What gauge is black annealed wire?
black annealed wire is a low-carbon steel wire treated by annealing process, and its core difference is reflected in the wire diameter (corresponding to the "wire number"). The flexibility, strength, and applicable scenarios of different specifications vary significantly.
1、 Ultra fine specifications (0.17mm -0.35mm/38 # -30 #)
Core features: Extremely slim, lightweight, highly flexible, can be repeatedly bent and not easily broken, can be easily cut with ordinary scissors; After annealing, the surface has a slight roughness and basic adhesion, suitable for fine operation.
Typical application scenarios:
Micro craftsmanship and jewelry: As the internal skeleton of mini clay figurines, the supporting structure for miniature models (such as building sand tables and scene models), or as a fixed accessory for weaving small Metal Wire pendants and bead jewelry, it can accurately shape complex and exquisite forms.
Electronic and toy accessories: used in the assembly of small electronic components to fix micro capacitors, resistors, and other parts; In the production of mini plastic toys, as a hidden connector, it avoids damaging fragile plastic parts while ensuring assembly stability.
Fine mesh production: woven into ultra-fine steel wire mesh, used for screening fine powders such as flour and cosmetic pigments, or as a protective net for precision instruments such as camera lenses and optical equipment, balancing transparency and protection.
2、 Fine specifications (0.40mm -0.60mm/28 # -24 #)
Core features: Balance flexibility and mild tensile strength, can be operated by hand, and is not easily brittle or broken; Low cost, suitable for small batch, low load temporary or short-term use scenarios.
Typical application scenarios:
Household daily use: Used for organizing messy data cables, charging cables, steel bundling wire and storing clothing, bedding and other household items on the desktop; Fixed vine branches for balcony potted plants, or temporarily repaired damaged wicker baskets or storage baskets.
Light agriculture scenario: In vegetable cultivation, fixing the stems of seedlings such as tomatoes and cucumbers to prevent young branches from being blown away by the wind; After harvesting small batches of fruits and vegetables, bundle 2-3 strawberries, cherry tomatoes, etc., and make exquisite small gift packages.
Easy Handcraft and Packaging: Wrapped around the surface of gift boxes and holiday gift boxes for decoration, or twisted into simple shapes such as stars and leaves, used for DIY holiday decorations such as Christmas wreaths and Easter egg baskets; It can also be used as a three-dimensional decorative skeleton for handmade greeting cards.
3、 Medium size (0.70mm -1.00mm/22 # -20 #) [Market bestseller]
Core features: The "versatile" black annealed wire that can be bent by hand without the need for professional tools, and has sufficient strength to withstand moderate loads; Extremely cost-effective, accounting for over 60% of market sales, with the widest range of adaptation scenarios.
Typical application scenarios:
Lightweight construction work: Reinforcement binding for residential floor slabs and indoor walls is preferred. Among them, 20 # (0.9mm) and 21 # (0.8mm) have moderate strength and can firmly fix reinforcement nodes without affecting the structural stability after concrete pouring; When renovating indoor walls, it is used to fix glass wool insulation mesh and lightweight steel wire mesh to help the insulation layer tightly bond with the wall.
Small and medium-sized craftsmanship and decoration: making iron crafts such as desktop flower stands, metal wire photo frames, and courtyard lantern skeletons, which can easily bend into curved or right angled shapes, and the surface is easy to paint, which can be matched with different styles of decorative scenes; It is also used to weave mesh for small pet cages, such as hamster cages and birdcages.
Agricultural batch scenario: Small and medium-sized farms are used to bundle harvested wheat and rice straw, or fix fruit tree branches (such as apple and pear trees) to guide directional growth of branches; As a skeleton support for small seedling greenhouses, the cost is much lower than that of steel pipes, making it suitable for short-term seedling cultivation.
4、 Medium and coarse specifications (1.20mm -1.60mm/18 # -16 #)
Core features: significantly improved tensile strength, requiring pliers to assist in bending, strong load capacity; Compared to galvanized wire of the same thickness, it has a price advantage and is suitable for medium load scenarios.
Typical application scenarios:
Heavy duty operations in construction: used for tying coarse steel bars in building columns, basement foundations, and other parts, capable of withstanding heavier steel bar weights; Heavy metal mesh (such as steel mesh) used for fixing exterior wall plastering, resisting the weight of wet mortar and preventing deformation and detachment of mesh sheets; Temporary fixing of safety nets for scaffolding can also enhance construction safety.
Industrial auxiliary use: bundling small hardware parts such as nuts and bolts in factories for easy storage and transportation; When assembling small machinery, it is used as a temporary positioning component (such as aligning gears and bearing positions) and removed after welding or bolt fixation; It is also used to make semi-finished frameworks for small hardware accessories, such as hooks and bracket blanks.
Logistics packaging reinforcement: Wrap around the outer edge of cardboard boxes loaded with heavy parts (such as small motors and automotive parts) to prevent damage to the cardboard boxes during transportation; Secure lightweight goods (such as plastic pipes and PVC profiles) onto logistics pallets to prevent them from sliding or tipping over.
5、 Coarse specifications (2.00mm -2.80mm/14 # -12 #)
Core features: high strength, strong rigidity, requiring steel wire cutters or electric tools for cutting and bending; Suitable for short-term heavy load scenarios, as rust prevention treatment has not been carried out, it is not recommended to use it outdoors for a long time (as it is prone to rusting).
Typical application scenarios:
Heavy duty construction: In large-scale building construction, temporarily fix giant formwork (such as concrete formwork for bridges and factories) to ensure stable formwork position during pouring; Strengthen temporary support structures (such as full frame structures used for construction) to enhance overall load-bearing capacity; Wrap and protect large pipeline interfaces (such as water and gas pipelines) to prevent damage from collisions during construction.
Industrial heavy load scenario: bundling small and medium-sized metal workpieces (such as steel sheets and castings) in the heat treatment workshop, fixing the workpiece position during high-temperature heating and cooling processes to prevent deformation; Produce the skeleton of heavy-duty hardware mesh (such as factory fence protective net, equipment protective fence), balancing strength and cost.
Heavy duty agricultural scenarios: Large farms bundle thick crop straw (such as corn stalks and sorghum stalks), or fix the main support skeleton of greenhouses (using steel pipes to reduce costs); Fix the thick and sturdy branches of adult fruit trees in the orchard, correct the tree shape, and prevent the branches from being crushed by the fruits.
6、 Extra coarse specifications (3.00mm -4.50mm/10 # -5 #)
Core features: extremely high strength, high hardness, requiring professional power tool processing; The strongest load-bearing capacity, suitable for short-term high-intensity and heavy load scenarios, mostly used as temporary auxiliary structural components.
Typical application scenarios:
Temporary reinforcement of large-scale projects: Temporary fixation of prefabricated components (such as box girders and T-beams) during bridge construction, or reinforcement of key nodes of construction scaffolding; Temporary protective barriers should be built at mining and infrastructure construction sites (such as around deep foundation pits) to prevent accidental collisions of heavy equipment.
Heavy industrial assistance: temporary support for equipment casings and components (such as large motor casings) during heavy machinery maintenance; Make heavy-duty packaging frames (such as fixing large machine tool parts, cast steel parts) to ensure that core components are not damaged during transportation.
