Materials

At only 1/3 the weight of steel, Aluminum has very adaptable qualities as a woven wire product. It is highly resistant to atmospheric corrosion, reasonably priced, and it has a variety of surface treatment options that make it a good candidate for many applications. Aluminum is an excellent option for protective screening, or any situation in which weight or deterioration are concerns.

In some applications aluminum might not be suitable due to its relatively low strength and stiffness. To maintain the required rigidity for a particular application, it is advisable to increase wire diameter somewhat. Multiple alloys are available. Consult our Sales department for recommendations.

Copper is rich in color and contrasts well when woven with Stainless Steel. Pure E110 Copper is drawn bright and exhibits a shiny salmon red color. The natural color change does occur quickly and depending on the environmental conditions, the end color will vary. In general, under exterior conditions in the presence of salt, moisture, and sunlight, Copper will transition from bright to shades of brown, then grays, then finally a blue-green or gray green patina. Because of the enormous range of Copper's natural colors experienced through weathering, there are a number of coatings or chemicals that can be used to either speed up or slow down the process. Finishing copper to the desired color is an art and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Banker will weave a Copper architectural job from fresh drawn wire, but cannot guarantee the color or finish by the time it arrives to its final installation point.

Common Brass used in woven wire cloth is a 70% Copper and 30% Zinc mixture. An anti-sparking characteristic makes this material a good choice in and around sensitive combustible areas. Brass is relatively resistant to tarnishing but will slowly turn to a greenish color over time. Brass can be darkened or preserved with a clear coat by qualified metal finishers. As with all metals, finishing Brass to a specific color or characteristic is an art form and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Banker will weave a Brass architectural job from fresh drawn wire, but cannot guarantee the color or finish by the time it arrives to its final installation point.

Bronze is a metal alloy containing a blend primarily of Copper with Tin as an additive. Often confused with Brass as an unclear boundary between the two alloys exist. The typical Bronze C220 that is woven by Banker has an unmistakable bright caramel color. Bronze will darken naturally over time or it can be chemically darkened by a US10B process. As with all metals, finishing Bronze to a specific color or characteristic is an art form and should be done through consulting an experienced metal finisher.

Banker will weave a Bronze architectural job from fresh drawn wire, but cannot guarantee the color or finish by the time it arrives to its final installation point.

Mild Steel - or low carbon steel - typically contains 6% to 12% carbon content and is directly drawn from hot rolled rod. This material represents very good value and is widely used in applications where its weld-ability, strength, and economy make it a popular option.

Plating or Powder coating are both options to finish this base material for interior applications. For exterior applications, considerations for adding a corrosion resistant layer on top of the wire mesh before final install needs to be made. Powder coating with either a zinc rich primer or adding an E-coat process before final color finish is highly recommended. For an ever higher level of corrosion resistance under powder coat, consider a Pre-galvanized wire or Galfan® wire instead.

Galvanized wire is carbon steel which has been coated with a very thin layer of Zinc during the wire drawing process. It is only slightly more expensive than bare steel wire, but offers improved corrosion resistance. Pre-Galvanized steel wire cloth is typically not suitable for outdoor applications, however performance is greatly improved when a wet or powder paint is applied.

Galfan® is a superior alternative to Hot Dipped and conventional pre-galvanized zinc coatings. The popular hot dipped coating process yields a heavy thickness which offers good corrosion resistance, however the coating is brittle and can flake off during weaving. Conventional pre-galvanized steel wire coatings can be applied only in an extremely light thickness, this offers minimal corrosion resistance. With Galfan®, the addition of 5% aluminum to the zinc coating increases ductility and permits the application of a heavier coating thickness. This added thickness dramatically increases overall corrosion resistance.

Banker can produce any of the numerous types of stainless steels commonly used in Wire cloth. There are many stainless steel compositions available to suit any number of corrosive or high temperature specialized applications. For architectural purposes, the rule of thumb for budgeting is T304 stainless for interior and T316 stainless for exterior applications. While surface finished are the same for both, it is only the chemical compositions that differ.

Banker sources the finest quality stainless steel wire from only reputable wire mills. Physical consistencies and surface luster are both important qualities demanded of Architectural wire mesh. Even under the highest level of quality standards set upon our vendors, drawn stainless steel wire can sometimes display subtle differences in shade that are only seen when wires are placed side by side from one another. This is the natural characteristic of woven wire mesh which can be limited, but not eliminated.

Every job produced at Banker Wire has strict traceability procedures in place that documents the specific wire used during weaving. Wire certification reports are available, free of charge, upon request.