Materials

Stainless steel is often used for both architectural and industrial applications. The vast number of specific types and grades of stainless steels can be manufactured as wire mesh to improve performance in corrosion resistance, formability, and aesthetics. Stainless steel is steel with the addition of chromium. The chromium produces an oxide layer at the surface that is known as the “Passive layer”. This passive layer protects and prevents further corrosion. Other metals such as nickel, molybdenum, titanium, manganese are added throughout the many types of stainless steels.

Contact Banker Wire for material considerations when specifying Stainless Steel.

The most common types of stainless used in architectural wire mesh projects are:
EPQ Quality T304 Stainless Steel and EPQ Quality T316 Stainless Steel wire

The most common types of stainless used in industrial wire mesh projects are:
T304 Stainless, T309 Stainless, T310 Stainless, T316 Stainless, T317 Stainless, T321 Stainless, T347 Stainless, T410 Stainless, T430 Stainless, Alloy 2205 Duplex

Plain Steel – “Mild”, low carbon steel – typically contains 6% to 12% carbon content and is directly cold drawn from hot rolled rod. This material represents very good value and is widely used in applications where its weld-ability, strength, and economy make it a popular option.  Banker Wire manufactures plain steel wire in house for its woven and welded wire mesh products.

Considerations when specifying Plain Steel wire mesh for Architectural applications:
Bare plain steel will rust when the necessary conditions exist. Plating or Powder coating are both options to finish this base material for interior applications.  A powder coated plain steel wire mesh will rust at the wire mesh intersections when used in an exterior application.  Please consider a pre-galvanized wire mesh as a suitable alternative when a powder coated finish is desired in an exterior application

Compared to plain steel, weathering steel contains a chemical composition that increases its resistance to atmospheric corrosion. Made to rust under the influence of weather, weathering steel develops a patina that acts as a protective layer to prevent corrosion of the steel. This material is suited for many applications in its unpainted condition. With time and consistent exposure to the elements, the weathering steel will go from a yellow-orange, to a deep rust orange color, to a dark brown.

Considerations when specifying Weathering Steel wire mesh:
Weathering steel is most commonly used in outdoor applications. It is important to note that since the protective patina that forms on weathering steel is rust, water runoff may stain adjacent materials such as stone or concrete. While the patina protects from corrosion, weathering steel does have its limits. In humid and subtropical climates it is possible that the rust patina may not stabilize and the steel could continue to corrode.

Banker Wire offers wire mesh in two types of Pre-Galvanized wire; “Regular coating” and trademarked “Galfan”. The term pre-galvanized means that the wire already has the zinc coating applied to it prior to the manufacture of wire mesh. This is different than “Galv-after” where the galvanizing is done after manufacturing in a tank of molten zinc. Also known as “Hot Dip” galvanizing, the entire finished product emerges from the molten tank fully coated with a layer of zinc.

Regular coating “Pre-Galv” wire is carbon steel which has been coated with a very thin layer of Zinc during the wire drawing process. Pre-galv wire is only slightly more expensive than plain steel wire, but offers improved corrosion resistance. Pre-galv wire is a great base material if considering a wire mesh with a powder coated finish in an exterior application.

Considerations when specifying Pre-Galv wire mesh:
For exterior powder coated wire mesh applications, pre-galv wire should be specified so that there is a layer of zinc protecting the bare steel under the wire intersections. The powder coating process does not fully cover this area of the wire mesh, which is why the pre-galv wire is recommended.

The corrosion resistance offered by zinc is good, but the thicker the coating the longer it will take for the zinc layer to corrode away leaving the bare steel unprotected. With pre-galv wire, the coating is very thin and not really suitable as a long lasting stand-alone finish for exterior applications. The performance however is greatly increased when used under a powder coated finish.

Galfan is a carbon steel wire with a coating that is 95% zinc and 5% aluminum.  The thicker zinc coating makes this wire more corrosion resistant than “Regular Coating” pre-galv wire. The coating is allowed to be much heavier because of the added aluminum in the mixture. The aluminum allows the wire’s ductility to remain high which prevents the coating from cracking off during wire mesh manufacturing.

Considerations when specifying Galfan wire mesh:
Galfan has a similar coating thickness to that of “Hot Dip” galvanizing therefore, the performance in an exterior environment would technically be comparable. Galfan does have the ability to “Self Heal” small scrapes and blemishes. The coating however, can only protect the steel if there is zinc present. If the Galfan coating is compromised due to further fabrication and processing of the wire mesh, then you could expect rust at those areas. If there is additional heavy fabrication to be done to the wire mesh, consider hot dipping the entire fabricated assembly afterwards instead.

At only 1/3 the weight of steel, Aluminum has very adaptable qualities as a woven wire product. Aluminum wire mesh is highly resistant to atmospheric corrosion, reasonably priced, and it has a variety of surface treatment options that make it a good candidate for many applications. Aluminum is an excellent option for wire mesh when weight and corrosion resistance are primary concerns.

