Screening & Sieving Mesh: Opening Size & Screen Type

Q: How do I choose the right screen mesh aperture?

Set the aperture to your cut point — the size at which material should pass or be retained. Allow a small margin for near-size particles and screen efficiency, since real screens never separate perfectly. For abrasive or coarse duty use heavier crimped mesh, and for fine grading use woven mesh sized to the upper limit of the fraction you want to produce.

Q: What is the difference between crimped and woven screen mesh?

Crimped mesh has pre-formed crimps that lock the wires at each intersection, holding a stable aperture under heavy vibration — the standard for quarry and aggregate screens. Plain woven mesh has interlaced straight wires and suits finer sieving and grading. Use crimped for coarse, abrasive screening and woven for fine particle separation.

Q: What mesh size screens 20mm aggregate?

To produce 20mm aggregate, screen on a deck with a 20mm aperture so material up to 20mm passes and larger pieces are retained on the deck above. Aggregate is normally graded across a series of decks (for example 40mm, 20mm, 10mm and 5mm) so each fraction is split out cleanly. Use heavy crimped mesh for this abrasive duty.

Q: Why does my screen mesh keep blinding?

Blinding happens when near-size or sticky particles lodge in the openings and block them, cutting throughput. It is worse with damp material, flaky particles close to the aperture size, and insufficient vibration. Remedies include a slightly larger or different aperture shape, increased screen amplitude, self-cleaning screen designs, or drying the feed where moisture is the cause.

Q: What wire mesh is best for a vibrating screen?

For most aggregate and quarry vibrating screens, heavy crimped wire mesh holds its aperture and resists wear and impact. Choose wire diameter to balance life against open area: thicker wire lasts longer but lowers throughput. Use stainless for wet or corrosive screening and spring steel or galvanised for dry abrasive duty.

Quick answer

For screening and sieving, select woven or crimped wire mesh by the cut point you need: heavy crimped mesh with large apertures for aggregate and quarry screening, finer woven mesh for sand and gravel grading; the opening should match the size at which you want material to pass or be retained, allowing for near-mesh particle blinding.

By the WireMeshQA editorial team · Independent wire mesh reference

How Screening Mesh Works

Screening separates material by size: particles smaller than the aperture pass through, larger ones are retained. On vibrating screens the deck vibrates to keep material moving and stop blinding (particles lodging in openings). The aperture you choose is the cut point; in practice you size it slightly to account for near-size particles and screen efficiency.

Crimped vs Woven Screen Mesh

Crimped mesh has pre-formed crimps that lock the wires at each intersection, giving a stable aperture and heavy-duty performance — the standard for quarry, aggregate and mining screens. Plain woven mesh suits finer sieving and lab-grade grading. For very coarse, abrasive duty, heavy double-crimp or lock-crimp mesh with thick wire resists wear and impact.

Screen mesh type	Aperture range	Best for
Heavy double-crimp	20–150mm+	Quarry, aggregate, primary screening
Lock / intermediate crimp	6–50mm	Secondary aggregate sizing
Woven square	0.5–10mm	Sand, fine gravel, grading
Fine woven / sieve	< 0.5mm	Lab and fine particle sieving

Aggregate & Sand Grading

Aggregate and sand are graded across a series of screen decks, each with a smaller aperture, to split material into size fractions. Standard nominal aggregate sizes are widely used; pick the screen aperture matching the upper limit of each fraction you want to produce.

Aperture	Nominal product / fraction	Typical use
40mm	40mm aggregate	Sub-base, coarse fill
20mm	20mm aggregate	Concrete coarse aggregate
10mm	10mm aggregate	Fine concrete, asphalt
5mm	Coarse sand cut	Sand/gravel split
1–2mm	Fine sand	Building / plaster sand

Opening Size & Mesh Count Reference

For finer sieving, openings are often given as mesh count. The table below maps common counts to nominal openings; the full method is in mesh count to opening size, and our spec converter handles other units.

Mesh count	Nominal opening	Typical sieving use
4 mesh	~4.75mm	Coarse sand / fine gravel
8 mesh	~2.36mm	Coarse-medium sand
16 mesh	~1.18mm	Medium sand
30 mesh	~600µm	Fine sand
50 mesh	~300µm	Very fine sand / powder

Selecting Wire Diameter & Open Area

Heavier wire lasts longer on abrasive duty but reduces open area and throughput.
More open area (thinner wire for a given aperture) increases capacity but wears faster.
Crimped mesh holds its aperture under vibration better than plain woven for coarse duty.
Allow for blinding and near-size particles when picking the cut-point aperture.
Stainless mesh resists corrosion for wet screening; galvanised or spring steel suits dry abrasive duty.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose the right screen mesh aperture?

Set the aperture to your cut point — the size at which material should pass or be retained. Allow a small margin for near-size particles and screen efficiency, since real screens never separate perfectly. For abrasive or coarse duty use heavier crimped mesh, and for fine grading use woven mesh sized to the upper limit of the fraction you want to produce.

What is the difference between crimped and woven screen mesh?

Crimped mesh has pre-formed crimps that lock the wires at each intersection, holding a stable aperture under heavy vibration — the standard for quarry and aggregate screens. Plain woven mesh has interlaced straight wires and suits finer sieving and grading. Use crimped for coarse, abrasive screening and woven for fine particle separation.

What mesh size screens 20mm aggregate?

To produce 20mm aggregate, screen on a deck with a 20mm aperture so material up to 20mm passes and larger pieces are retained on the deck above. Aggregate is normally graded across a series of decks (for example 40mm, 20mm, 10mm and 5mm) so each fraction is split out cleanly. Use heavy crimped mesh for this abrasive duty.

Why does my screen mesh keep blinding?

Blinding happens when near-size or sticky particles lodge in the openings and block them, cutting throughput. It is worse with damp material, flaky particles close to the aperture size, and insufficient vibration. Remedies include a slightly larger or different aperture shape, increased screen amplitude, self-cleaning screen designs, or drying the feed where moisture is the cause.

What wire mesh is best for a vibrating screen?

For most aggregate and quarry vibrating screens, heavy crimped wire mesh holds its aperture and resists wear and impact. Choose wire diameter to balance life against open area: thicker wire lasts longer but lowers throughput. Use stainless for wet or corrosive screening and spring steel or galvanised for dry abrasive duty.

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