Durable, affordable, and endlessly versatile, woven wire mesh is a go-to for many DIY projects. The galvanized steel variety, in particular, is notably strong and resistant to various outdoor conditions.
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But what can you use it for around the home, and how long does galvanized metal last? Find answers to frequently asked questions about this type of wire mesh below.
1) Does Wire Mesh Rust if it's Made of Galvanized Steel?
The galvanization process creates a protective zinc-steel coating on the surface of steel mesh screens. This gives the material enhanced strength and resistance to rust and corrosion, but it's not completely invincible. Though stainless steel is more resistant to rust and corrosion than regular steel, wire mesh can still rust, even if it's galvanized.
How Is Galvanized Wire Mesh Made? Read our blog for details.
2) How Long Does it Take Galvanized Wire to Rust?
Exactly how long it takes galvanized steel to rust or corrode depends on a few factors, such as the climate and how the material is used. Galvanized wire typically holds up for a long time before it begins to rust—often decades. The material could last much longer if used indoors or in a relatively dry outdoor environment with moderate temperatures.
3) What Causes Galvanized Steel to Rust or Corrode?
Rust can accumulate more rapidly if the material is continuously exposed to moisture, salt water, and certain chemicals.
For instance, galvanized steel may rust or corrode quickly in:
Applications in which the material is continuously wet, such as a car wash or water park
Humid climates with lots of moisture in the air
Marine environments with exposure to saltwater and moist, salty air
Outdoor locations with frequent, heavy rainfall
4) How Long Does Galvanized Wire Mesh Last?
The zinc-steel alloy on galvanized wire mesh strengthens the material while keeping rust and corrosion at bay—but the protective coating will eventually wear off. It could last as little as a year in a wet or coastal environment and two or three decades in a desert location. In perfect conditions, it might hold up for a century.
As noted, stainless steel has exceptional resistance to rust and corrosion, especially T-316 (type 316), a premium stainless alloy. T-316 welded stainless steel wire mesh is a great choice if you're looking for an incredibly durable, long-lasting material suitable for a range of outdoor environments.
5) How Do You Prevent Galvanized Steel From Rusting?
Galvanized steel mesh will initially have a shiny silver or chrome color, but with time, it will dull. Eventually, it may appear powdery-white, which indicates corrosion, or reddish-orange, the telltale sign of rust.
Depending on how and where you're using the material, this may not be avoidable. However, you can help prevent rust and corrosion by not using abrasive or acidic cleaners (like bleach or disinfecting agents), washing it with pH-neutral water, and storing it in a dry, ventilated area.
6) Can the Material Be Used in DIY Projects?
Galvanized wire mesh and hardware cloth can be used for a wide array of DIY home projects.
This includes:
Chimney caps, spark arresters, and fireplace screens
Concrete driveways and sidewalks
Fencing and privacy screens
Foundation vents, soffit screens, and gutter guards
Gardening and landscaping projects
Pest control and rodent exclusion
For more inspiration, check out these Outdoor Living Space Design Ideas Using Wire Mesh.
Shop Galvanized Wire Mesh: Woven & Welded
TWP Inc. has what you need to get started with your next DIY project. For over 50 years, our woman-owned company has been a leading supplier and fabricator of metal mesh screens.
Our robust selection of products includes pre-sized, laser-cut materials with various weaves, wire diameters, and finishes—all in stock and ready to ship. If you don't see exactly what you need, we're happy to accommodate custom orders.
The flexibility and durability of wire cloth makes it a versatile product. From the food and beverage production industry to automotive, pharmaceutical, and medical sectors, metal mesh is being increasingly used across multiple industries.
As there is a surge in the use of wire cloth, mesh products have grown into various types, standards, and patterns catering to the industry-specific demand. The production has become exceptionally sophisticated with the invention of new molecular diffusion-bonding and lamination technologies. Depending on required materials and pore sizes, one can find the exact wire mesh material they need.
Each of these wire mesh products varies based on applications, the number of laminated layers, and mechanical properties, in addition to the fabrication process. Technical and metallurgical considerations add to the growing diversity that demands careful and need-specific selection of wire cloth. Here is a guide on different types of metal mesh products, their significance, and how to select the right product for your application.
Wire mesh refers to a metal net or screen of attached or woven strands formed by intersecting strands of wire. Stainless steel, copper, aluminum, brass, and bronze are the most popular metals used to produce wire mesh filters used for screening, structuring, and shielding. A filter made from sintered wire cloth is the best choice since sintering enables bonding at the molecular level and leads to laminated layers of woven wire.
