Aug. 11, 2025
Expanded metal is often viewed as a practical alternative to sheet metal or wire mesh, combining the best qualities of both. It is stronger than thin wire mesh while allowing better airflow and drainage than solid sheet metal. This makes it an ideal choice for custom wire baskets that require greater tensile strength than wires alone can provide. Moreover, expanded metal reduces the need for additional welding operations compared to assembling individual steel wires, making the production of sturdy baskets faster and more efficient.
Overall, Haopeng stainless steel expanded metal baskets are exceptionally durable and versatile—especially when crafted from highly corrosion-resistant alloys such as grade 316 stainless steel. They serve a wide range of applications across nearly every industry Haopeng works with, making them well worth considering.
Stainless steel expanded metal mesh is produced from a single solid sheet that has been slit and stretched to form a rigid, mesh-like pattern. This structure offers exceptional strength while maintaining open areas for airflow and drainage. Expanded metal grating is particularly well-suited for heavy-duty custom parts washing applications, where both durability and fluid circulation are essential.
Expanded stainless steel mesh for baskets generally comes in two main types: standard and flattened. Standard expanded metal is the form produced directly from the expanding process, featuring its original raised strands and openings. Flattened expanded metal, by contrast, is created when standard expanded metal is passed through a cold rolling mill, compressing the strands and producing a smoother, more level mesh surface.
The manufacturing process for stainless steel expanded metal varies depending on the type being produced.
For standard expanded metal, sheet metal is fed into an expanding machine, where it is simultaneously slit and stretched. The size of the openings and the strand thickness are determined by both the expander settings and the sheet’s thickness. The resulting mesh maintains consistent strand dimensions and evenly spaced openings. In some cases, the process creates a slightly rounded profile, which helps prevent liquids from pooling during washing operations.
Flattened expanded metal is created by passing standard expanded metal through a cold rolling mill, compressing the strands to produce a thinner, flatter, and slightly larger mesh sheet. Because of the compression and stretching during flattening, the final dimensions can differ slightly from the initial specifications.
Choosing between the two types depends on the application. Standard expanded metal is often preferred for parts washing, as its raised bonds promote better drainage and reduce fluid accumulation. Flattened expanded metal is typically favored for parts handling or when a lighter, thinner mesh is needed for larger custom baskets.
Below is a quick reference guide to common terms used for stainless steel expanded metal:
Strands – The solid metal sections that form the mesh pattern. For example, in the reference diagram, each strand is 0.107" wide.
Bonds – The points where strands intersect and are connected.
Short Way of Design (SWD) – The distance from the center of one bond strand to the center of the next along the short diagonal of the diamond pattern (“<>”), measured from top to bottom. In the example diagram, SWD is about 0.372" (0.265" SWO plus 0.107" strand thickness).
Long Way of Design (LWD) – The distance from the center of one bond strand to the center of the next along the long diagonal of the diamond pattern, measured from right to left. In the example, LWD is about 1.107" (1" LWO plus 0.107" strand thickness).
Short Way of Opening (SWO) – The clear distance between the inside edges of bonds across the short diagonal of the diamond shape. Unlike SWD, which measures center-to-center, SWO measures only the open space. In the example, SWO is 0.265".
Long Way of Opening (LWO) – The clear distance between the inside edges of bonds across the long diagonal. Like SWO, LWO measures open space only. In the example, LWO is 1".
Strand Thickness – The measurement of how thick each strand of expanded metal is.
Strand Width – The measurement of how wide each strand of expanded metal is.
When assessing expanded stainless steel mesh, several key dimensions must be taken into account: the overall plate size after expansion, the long and short way of opening (LWO and SWO), and the strand thickness and width. Each of these factors directly influences the basket’s strength, airflow, and drainage performance.
For instance, larger LWOs and SWOs create bigger openings in the mesh, which improves ventilation and fluid drainage in stainless steel expanded metal baskets. Conversely, thicker and wider strands offer greater strength and durability compared to thinner strands.
Comparing LWO and SWO to LWD and SWD is useful for determining strand width and overall open area. For example, if a mesh has an SWD of 0.5" and an LWD of 1", with an SWO of 0.4" and an LWO of 0.8", the bond width would be approximately 0.2" by 0.4", resulting in a strand width of about 0.1". This configuration would yield an open space of roughly 0.5 square inches per mesh opening.
Stainless steel expanded metal mesh is valued for its strength, resilience, and versatility, making it suitable for a wide range of industrial applications. Below are some of the most common uses for these durable baskets:
1. Storage of Heavy Metal Parts
Automotive and aerospace manufacturers often rely on stainless steel expanded metal baskets to transport heavy metal components between processes. While many steel alloys offer sufficient tensile strength for holding parts, grade 316 stainless steel is preferred when exposure to chloride-based solutions or salt-laden air is a concern. Its superior corrosion resistance ensures the basket remains durable in demanding environments.
