Wire Gauge Chart for Wire Mesh
Last reviewed on October 3, 2026
Wire mesh listings often give wire thickness as a gauge number — "19 gauge 1/2″ welded mesh", "14 ga panel" — but there are several gauge systems and the same number means a different diameter in each. This chart converts the three systems you are most likely to meet into inches and millimetres.
Which Gauge System Does Mesh Use?
- Steel Wire Gauge (Washburn & Moen, W&M) – the usual system for steel and stainless steel wire in North America, including welded mesh, hardware cloth and fencing. When a US listing says "19 gauge stainless welded mesh", this is almost always the system meant (0.041″).
- Standard Wire Gauge (SWG, British Imperial) – used in older British and Commonwealth specifications. Modern UK and EU suppliers mostly quote wire in millimetres instead.
- American Wire Gauge (AWG / Brown & Sharpe) – the standard for copper and other non-ferrous electrical wire. It is sometimes misapplied to steel mesh; at 19 gauge it is about 0.036″, noticeably thinner than steel wire gauge.
Because of this ambiguity, ask for (or specify) the wire diameter in inches or millimetres. If you have the mesh in hand, measure it — see how to measure mesh.
Wire Gauge Conversion Chart
Lower gauge numbers are thicker wire. Millimetre values are converted from the inch values and rounded to 0.01 mm. AWG values are calculated from the AWG definition.
| Gauge | Steel Wire Gauge (W&M) | SWG (Imperial) | AWG |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0.2253″ / 5.72 mm | 0.2320″ / 5.89 mm | 0.2043″ / 5.19 mm |
| 6 | 0.1920″ / 4.88 mm | 0.1920″ / 4.88 mm | 0.1620″ / 4.12 mm |
| 8 | 0.1620″ / 4.11 mm | 0.1600″ / 4.06 mm | 0.1285″ / 3.26 mm |
| 10 | 0.1350″ / 3.43 mm | 0.1280″ / 3.25 mm | 0.1019″ / 2.59 mm |
| 11 | 0.1205″ / 3.06 mm | 0.1160″ / 2.95 mm | 0.0907″ / 2.30 mm |
| 12 | 0.1055″ / 2.68 mm | 0.1040″ / 2.64 mm | 0.0808″ / 2.05 mm |
| 13 | 0.0915″ / 2.32 mm | 0.0920″ / 2.34 mm | 0.0720″ / 1.83 mm |
| 14 | 0.0800″ / 2.03 mm | 0.0800″ / 2.03 mm | 0.0641″ / 1.63 mm |
| 15 | 0.0720″ / 1.83 mm | 0.0720″ / 1.83 mm | 0.0571″ / 1.45 mm |
| 16 | 0.0625″ / 1.59 mm | 0.0640″ / 1.63 mm | 0.0508″ / 1.29 mm |
| 17 | 0.0540″ / 1.37 mm | 0.0560″ / 1.42 mm | 0.0453″ / 1.15 mm |
| 18 | 0.0475″ / 1.21 mm | 0.0480″ / 1.22 mm | 0.0403″ / 1.02 mm |
| 19 | 0.0410″ / 1.04 mm | 0.0400″ / 1.02 mm | 0.0359″ / 0.91 mm |
| 20 | 0.0348″ / 0.88 mm | 0.0360″ / 0.91 mm | 0.0320″ / 0.81 mm |
| 21 | 0.0317″ / 0.81 mm | 0.0320″ / 0.81 mm | 0.0285″ / 0.72 mm |
| 22 | 0.0286″ / 0.73 mm | 0.0280″ / 0.71 mm | 0.0253″ / 0.64 mm |
| 23 | 0.0258″ / 0.66 mm | 0.0240″ / 0.61 mm | 0.0226″ / 0.57 mm |
| 24 | 0.0230″ / 0.58 mm | 0.0220″ / 0.56 mm | 0.0201″ / 0.51 mm |
| 25 | 0.0204″ / 0.52 mm | 0.0200″ / 0.51 mm | 0.0179″ / 0.45 mm |
| 26 | 0.0181″ / 0.46 mm | 0.0180″ / 0.46 mm | 0.0159″ / 0.40 mm |
| 27 | 0.0173″ / 0.44 mm | 0.0164″ / 0.42 mm | 0.0142″ / 0.36 mm |
| 28 | 0.0162″ / 0.41 mm | 0.0148″ / 0.38 mm | 0.0126″ / 0.32 mm |
| 29 | 0.0150″ / 0.38 mm | 0.0136″ / 0.35 mm | 0.0113″ / 0.29 mm |
| 30 | 0.0140″ / 0.36 mm | 0.0124″ / 0.31 mm | 0.0100″ / 0.25 mm |
Common Welded Mesh Gauges
| Typical Product | Gauge | Wire Diameter |
|---|---|---|
| 1/4″ hardware cloth | 23 ga | 0.0258″ (0.66 mm) |
| 1/2″ × 1/2″ aviary / hardware cloth | 19 ga | 0.0410″ (1.04 mm) |
| 1/2″ × 1″ cage mesh | 16 ga | 0.0625″ (1.59 mm) |
| 1″ × 1″ or 1″ × 2″ panels | 14 ga | 0.0800″ (2.03 mm) |
| Heavy fencing panels | 11 ga | 0.1205″ (3.06 mm) |
These pairings are common in the market, but stainless products vary — confirm the diameter for your specific panel or roll. More welded sizes and their clear openings are on the welded wire mesh page.
Woven Mesh Usually Skips Gauge
Fine woven wire cloth is normally specified by mesh count and wire diameter in decimal inches or millimetres (for example "100 mesh × 0.0045″"), not by gauge. That is the clearest way to specify any mesh. Use the mesh size chart to turn mesh count and wire diameter into an opening size.
Sheet Gauge Is Different Again
Perforated and expanded metal are made from sheet, and sheet metal gauges are a separate system again — and differ between carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium sheet. For perforated sheet and expanded metal, specify thickness in millimetres or decimal inches.