China Premium Plain Weave Galvanized Stainless Steel Crimped Square Wire Mesh

PLAIN WEAVE, ALSO PLAIN CRIMP

The majority of wire mesh that is manufactured and available from stock is woven in a "plain weave." "Plain weave" refers to the method by which a wire mesh specification is woven - the warp wires, which run the length of roll, and shute wires, which run the width of the roll, pass over, one over, one under in both directions. This "over/under" weave locks the mesh in place, by virtue of the strength of the wires and the size of the opening.

Most plain weave wire mesh is usually manufactured on a rapier loom, which is recognized as one of the more efficient wire mesh looms in the world. In fact, generally speaking any mesh 3 x 3 Mesh or finer (i.e., 10 x 10 mesh or 50 x 50 mesh) is almost always woven in plain weave.

In recent years, a related term, "plain crimp" has emerged into everyday industry jargon, and while it is not an officially defined term by the ASTM 2016-06 standard for industrial woven wire cloth (defined below), it does provide clarity into this topic. "Plain crimp" is a simple, almost-natural crimp in which each intersecting wire interlocks with the next adjacent wire. Oftentimes, "plain weave" and "plain crimp" are used to convey similar concepts. Our own rule of thumb is that most, but not all, plain weave is plain crimp, but all plain crimp is plain weave. Indeed, the pictures below both show "Plain Weave" (one wire over/one wire under) and "Plain Crimp" (simple and natural crimp style):

INTERMEDIATE CRIMP, OR INTERCRIMP

"Intermediate crimp" or simply "intercrimp" describes the popular crimp type that is used when woven wire mesh is manufactured. With intercrimp, both the warp wires (the wires that run the length of the roll) and shute wires (wires that run the width of the roll) are pre-crimped before the mesh is woven. Intermediate crimp is usually employed in coarser meshes to obtain large openings with relatively light wires. The hallmark of an intermediate crimp is the corrugations in the wire, which adds to the stability of the mesh. As a rule, the larger the opening size, the more number of crimps.

LOCK CRIMP

"Lock crimp" is a crimp type that is commonly employed when woven wire mesh is manufactured. Similar to intermediate crimp, "lock crimp" is also comprised of pre-crimped wires. The distinguishing feature of lock crimp is the bump or knuckle that forms over each intersecting set of wires. These knuckles lock the mesh in place and create an extremely rigid product. And finally, the wires on a lock crimp are straight between intersections, while the wires with the intermediate crimp are corrugated.

TWILLED WEAVE

"Twilled weave" is a weave type in which the warp wires and shute wires pass over two and under two in both directions. This is different from a plain weave, which is when the wires are woven one over and one under. As a result, "twilled weave" is often more pliable than a comparable plain weave wire mesh specification. By and large, twilled weave is often used in filtration applications. The images below illustrate twilled weave, but because twilled weave is usually reserved for fine mesh, identifying a twilled weave usually requires a mesh counter.

SELVAGE EDGE OR RAW EDGE

The term, "selvage edge" refers to the edge or border of wire cloth that has a finished edge. When wire cloth is woven, the shute wires are woven in, continuously, forming a smooth edge that runs the length of roll while helping to prevent unraveling on certain specifications. Generally speaking, a selvage edge will increase the stability of a mesh and provide a safety edge for handling. Looped selvage, as seen in the photo below, is the most common type of selvage edge. In recent years, selvage edge has decreased in popularity due to difficulty in producing and increased costs to produce. When a selvage edge is required, it is important to specify, as raw edge is widely the norm in the industry.

"Raw edge" refers to edging that is not continuously woven and is usually the result of manufacturing wire mesh on a rapier loom. In this case, the shute wires are uncovered, or raw. Raw edge is the predominant edge type in the industry, particularly on finer mesh (usually, 20 x 20 Mesh or finer). Further, raw edge is often preferred when customers are looking to keep their costs down. Both "selvage (looped) edge" and "raw edges" are shown below:

WARP WIRE, SHUTE WIRE

The "warp wire" is a technical term that describes the wires running the long way in a roll of wire cloth. Another way to define the "warp wire" is the wires that make up the length of a roll. The warp wires are the wires running horizontally, as the photo below depicts when a roll is standing on its end.

The "shute wire" is a technical term that describes the wires running the short way in a roll of wire cloth. Another way to define the "shute wire" is the wires that make up the width of a roll. Also referred to as the shoot, the fill, or the weft wires, the shute wires are the wires running vertically, as the photo below depicts when a roll is standing on its end.