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Hardware Cloth - Galvanized Welded & Woven Wire Mesh

  

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Hardware cloth is available in many different styles. The most common standard specifications of this wire cloth, available at most retail stores, are usually welded. As domestic production has declined, woven wire mesh hardware cloth has become difficult to find.

The most readily available types of hardware cloth, available in 50' and 100' rolls are:

• 19 gauge with 1/2"x1/2" openings
  •  
    • also called 2x2 or 2 mesh - two squares to the inch
    • available in 24", 36" and 48" widths
• 23 gauge with 1/4"x1/4' openings
  •  
    • sometimes referred to as 4x4 or 4 mesh - four squares to the inch
    • available in 24", 36" and 48" widths

Less common styles are more difficult to find at the retail level:

• 21 gauge with 3/8"x3/8" openings
  •  
    • sometimes called 3x3 or 3 mesh - three squares to the inch
    • available in 24", 36" and 48" widths
• 27 gauge with 1/8"x1/8" openings
  •  
    • also referred to as 8x8 or 8 mesh - eight squares to the inch
    • available in 24", 36" and 48" widths

In general, as the opening size of the mesh decreases, so too does the gauge or thickness of the wire used decrease.

Hardware cloth welded wire cloth meshes can be used for many different applications, including:

• aviaries
• window guards
• screen door reinforcement
• exclusion screens for nuisance wildlife
• small animal cages
• shrub and tree protection
• sieves and strainers
• stucco mesh
• ferro-cement boats
• sculptures and other structures

Can you think of other possible uses for hardware cloth?

Have you used hardware wire cloth for an interesting or unusual project?