Expanded metal starts as a plain sheet. The sheet is slit and stretched in one operation so that the metal opens into a mesh of diamond-shaped openings without any material being removed — the sheet gets longer as it expands, and the strands and the knuckles between them are still one continuous piece of metal. That is what makes expanded metal different from perforated sheet and from woven mesh: nothing is cut away and nothing is joined, so the mesh is light for its stiffness and has no weld or crimp to fail.
Where expanded metal is used
- Facade cladding and sunscreens — mesh panels as a building skin, giving shade, ventilation and a surface that changes with the light.
- Ceilings and interior decoration — suspended mesh planes and wall panels that hide services and read as texture.
- Screens and balustrade infill — a mesh panel where a see-through guard is wanted.
- Walkways, platforms and stair treads — raised or flattened mesh for grip and drainage in industrial and marine settings.
- Guards, filters and enclosures — machine guards, ventilation grilles and equipment screens where airflow and protection have to coexist.
Meshes and finishes
Meshes may include standard diamond patterns in a range of long-way and short-way openings and strand widths, raised or flattened, in stainless steel and aluminium; and custom meshes made with dies to the customer's design where the quantity justifies them. Finishes may include mill finish, brushed and polished stainless steel, painted or anodised aluminium, and PVD colour on stainless steel for decorative work. The complete expanded metal catalogue is available on request, and the architectural products catalogue on this page shows the range.
Why expanded metal
For a screen or a skin, the mesh gives open area and stiffness at a low weight, and because it is one piece there is no hole pattern to align across panel joints and no strand to come loose. For a walkway, the raised diamond gives grip in every direction and lets water and debris fall through. For a decorative surface, the angle of the strands catches light differently from each side, so a flat panel reads as a texture that moves with the viewer. As with all our architectural products, the mesh can be cut to panel sizes, framed, folded into cassettes and finished in the same facility.
From specification to panels
- Name the mesh — a standard pattern from the catalogue, or the opening and strand you need, with the material and thickness.
- We confirm the specification — mesh, material, sheet size and whether it will be raised or flattened, and quote the panel sizes you need.
- Production and cutting — the sheet is expanded, cut to size and, where the design needs it, framed or folded.
- Finishing and delivery — polished, painted, anodised or PVD-coated as agreed, and delivered marked for the installer.