames, dipped, PVC edging) and stamping (e.g., filter elements, baskets). Sample orders as low as 1㎡.
How durable is stainless steel wire mesh in outdoor or corrosive environments?
304 stainless steel mesh offers good oxidation resistance and resistance to most weak corrosive media – suitable for general outdoor and food contact.
316L stainless steel mesh contains molybdenum for superior resistance to chlorides (seawater, salt spray, acid rain) – ideal for coastal areas, chemical plants, marine, and wastewater treatment. With proper grade selection, stainless steel mesh service life can reach 10‑20 years.
Xiongqian can provide MTC and salt spray test reports with shipment.