Diameter and tolerance class
Diameter variation can affect woven aperture, knitted-pad weight and spring dimensions. State nominal diameter, required tolerance and whether it is a wire requirement or a finished-part requirement.
dwg AVX-1809 · Products
Alloy wire
Every micron engineered. Every millisecond protected.
Definition
Alloy wire is stainless or higher-alloy wire drawn through dies to a defined diameter. It is supplied on spools, in coils or cut to length for weaving, knitting, spring coiling, welding and fabrication. Grade, diameter tolerance, temper and surface condition define the specification. Cold work and intermediate annealing affect temper. Variation in diameter or temper and drawing residues can affect processing and cause wire breaks or rejected cloth, even where the grade is correct.
Also known as: stainless steel wire · drawn wire · spring wire · weaving wire · knitting wire · 316L wire supplier
Wire breaks on a loom, an underweight knitted pad or a spring that relaxes can have causes beyond the alloy grade. Diameter variation, a different temper between deliveries or drawing lubricant on the surface are possible factors. Check these properties alongside the material certificate.
We supply drawn stainless and higher-alloy wire on spools, in coils and cut to length. State diameter and tolerance class, temper, surface condition and spool dimensions. Include whether the wire will be woven, knitted or coiled so winding and payoff can be matched to the machine.
Traverse winding arranges the wire in ordered layers to support even payoff and reduce snagging between turns. Cut lengths are straightened to the length tolerance agreed at enquiry. Spools and coils are marked to keep grade, heat number and certificate traceable after unpacking. Availability and lead time are confirmed at quotation for stainless and nickel alloys.
Where it is used
- Warp and weft wire for woven mesh
- Knitting wire for demister pads and filter packs
- Spring coiling, wire forms, clips and rings
- Welded mesh, grids, cages and frames
- Cores, support cages and wound filter elements
- Tying, lacing and general fabrication work
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| ≈0.03–6.0 mm (common commercial range, not a norm-defined limit); finer and heavier per order | |
| ±1 % of nominal in the common range (approx. 0.2–3 mm); a wider percentage on finer wire, where the classes are absolute — EN 10218-2 / ASTM A555, closer on request | |
| soft annealed, half hard, hard (ASTM A580 / EN 10088-3); spring hard (EN 10270-3 / ASTM A313) | |
| ≈500 N/mm² soft annealed up to ≈2300 N/mm² spring hard in fine diameters; the ceiling falls steeply as diameter rises | |
| bright drawn, matte (drawing lubricant retained), annealed and pickled, or electropolished | |
| traverse-wound spools, typically ~2–500 kg; coils and rings; package agreed per order | |
| straightened and cut, typically ~100–4000 mm; length tolerance per order | |
| 1.4301/304, 1.4310/302, 1.4404/316L, 1.4541/321, 1.4571/316Ti, 1.4462 Duplex; nickel alloys per order | |
| EN 10204 3.1 on request; 3.2 by arrangement |
Values shown are standard industry ranges for drawn stainless and alloy wire — not a commitment and not a stock statement. The exact specification — diameter, tolerance class, temper, tensile range, surface condition and package — is confirmed per application after technical review, and availability and lead time are confirmed at quotation.
What to specify
Temper, not a hardness number
Soft-annealed wire is suited to forming and welding. Spring-hard wire provides spring properties but requires a suitable bend radius. Half-hard wire is an option for weaving; knitting generally uses soft-annealed wire to limit spring-back. State the operation so temper can be selected for weaving, knitting, coiling, bending or welding.
Surface condition
Bright drawn wire is clean and welds predictably. Matte wire still carries drawing lubricant, which runs better through some machines and counts as contamination in a food or vacuum duty. Electropolished is specified where cleanliness has to be demonstrable. Tell us what happens to the wire after us; welding, annealing, washing, product contact; and the surface follows from that.
Package, winding and payoff
State spool type and weight, bore and flange diameter, and whether traverse or random winding is required. Include payoff over the end or through a de-reeler. For coils and cut lengths, state coil diameter or cut length and tolerance.
Materials & variants
Standard in 304/304L and 316/316L, with 1.4310 (302) where spring properties matter. 321 and 316Ti cover the sensitisation window; Duplex 1.4462 where chloride resistance has to come with higher strength. Nickel alloys such as Inconel, Incoloy, Monel, Hastelloy and Nickel 201 are sourced per order rather than held as a general range, and the diameter and temper combinations obtainable in them are narrower than in stainless. Availability, obtainable diameter and lead time for the higher alloys are confirmed at quotation.
Frequently asked questions
What diameter tolerance can I hold on drawn wire?
Commonly ±1 % of nominal in the everyday range, roughly 0.2-3 mm. On finer wire the standards work in absolute values, so the same tolerance reads as a larger percentage; EN 10218-2 and ASTM A555 set the classes. Closer classes exist and cost more, so ask for a tight tolerance where it does work: a cloth woven to a micron rating and a coiled spring need it, a tying wire does not. Say whether the tolerance applies to the wire as delivered or to the part it becomes; those are different requirements.
Which temper should I order for weaving or knitting?
Most weaving runs on soft annealed or half hard wire, depending on weave and wire diameter; the loom decides more than the cloth does. Knitting generally wants soft annealed, so the loop forms without spring-back. Coiling wants spring hard. If you are matching an existing process, send the wire you run now; a temper is easier to reproduce from a sample than from a description.
Does the alloy or the temper decide whether my wire runs?
For most weaving and knitting duties the temper and the diameter tolerance decide. The alloy governs how the finished part survives the medium it ends up in, which matters enormously; but a correctly chosen 316L wire in the wrong temper breaks on the machine long before it ever sees the process. Specify both, and treat the temper as a machine requirement rather than a metallurgical footnote.
What is traverse winding and why does it matter?
Traverse winding lays the wire side by side across the spool in ordered layers instead of dropping it on at random. It pays off smoothly, without a turn trapping under a crossed one and snatching. On fine wire at speed, that difference is a full spool versus a stoppage every few hundred metres. State the winding your machine expects and the payoff direction with it.
Bright drawn or matte; which surface should I specify?
Bright drawn where the wire is welded, stays visible or goes into a clean duty. Matte where the residual drawing lubricant helps the wire run through guides and dies and the part is washed afterwards. If the wire ends up in food, pharmaceutical or vacuum service, say so at RFQ: that usually rules out matte and may point to an electropolished surface.
Can you supply wire cut to length instead of on a spool?
Yes. Straightened cut lengths are supplied with the cut length and the straightness tolerance both stated at RFQ; they are separate requirements and normally only one of them gets specified. Give the length, the quantity per length, and whether the ends must be square-cut or deburred.
Do you supply material certificates for wire?
EN 10204 3.1 on request, traceable to the heat. 3.2, with third-party endorsement, by arrangement. Ask for the level at RFQ: the certificate is issued with the material, and adding it once the wire has shipped is rarely possible.
What data do you need for a quotation?
Diameter and tolerance, grade or the duty that decides it, temper, surface condition, the package with spool bore and flange size, quantity in kilograms, and the certificate level. A sample of the wire you run now; or the label off the last spool; answers most of that in one go and removes a round of questions before you get a price.
RFQ
Send a drawing or ask us to help create one.
Share your specifications, sketch or description using this form. You will receive a personal response within two business days.