Wire rod is the starting point for almost every steel wire product. It arrives from the rolling mill as 5.5 mm to 12 mm coil with a dark, scaled surface. On its own it is used for light reinforcement and fabrication; drawn down, it becomes the wire behind nails, mesh, fencing, binding and fasteners.
Because the drawing happens at our own works, we decide the number of passes and the finish ourselves. That is how we hold a gauge steady from the first coil of an order to the last, and how we can draw a size that a stockist would not have on the shelf.
Hot rolled low carbon wire rod in coils, supplied as rolled or as feedstock for your own drawing, nail and mesh machines.
Wire drawn cold from rod without annealing, so it keeps the strength and bright, clean surface that drawing gives it. The standard feed for nail making machines.
Drawn wire with a hot dip zinc coat that protects it against rust outdoors. Used where wire is exposed to rain and soil.
Drawn wire softened by annealing so that it bends and twists by hand without cracking. The everyday tie wire of building sites.
Standard Wire Gauge sizes with the mass of mild steel wire at each size, so you can estimate how many metres of wire a tonne will give you. Figures are calculated for steel at 7,850 kg/m³.
| SWG | Diameter (mm) | kg per 100 m | Metres per tonne |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 4.877 | 14.66 | 6,819 |
| 8 | 4.064 | 10.18 | 9,820 |
| 10 | 3.251 | 6.52 | 15,346 |
| 11 | 2.946 | 5.35 | 18,688 |
| 12 | 2.642 | 4.30 | 23,237 |
| 13 | 2.337 | 3.37 | 29,698 |
| 14 | 2.032 | 2.55 | 39,282 |
| 16 | 1.626 | 1.63 | 61,348 |
| 18 | 1.219 | 0.92 | 109,152 |
| 20 | 0.914 | 0.52 | 194,154 |
| Finish | Best for |
|---|---|
| Black (as rolled rod) | Further drawing, nail making, light reinforcement |
| Bright (HB) | Nails, mesh and parts that need strength and a clean surface |
| Annealed | Binding and tying, where the wire must bend by hand |
| Galvanised | Fencing and anything left outdoors |
Tell us the gauge, finish, coil weight and tonnage. We will come back with price and delivery.
