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Expanded metal brick reinforcement

Updated: 23 October 2026

Hairline cracks in a new leaf, and a 20 metre coil looks like the strip for the bed joint. Expanded metal brick reinforcement, in this set, is a 63 mm or 100 mm galvanised coil, both 20 m long. It is crack control for a joint you already know how to detail. It is not structural, and it is not stainless for a damp leaf. The [expanded metal comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/expanded-metal) lists both coils next to three sheets, which are the wrong object. Peter F. read the captures against TECO and BS EN 845-3 on 21 October 2026. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Hairline cracks in a new leaf, and a 20 metre coil looks like the strip for the bed joint. Expanded metal brick reinforcement, in this set, is a 63 mm or 100 mm galvanised coil, both 20 m long.

Our top picks

AB Tools AB Tools 63 mm brick coil

Best overall

AB Tools AB Tools 63 mm brick coil
5.4/10about £15.98
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AB Tools AB Tools 100 mm brick coil

Alternative

AB Tools AB Tools 100 mm brick coil
5.4/10about £19.20
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.A coil is not a sheet and not a wall tie
  2. 2.63 mm or 100 mm
  3. 3.Galvanised inside, stainless when it is damp
  4. 4.Cover, lap, and when to stop

A coil is not a sheet and not a wall tie

A narrow coil sits in the mortar bed and limits shrinkage cracks. TECO sells it galvanised or stainless, 63 mm or 100 mm, each 20 m. Parkes and Mesh Supplies keep galvanised for internal work and stainless for damp work. A sheet does not bed into a joint, and plaster lath to BS EN 13658 is another product. A cavity tie bridges the cavity. BS EN 845-3:2013+A1:2016 is bed-joint meshwork, with welded mesh for structural use and expanded metal under non-structural types. A coil title is not that declaration. If the crack is over a window, or the wall is loadbearing, stop. Telling a coil from perforated sheet is the expanded metal buying guide.

63 mm or 100 mm

FN118 is galvanised, 63 mm by 20 m, 775 g, with no star line and no pitch. Trade ranges often use that width on a narrower brick leaf. Buy it only when the cover will still be there on both faces. Do not assume every UK wall is that width. FN119 is 100 mm by 20 m, about 1.28 kg, and the dimensions line also says 1.27 kg. Same gaps: no stars, no pitch, no zinc mass. Take it when 63 mm would leave the strip too narrow and the cover still fits. A coil proud of the face is the wrong saving. Skip both for a screen. Listings outside masonry are on the best expanded metal page.
AB Tools AB Tools 63 mm brick coil

Testsieger

AB Tools AB Tools 63 mm brick coil
5.4/10about £15.98
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Galvanised inside, stainless when it is damp

TECO pairs galvanised coil, EN 10346 DX51D Z275, with stainless 1.4301 for external or damp work. Parkes says the same. Mesh Supplies adds a raised profile for grip in the mortar. That raised line is not on FN118 or FN119. Both amazon.co.uk coils say galvanised and stop there. No Z275, no DX51D, no 1.4301. That is a poor match for a damp leaf. Buy stainless only when the grade is on the label. The edges are sharp, and cutting a length does not create a grade the listing omitted.

Cover, lap, and when to stop

Suppliers disagree, so this page will not average them. TECO asks for at least 75 mm of overlap. TECO and Grayson are the source for about 25 mm of cover, often every third course. Another trade note uses 15 mm from the face and a 150 mm lap. Your wall specification wins. Without one, the coil cannot invent a method. Keep the named cover after the next brick goes down, and lap by the figure you were given, not by memory of 75 mm or 150 mm. Stop if the wall is structural, if the leaf is damp and the coil only says galvanised, if you need a cavity tie, or if the hope is to stop cracks over a window. BS EN 845-3 is not claimed on either listing.

Common questions

When do I need the 100 mm coil?
When the bed is wider than a 63 mm strip can cross while leaving cover on both faces. FN119 is the 100 mm by 20 m galvanised coil. It has the same missing pitch, grade, and method as the narrower roll. Width is the difference. It is still not a stainless external coil, and it is still not a sheet.
Can I use the galvanised AB Tools coil outside?
Not on the evidence of these listings. TECO, Parkes, and Mesh Supplies keep galvanised coil for internal work and stainless, such as 1.4301, for external or damp work. Both AB Tools pages say galvanised and do not name a zinc mass or a stainless grade. A damp leaf needs a coil whose metal is specified. The galvanised roll does not become that coil because the wall is already built.
Does the listing meet BS EN 845-3?
The listings do not say so. BS EN 845-3:2013+A1:2016 covers bed-joint reinforcement of steel meshwork. It is the relevant standard family, and it is not a cavity-tie standard. Nothing on FN118 or FN119 is a declaration of performance or a claim of compliance. Do not treat the product title as that declaration. Structural use needs a specified product and a professional.
How much should the ends overlap?
Follow the specification for the wall. TECO states at least 75 mm. Another trade description says 150 mm. This page will not pick one and call it the rule for your mortar. The AB Tools bullets do not print a lap at all. If you have no specification, you are not ready to bed the coil, whatever the amazon.co.uk price.
Will it stop cracks over a window?
These listings do not show that. The bullets talk about tensile strength and cracking in general. Questions on the page about window cracks are unanswered. Cracks over an opening can be a structural or a detailing problem, and a non-structural expanded-metal coil is the wrong thing to promise against them. Get the wall looked at before you buy a roll to bury in the joint.

Related pages

How to cut expanded metal

Expanded metal

Best expanded metal: fit the printed form to the job

Expanded metal buying guide before you compare price

Raised or flattened expanded metal: pitch or aperture

Sources

Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated 22 October 2026.

  1. The Expanded Metal Company: how to measure and specify (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. Metal Mesh UK: technical notes (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. BSI: BS EN 845-3:2013+A1:2016 bed-joint reinforcement (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. TECO: expanded metal lath coil (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. Grayson: galvanised brick reinforcement (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. HSE: using the right type of PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. Cadisch: safety when working with expanded mesh (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)