Expanded metal buying guide
Updated: 23 October 2026
You searched for mesh and the amazon.co.uk results put a 20 metre brick coil next to a square of steel. This expanded metal buying guide is the order of checks before you compare a price: making method, then profile, then metal and coating, then the opening and which way the diamond runs. A listing that prints none of those numbers is a small offcut. The [expanded metal comparison](/hub/diy-supplies/expanded-metal) holds the five kept listings and the shelf prices. Peter F. checked those captures on 21 October 2026. We did not measure a strand. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You searched for mesh and the amazon.co.uk results put a 20 metre brick coil next to a square of steel.
You searched for mesh and the amazon.co.uk results put a 20 metre brick coil next to a square of steel. This expanded metal buying guide is the order of checks before you compare a price: making method, then profile, then metal and coating, then the opening and which way the diamond runs. A listing that prints none of those numbers is a small offcut. The expanded metal comparison holds the five kept listings and the shelf prices. Peter F. checked those captures on 21 October 2026. We did not measure a strand. A qualifying purchase can earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Form | Profile | Opening stated | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Gisafai Gisafai four black sheets | Sheet | Flat | About 50 × 23 mm | 7.0 | about £68.11 | View offer |
| Best value |  National Hardware National Hardware 12 inch sheet | Sheet | Flat in reviews; not on the spec row | No | 6.2 | about £26.87 | View offer |
| Alternative |  AB Tools AB Tools 63 mm brick coil | Brickwork coil | Not stated | No | 5.4 | about £15.98 | View offer |
On this page
Expanded metal is slit and stretched
Expanded metal is one sheet, slit and stretched, so the strands and the joints are the same piece of metal. Perforated sheet has holes punched out. A title that leads with a round-hole diameter is that second product even when it says mesh. Woven or welded wire is a third product.
A page can say expanded metal and perforated sheet in the same line. PH PandaHall’s two-piece listing does that, and no diamond pitch is printed. If you cannot see the hole pattern, stop before profile, coating, or price. Once the piece really is expanded, raised or flat is the next check, on the raised or flattened expanded metal page.
Profile, metal, then opening
Raised mesh keeps the angled strand. Measure long-way and short-way pitch, centre to centre, not the clear hole. Flattened mesh has been rolled, so you measure the clear aperture. Expanding does not thin the strand. Flattening can reduce thickness by about 10 to 20 percent, and only when the strand was printed.
Plain steel needs a coating you choose. A rust-resistant bullet is not a zinc mass. Trade coil is often galvanised EN 10346 DX51D Z275, with stainless 1.4301 for damp work. None of these five listings prints that pair. Sheet length is not the hole. Gisafai is the exception in the set: flat, with an opening of about 50 by 23 mm.
What these five listings actually print
Treat the five rows as a gap check. Prices stay on the comparison. The AB Tools coils are galvanised bed-joint strip, 63 mm or 100 mm wide and 20 m long. Neither prints a pitch, a zinc mass, or a bedding method. Those limits are on the expanded metal brick reinforcement page.
National Hardware N301-598 is plain steel, about 12 by 12 inches, with 4.3 from 670 reviews. The title says three pieces and the unit count is 1.0. Reviews that mention one piece are not tagged United Kingdom. If the parcel does not match the description, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 is the route. Gisafai prints the opening. The stored reviews are from the United States, and they mention sharp edges. This page does not crown a row.
When a mill sheet is the right object
A mill sheet is the right object when you need a pattern code. Stock pages for 2440 by 1220 mm mild steel, including raised 1295 and flattened 1282F, print mesh size, strand, and open area. Those prices are often ex VAT, not an amazon.co.uk shelf price.
Stay here when the printed form matches the job: a galvanised coil if you already know the bedding, a plain-steel square if you will coat it and you have checked the pack count, or a flat sheet with a printed opening if you will deburr it. A 300 mm square and a 20 m coil are not the same unit. Do not let the price break a tie the listing left blank.
Common questions
Is a sheet with round holes expanded metal?
No. Expanded metal is slit and stretched, so the joints are continuous metal. Round holes are punched out of perforated sheet. Woven wire is a third product. If the title leads with a hole diameter, or says perforated as well as expanded, the making method is unsettled until you can see the pattern.
What should I specify before I look at the price?
Specify the making method, then raised or flattened, then the metal and coating, then the opening and which way the long diagonal runs, then size and pack count. A listing that prints none of the first four is an offcut. A coil and a square are different units, so the price only makes sense after those checks.
What is the difference between pitch and the clear opening?
Pitch is the centre-to-centre distance across the diamond, long way and short way, which is how you measure raised mesh. The clear opening, or aperture, is the hole after the mesh has been rolled flat. Sheet length is neither. A coil length or a 12 inch square does not tell you the hole unless the listing prints it.
Can I compare a 20 m coil with a 300 mm square?
Only as two different purchases. The AB Tools coil is 63 mm wide and 20 m long, for a bed joint, with no pitch printed. A square of about 300 mm is a small sheet, if it is expanded metal at all. The length, the job, and the missing numbers are not the same, so one price divided by the other is not a fair rate.
Does rust resistant mean the coating is specified?
It means the seller wrote a sentence. It does not name a zinc coating mass, a stainless grade, or a standard. Plain steel in this set, including the National Hardware square, still needs a coating you apply. Gisafai’s black sheets claim rust resistance without a coating standard. For damp masonry, trade suppliers point to stainless coil, and neither AB Tools listing prints a stainless grade.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources and the amazon.co.uk listings compared on this page. Updated 22 October 2026.
- The Expanded Metal Company: how to measure and specify (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Metal Mesh UK: technical notes (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- BSI: BS EN 845-3:2013+A1:2016 bed-joint reinforcement (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- TECO: expanded metal lath coil (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Grayson: galvanised brick reinforcement (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- HSE: using the right type of PPE (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Cadisch: safety when working with expanded mesh (retrieved 22 October 2026)
- Consumer Rights Act 2015 (retrieved 22 October 2026)