Sun LabTek

Make: SLBT

Model: SL-087

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):