Buyers comparing aluminium shade cloth often ask for a roll, and then ask whether it arrives ready to hang. That second question decides the job. This net is supplied as a finished piece: welded edges, metal eyelets set at regular spacing, and a size cut to the structure it is going over. The aluminium strips reflect a large share of the incoming radiation, rated at 95 per cent shading, and the same foil face that reflects light in summer also holds warmth in winter. Measured against a bare greenhouse, the saving is put at around 30 per cent. It is the same fabric whether it is sold by the metre or made up.
The quotation is for aluminium shade cloth by the roll, and the follow-up question is always the same: does it come with eyelets? That detail changes what has to happen on site. A roll arrives as fabric and has to be edged, punched and framed before it does anything. A finished net goes straight up.
This product ships in the made-up form. The perimeter is welded rather than hemmed with a seam, so the edge does not fray when the net is tensioned, and metal eyelets are set at regular intervals along the long sides. The size is cut to the bay or the framework it is going over, which removes the trimming step and the waste that comes with it.
The distinction matters most on a retrofit. Where a house already has wires or a rail system, a finished net can be hung in an afternoon. The same job with a raw roll normally needs a run to a workshop first. On a larger project that is a schedule item, not a detail.
The foil strips reflect the greater part of the radiation that reaches them instead of absorbing and re-emitting it. In practice that pulls the peak air temperature under the net down and takes the worst of the load off whatever ventilation the house runs. Reducing the load at the screen costs less than adding fan capacity to handle it.
The same reflective face works in the cold months, because it holds long-wave radiation inside rather than letting it escape through the roof. That is where the energy figure comes from: measured against an unscreened house, the reduction runs to roughly 30 per cent. It is a screen doing two jobs, which is why the same specification is ordered for summer cooling and winter retention.
| Material | Aluminium foil strips combined with transparent film |
| Shading rate | 95% standard, other rates to order |
| Energy saving | About 30% against an unscreened house |
| Form | Made up with welded edges and metal eyelets, or by the roll |
| Size | Cut to the bay or framework you specify |
| Applications | Greenhouse, outdoor shade, nursery, crop rows |
| Model | ASN-003 |
| Packing | PE bag or woven bale, customised on request |
Send the internal width of the bay, the length of the run and the fixing you already have, whether that is wire, rail or a frame. We will set the eyelet spacing to match, so the net tensions evenly rather than sagging between fixing points and catching wind.
Where a house runs this screen through the hot and cold ends of the year, the felt edge lasts longer if it is stored rolled when not in use. Growers who run container crops underneath usually pair it with a planting bag, and the wider shade net range covers knitted and reflective types as well. The energy-saving screen and the closed-weave version are usually stocked together for a full season.
The failure point on a foil net is the bond between the aluminium strip and the film it is laminated to, and it shows up first along the fold lines after a season of being rolled and unrolled. Our screens go through the same five in-house checks as the rest of the range, ageing and tensile included, before a piece is packed.
We have been making agricultural netting since 2011, in a plant of close to 10,000 square metres with more than 50 machines. Greenhouse practice is covered in the trade press, including the reporting at Greenhouse Grower trade magazine and the guidance published by the FAO protected cultivation guidance. Company background sits on our about page.
Does the net come made up or by the roll?
Both. Tell us the bay size and the fixing, and it arrives edged and eyeleted to fit. If you prefer to do the framing yourself, we supply it by the running metre.
Is 95% too dark for a greenhouse?
It suits houses that struggle with peak heat or that need warmth retained in winter. For a crop that needs light to size and colour, a lower rate is usually the better choice; we will say which we would ship once we know the crop.
What does the 30% energy figure mean?
It is the reduction measured against an unscreened house of the same construction, and it holds in both directions: less heat gain in summer and less heat loss in winter.
How long does the foil last?
The foil face and the film are UV stabilised, and the working life turns mainly on how the net is stored between seasons and how it is tensioned. Send the site conditions and we will confirm the specification.
Send the bay size, the crop and your fixing method, and we will confirm the shading rate, the eyelet spacing and the make-up that suit the job.
Mark Wu, Co-founder & Technical Director, Sichuan Zhifang Net Industry. 15 years manufacturing agricultural nettings for growers in 32 countries.
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