There are two major ways of manufacturing metal mesh – weaving and welding. Woven wire mesh is created when metal wires are woven into a web of intersected wires. It follows the pattern of one perpendicular wire woven over and under another wire. This pattern creates a web of mesh wire. Welded wire mesh, on the other hand, is produced when metal wires are put in rows and columns as per the size of the required pores and then are welded at the intersection.
Whether meant for domestic or industrial use, sintered wire cloth comes with varying types of coarseness, weight, and aperture. Different types of sintered wire cloth have unique features, patterns, qualities, and functionalities.
Stainless Steel Wire Mesh – Prepared from steel or iron-nickel alloy, this type of metal mesh is strong, sturdy, and reliable. Stainless steel wire mesh can have extremely low-variant but very stable pores. It comes in both high-carbon and low-carbon variants and is available in various patterns. Sintered wire cloth of steel is the best suitable for extremely corrosive or high-temperature environments and outdoor applications. Steel wire mesh filters are widely used in separation technology, architecture, and heat conditioning.
Aluminum Wire Mesh – Aluminum wire mesh is often chosen for its relative affordability compared to other metals, as well as for its low weight compared to steel or stainless steel. Aluminum wire mesh is about a third of the weight of a stainless steel mesh with the same specifications, which can make it useful in the creation of items like personal audio headsets where low weight is critical.
Plain Weave Sintered Square Woven Wire Mesh – This type of sintered wire mesh laminate is made by sintering multiple layers of plain weave square woven wire mesh together. Because of the large open area percentages of the square woven wire mesh layers, this type of sintered wire mesh laminate has good permeability characteristics and low resistance to flow. This type of sintered wire mesh laminate is useful for polymer production, as well as a variety of fluid and air filtration applications.
Dutch Woven Sintered Wire Mesh – Wires of different diameters are used and pushed closer to each other to achieve a sintered wire mesh cloth of the highest density. These can be either plain or twill weave wire mesh. When made from sintered metals, the Dutch pattern produces more rigidity and tensile strength. The closer wire placement means a higher particle retention capability up to 10 micrometers. Dutch woven sintered wire mesh is used for very fine filtration applications and the making of protection chassis, enclosures, and boxes. The absence of openings allows this sintered wire cloth type to make the best water, air, fuel, plastic processing, and hydraulic filters.
5-Layer Sintered Wire Mesh – 5-layer sintered wire mesh is created when a single layer of fine woven wire mesh is placed between two layers of coarser square woven meshes. It is then added to two layers of a strong Dutch woven wire mesh and sintered together to form a strong plate. The single layer of fine woven wire mesh acts as the filtration layer, and can be customized to meet a particular filtration rating, ranging from 1 micron to 200 microns.
Double Weave Wire Mesh – A variant of the pre-crimped weave pattern, double weave wire mesh derives its name from its manufacturing process. Two wrap wires run over and under two weft wires making this type of wire mesh robust to withstand high-intensity tasks. Double weave sintered wire cloth is the top choice for vibrating screens of conveyor belts, mining filters, and crushers. Barbecues also utilize this wire mesh.
Epoxy Coated Wire Mesh – Epoxy coated wire mesh can be used in a variety of filtering applications and as a support or for pleat spacing in filters. Door and insect screens are oftentimes produced using epoxy coated wire mesh. The epoxy coating can be applied to plain steel, aluminum, or stainless steel wire mesh.
While buying metal mesh, one must consider the following points.
The purpose for which you need wire mesh. Each type has its advantages and disadvantages for
various applications.
The fabrication process is another important area to look at. This impacts the durability, structural rigidity, and tensile strength of a wire mesh.
Pore size and pattern is important based on industry-specific filtration needs. For example, the Dutch pattern enables much higher precision filtration of particles compared to other variants.
Sintered metal or
alloy
plays a role too in selections based on temperature, environment, and nature of the application. Non-corrosive metals are a must if it is mining, oil, or water industry. At locations with extreme temperatures, metals need to be highly resistant to corrosion.
The choice of sintered metals should also consider the potential presence of contaminants in the filtering process.
Lawrence Sintered Metals makes the best-quality and budget-friendly sintered wire cloth suitable for a range of applications. Contact us to learn more about our wire mesh and the applications it can be used for.
If you are looking for more details, kindly visit buy galvanized wire mesh factory.