Considerations when specifying Aluminum wire mesh:
Aluminum has a relatively low modulus of elasticity. Compared to steel wire mesh, aluminum wire mesh will suffer a higher degree of deformation at equal loads. Therefore, the physical characteristics of a mesh spacing and diameter combination in aluminum will not be comparable to that of the same in steel. To maintain the required rigidity for a particular application, it is advisable to increase wire diameter somewhat.

Typical Aluminum Wire Mesh alloys: A1350 (standard offering), A5056, A6061

Bronze is a metal alloy containing a blend primarily of Copper with Tin as an additive.  The most common bronze alloy used in wire mesh manufacture is C220 “Commercial Bronze”.The unmistakable bright caramel color will darken naturally over time or it can be chemically darkened by a metal finisher to speed up the process. As with all metals, finishing Bronze to a specific color or characteristic is an art form and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Bronze Wire mesh in Architectural applications:
Bronze wire is drawn bright and exhibits a caramel like color.  Bronze has a subtle contrast woven together with Stainless Steel. Considered a “Living Finish”, the natural color change does occur quickly and depending on the environmental conditions, the end color will vary. In general, under exterior conditions in the presence of salt, moisture, and sunlight, Bronze will transition from bright to shades brown patina. Because of the enormous range of Bronze’s natural colors experienced through weathering, there are a number of coatings or chemicals that can be used to either speed up or slow down the process. Finishing bronze to the desired color is an art and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Considerations when specifying Bronze wire mesh for Architectural applications:
When Banker Wire weaves a wire mesh out of bronze wire, the bronze wire starts out “Bright” but is considered “Bare”. This means that the bronze wire will almost immediately be susceptible to color changes due to tarnishing.  Banker Wire cannot guarantee the color consistency by the time it arrives to its final installation point. A chemical or physical removal of the tarnish will be required prior to a clear coat application if the desired final “Bright” finish is to be maintained.

Brass is an alloy that is made up of copper and zinc. Various brass alloys exist when the proportions of copper and zinc are changed. Anti-sparking characteristic makes this wire mesh raw material a good choice in and around sensitive combustible areas. Brass has a bright gold like appearance and is relatively resistant to tarnishing but will slowly turn to a greenish and brown color over time. Brass can be darkened or preserved with a clear coat by qualified metal finishers. As with all metals, finishing Brass to a specific color or characteristic is an art form and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Brass Wire mesh in Architectural applications:
Brass wire is drawn bright and exhibits a gold like color. Brass has a subtle contrast woven together with Stainless Steel. Considered a “Living Finish”, the natural color change does occur quickly and depending on the environmental conditions, the end color will vary. In general, under exterior conditions in the presence of salt, moisture, and sunlight, Brass will transition from bright to shades of green, then brown patina. Because of the enormous range of Brass’s natural colors experienced through weathering, there are a number of coatings or chemicals that can be used to either speed up or slow down the process. Finishing brass to the desired color is an art and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Considerations when specifying Brass wire mesh for Architectural applications:
When Banker Wire weaves a wire mesh out of brass wire, the brass wire starts out “Bright” but is considered “Bare”. This means that the brass wire will almost immediately be susceptible to color changes due to tarnishing. Banker Wire cannot guarantee the color consistency by the time it arrives to its final installation point. A chemical or physical removal of the tarnish will be required prior to a clear coat application if the desired final “Bright” finish is to be maintained.

Typical brass alloys available in wire mesh: C230 Brass (Red Brass), C260 Brass (Cartridge Brass), C270 Brass (Yellow Brass)

Copper wire has excellent electrical and thermal conductivity. Copper has high corrosion resistance in the marine environment making this alloy a good choice for salt and briny conditions. Copper is also resistant to marine life such as snails and mussels and has antibacterial properties.

Copper Wire mesh in Architectural applications:
Pure C110 Copper wire is drawn bright and exhibits a shiny salmon red color. Copper is rich in color and contrasts well when woven together with Stainless Steel. Considered a “Living Finish”, the natural color change does occur quickly and depending on the environmental conditions, the end color will vary. In general, under exterior conditions in the presence of salt, moisture, and sunlight, Copper will transition from bright to shades of brown, then grays, then finally a blue-green or gray green patina. Because of the enormous range of Copper’s natural colors experienced through weathering, there are a number of coatings or chemicals that can be used to either speed up or slow down the process. Finishing copper to the desired color is an art and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Considerations when specifying Copper wire mesh for Architectural applications:
When Banker Wire weaves a wire mesh out of copper wire, the copper wire starts out “Bright” but is considered “Bare”.  This means that the copper wire will almost immediately be susceptible to color changes due to tarnishing.  Banker Wire cannot guarantee the color consistency by the time it arrives to its final installation point.  A chemical or physical removal of the tarnish will be required prior to a clear coat application if the desired final “Bright” finish is to be maintained.