Wire Mesh Calculator
A 6 m by 4 m slab needs 3 sheets of 4.8 m by 2.4 m mesh when the lap is 200 mm. Turned the other way, the same slab needs 4 sheets.
Last updated . The sheet and the lap are planning defaults. Change them to the sheet you are buying.
Count wire mesh sheets for a rectangular slab. The first sheet covers its full size. Each extra sheet adds the sheet side minus the lap. The count uses whole sheets and does not reuse offcuts on the next row.
Slab volume is on the concrete slab calculator. Bar weight is on the rebar calculator. Other steel shapes are on the steel weight calculator. Which of those bars is a #4 and which is 12 mm, and how a plan spacing becomes a count, is the rebar sizes chart.
Mesh sheets
The 4.8 m × 2.4 m sheet and the 200 mm lap are planning defaults, not a code spacing. The same lap is used on both edges. A sheet has to be longer than the lap.
Results
How the sheet count works
Along one side, one sheet is enough when the slab side is no longer than the sheet. When the slab is longer, the number of sheets is 1 plus the leftover divided by (sheet − lap), rounded up. The leftover is the slab side minus one full sheet. A 6.00 m side with a 2.40 m sheet and a 0.20 m lap has 3.60 m left, and 3.60 ÷ 2.20 = 1.64, so that side needs 3 sheets.
Dividing the slab by (sheet − lap) from the start would charge a lap on the last sheet as well. A 4.80 m slab and a 4.80 m sheet with a 200 mm lap would come out as 2 sheets that way. It is one sheet. This tool does not do that. The same lap is applied to both edges. If the end lap and the side lap differ, type the overlap you want to check, then check the other one.
Worked example
Leave the slab at 6 m by 4 m, the sheet at 4.8 m by 2.4 m, and the lap at 200 mm. Sheets to order reads 3. The other direction reads 4. Slab area reads 24.00 m². Sheet area ordered reads 34.56 m². The note runs the 2.40 m sheet side along the 6.00 m slab side.
Frequently asked questions
How many mesh sheets does a 6 m by 4 m slab need?
Leave the slab at 6 m by 4 m, the sheet at 4.8 m by 2.4 m, and the lap at 200 mm. Order 3 sheets. Run the 2.40 m sheet side along the 6.00 m slab side (3 sheets) and the 4.80 m sheet side along the 4.00 m slab side (1 sheet). The other rotation needs 4 sheets. The slab is 24.00 m² and the 3 sheets are 34.56 m².
How is the lap counted?
The first sheet covers its full size. Each extra sheet adds the sheet side minus the lap. A 6.00 m side with a 2.40 m sheet and a 0.20 m lap needs (6.00 − 2.40) ÷ 2.20 = 1.64 more sheets, which rounds up to 2, plus the first sheet, 3. The lap is not subtracted from the last sheet and then run past the edge. A slab side that matches the sheet, 4.80 m of slab and a 4.80 m sheet, is 1 sheet even with a 200 mm lap.
What if the sheets are turned the other way?
The panel shows both rotations and orders the smaller count. On the 6 m by 4 m slab, putting the 4.80 m side along the 6 m side takes 2 sheets that way and 2 sheets the other way, 4 sheets total. Turning the sheet so the 2.40 m side runs along the 6 m side takes 3. Order 3.
What sheet size should I start with?
The form opens on 4.8 m by 2.4 m with a 200 mm lap. Those are planning defaults for a common welded-fabric sheet, not a code spacing and not a claim about the roll or sheet your yard stocks. Change both sheet sides and the lap. A 20 ft by 24 ft slab with 8 ft by 20 ft sheets and a 6 inch lap orders 4 sheets. The other rotation orders 6.
Does this calculator include the weight of the wire?
No. It counts sheets, the slab area, and the area of the sheets you order. It does not pick a wire gauge or a grid spacing. Bar weight is the rebar calculator. Plate, pipe, and beam weight are the steel weight calculator. Both of those start from 7,850 kg/m³ for carbon steel.
Can I reuse an offcut on the next row?
Not in this count. A row that needs 3 sheets uses 3 full sheets, even when the last sheet is mostly offcut. The 6 m by 4 m example orders 34.56 m² of sheet for a 24.00 m² slab. Some of that extra is the lap, and some is the unused end of a sheet.
Where do I get the concrete volume?
The slab calculator and the concrete calculator weigh the pour. This page does not. A 6 m by 4 m area is the mesh example only. Bag counts for premixed concrete are the concrete bag calculator. The 200 mm lap is an overlap you can edit. It is not a cover requirement or a bar spacing.