Steel Matting, the Philippine Way of Buying It
Walk into a hardware store in Manila or Cebu and ask for welded wire mesh, and you will get a blank look. Ask for steel matting and the attendant starts quoting: two-by-two, one-by-one, gauge sixteen. That is the local language for this product - openings in inches, wire in BWG gauge - and it is why we quote for the Philippine market in exactly those terms. No conversion arguments, no re-milling an order because "3 mm" meant something different on each side.
What makes matting such a staple in the Philippines is that it is a two-duty material there. The same 2"×2" mesh that goes into a concrete slab on Monday goes up as perimeter fence backing on Saturday - stretched on hollow block walls, fixed behind decorative masonry, framed into gates, used as the backbone of window burglar guards. Backyard poultry runs are a market of their own: finer mesh, half-inch openings, enough of it that poultry supply dealers order it by the container. A supplier who understands both duties, and stocks the gauge ranges each one needs, saves the buyer a second sourcing exercise.
On what the product physically is and how it is made - black low-carbon wire, straightened, resistance-welded at every crossing, then galvanized - the details are on our galvanized welded wire mesh page, and on the term itself and its reinforcement use, our construction steel matting page. This page sticks to what is specific to buying it for the Philippines.
Sizes Supplied in Local Terms
|
Opening (inches) |
Metric |
Wire (BWG) |
Typical PH Use |
|
2" × 2" |
50.8 × 50.8 mm |
12 – 16 |
Slabs, fence backing, gates |
|
1" × 2" |
25.4 × 50.8 mm |
14 – 16 |
Window guards, railings |
|
1" × 1" |
25.4 × 25.4 mm |
16 – 19 |
Poultry runs, security mesh |
|
1/2" × 1/2" |
12.7 × 12.7 mm |
19 – 23 |
Chicks, small birds, screens |
|
1/4" × 1/4" |
6.4 × 6.4 mm |
22 – 24 |
Fine screening, filters |
Full range runs from 1/4" to 2" openings - including intermediate sizes like 3/8", 5/8", 3/4" and 1-1/2" - with rectangular cuts such as 1"×2" available on request. Standard rolls are 30 m long and 0.5–2.0 m wide, packed in waterproof paper for container shipping. The table above is the short list; if the size you buy is not on it, send us the inches-and-gauge specification you use locally and we will quote it the same way.
Climate Decides the Coating - and the Ports Decide the Packing
The Philippines is hard on thin zinc. Heat, humidity, and salt air within kilometers of any coastline make short work of electro-galvanized (cold-plated) mesh - indoors it survives, outdoors in coastal exposure it can start showing red within a couple of wet seasons. Our straight advice for PH fencing and exterior use: pay the difference and specify hot-dip galvanized after welding, where the whole mat passes through the zinc kettle and the weld points are sealed, not scorched bare. Save the electro-galvanized option for interior screening and cage work where the price matters more than the years.
For slab work, the same site rules apply anywhere - mats lifted onto chairs, lapped one full opening, tied off - and those are covered properly on our steel matting page rather than repeated here. What is specific to shipping is the container plan: matting rolls pack dense, so a 20 ft container to Manila or Cebu can carry a mixed load - coarse mesh for fencing, fine mesh for poultry, a few pallets of panels if a project needs them - at a freight cost per roll that keeps the landed price competitive with local re-rollers. Waterproof paper packing is standard; for damp-season discharge at port, we can add an inner moisture barrier layer on request.
One last local habit worth knowing: when a PH buyer says "matting price", the comparison is per roll or per sheet, landed, not per kilogram. Send us your usual roll specification and destination port and we will quote in the same shape - the number you can put beside your current supplier's without doing arithmetic.
Product Details
Application
FAQ
Which size is most used in the Philippines?
For fencing and slab reinforcement, 2"×2" in BWG 12–16 is the workhorse. Window and security work runs 1"×2" or 1"×1". Poultry is the exception - half-inch mesh keeps day-old chicks in and rats out, and it moves in serious volume.
Electro-galvanized or hot-dip for Philippine weather?
Outdoors, near the coast, or anywhere the mesh will be wet half the year: hot-dip, without much discussion. Interior cages, dry storage, screens: electro-galvanized keeps the price down and will hold up fine. The cost gap is real but so is the difference two typhoon seasons make.
Can I use matting as a standalone perimeter fence?
Not on its own - it needs something to carry it. The common PH pattern is matting fixed to a hollow block wall as a height extension, or stretched between steel posts with a frame. For a complete fence product, see our fence panel ranges; matting is the mesh that fills frames, not the fence itself.
Do you quote per roll or per kilogram?
Per roll, FOB or CFR to your port, whichever matches how you buy today. Metric ton pricing is available for bulk orders. The most useful thing you can send us is your current roll specification - opening, gauge, width, length - so the comparison with your existing supplier is direct.
What is the minimum order for shipping to Manila or Cebu?
Practically, one 20 ft container - below that, freight per roll stops making sense. Mixed specifications in the same container are normal. Lead time runs 8–14 days from deposit for standard sizes; tell us your discharge schedule and we will work backwards from it.
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