2. Shot Peening Parts
Shot peening involves bombarding parts with small particles of glass, metal, or ceramic to enhance their surface properties. The process is high-impact and can damage less robust containers. Expanded metal mesh baskets provide the necessary strength to withstand repeated exposure while allowing particulates to reach the parts evenly—something that single-wire designs often can’t handle without breaking.
3. Shot Blasting Parts
Similar to shot peening, shot blasting uses abrasives to alter surface properties, remove contaminants, or polish components. Grade 316 expanded metal baskets excel here, offering exceptional durability and resistance to wear, even after prolonged use in this abrasive process.
4. Degreasing Components and Brackets
Vapor degreasing and other cleaning methods often involve caustic solutions heated to boiling to dissolve oils, grease, and other contaminants. Grade 316 stainless steel’s resistance to chemical corrosion makes it an ideal choice for baskets used in these aggressive cleaning environments.
5. Part Organization and Stacking
Heavy-duty expanded metal baskets can be designed for nesting or stacking, allowing fully loaded baskets to be safely stacked without risk of collapse. This feature helps factories optimize floor space and organize finished parts while they await further processing, drying, or delivery.
6. Fire Safes for Warehouses
In certain applications, expanded metal baskets have been adapted as protective fire safes for delicate parts or documents. These designs often feature layered construction with an open outer frame that shields inner sealed containers from heavy debris. Thanks to stainless steel’s high melting point and the use of insulating layers, these baskets can offer surprising protection during warehouse fires, guarding against both heat and impact damage.
More and more customers are turning to expanded metal baskets for parts washing and materials-handling applications. Compared to other basket types, expanded metal offers several key advantages:
1. Cost Efficiency
Expanded metal baskets are often more affordable than sheet metal, perforated sheet metal, or wire baskets. Sheet metal requires more raw material, while perforated metal involves waste from punching holes. Wire baskets use less material, but the welding needed for strength increases labor costs. Expanded metal, on the other hand, is created by slitting and stretching a solid sheet without material waste. Its inherent rigidity also reduces the amount of welding required, lowering production costs.
2. Superior Strength Over Wire Baskets
Wire mesh baskets rely on many individual wires welded together. When a load rests on a single wire, that wire must bear the full weight. Even with welds, the load distribution isn’t as efficient as a solid sheet. Expanded metal is made from a single piece of material, distributing weight evenly across the entire structure, making it stronger than wire mesh baskets of the same size and thickness—though not as strong as solid sheet metal.
3. Excellent Airflow and Drainage
Adequate airflow is essential for cleaning, drying, and finishing parts. Expanded metal baskets provide generous open space between strands, allowing air and water to pass through freely. While wire mesh can offer more precise control over opening size, expanded metal still delivers strong airflow performance, making it an excellent option for washing applications.
4. Lighter Than Solid Sheet Metal
Flattened expanded metal is thinner and lighter than solid sheet metal while still maintaining good strength. Its smoother surface also helps with weight distribution and prevents parts from sticking, making it ideal for materials-handling applications where weight matters.
5. Long-Lasting Durability
Because expanded metal is formed from a single sheet rather than multiple wires, it is inherently more resistant to wear and tear. It efficiently disperses impact forces, reducing mechanical damage, and has no weld joints that can fail over time. This added durability can extend the basket’s lifespan and reduce total ownership costs in the long run.
The applications for expanded metal mesh go far beyond the examples above. One of Haopeng’s key strengths lies in its ability to custom-design baskets to meet the exact needs of specific clients, industries, or applications. Understanding the unique advantages of expanded stainless steel mesh can reveal new opportunities for innovation.
Expanded stainless steel baskets:
Provide superior airflow compared to perforated sheet metal
Cost less than solid sheet metal
Generate less material waste than perforated sheet metal
Offer greater strength than wire mesh
Weigh less than traditional sheet metal
Are easier to weld than wire mesh
These qualities make expanded metal mesh an excellent choice for heavy-duty parts washing applications—especially where sheet metal would block air or liquid flow, and thin steel wires would lack the strength to support the load.
Additionally, because expanded metal is formed from a single, continuous piece of material, there’s no need for welding between individual strands. This not only saves manufacturing time and cost but also enhances overall structural integrity for long-lasting performance.
Selecting the right type of expanded metal grating depends entirely on your application.
Standard expanded metal features a slightly rounded surface, making it ideal for parts-washing processes where preventing residue buildup from runoff is critical. It also offers more consistent open space between strands, as the dimensions are determined by the expanding machine.
Flattened expanded metal has a smooth, level surface that works well for materials-handling applications, helping to distribute weight evenly and reduce the risk of parts sticking. It is also lighter and slightly thinner than standard expanded metal—an advantage when weight reduction is important.
However, with flattened expanded metal, measurements like LWO, SWO, LWD, and SWD may vary slightly depending on the flattening direction. This variability can make it more challenging to precisely control the mesh’s open space, and the flattening process also reduces the mesh’s thickness.
By understanding these differences, you can choose the type of stainless steel expanded metal that best balances strength, airflow, weight, and precision for your specific application.
