Two rolls of the same 40 mesh can be very different cloth, and the weight is what separates them. The gsm is the mass of yarn in the square metre, so a 130 gsm net carries a heavier yarn than an 80 gsm one. The heavier cloth resists tearing on the frame, holds its shape over a season and lasts longer, and it costs more per roll. The lighter net is easier to handle, less expensive to buy and costs the crop less light, which is why it suits covers that go up and come off. We run the range from 80 to 130 gsm and make to order between them.
Buyers often price an anti insect net on the mesh count alone and then find two quotations for a 40 mesh that are nowhere near each other. The difference is usually the weight. The mesh says which insects are stopped; the gsm says how much yarn is in the cloth, and that is what decides how it behaves on the frame.
Weight is yarn mass per square metre, and in an insect net it drives three things at once. A heavier cloth has thicker yarn crossing the openings, so it resists tearing at the fixings and holds its shape over a season instead of stretching saggy between the supports. It also lasts longer outdoors, because there is more material for the UV stabiliser to protect. What it does not do is let more light through: a heavier net of the same mesh takes slightly more light out of the crop and costs more per roll. So the choice is not which is better, it is which of those two you need for the cover in front of you.
The same cloth covers a greenhouse vent or side opening, an open field row on hoops and a low tunnel, and the weight is chosen for how much wind and handling the cover gets. Screens that stay up on a frame for years are usually specified heavier, while covers that go on and come off with the crop are often lighter because handling, not wind, is what wears them. Colour is a light decision rather than an insect one, and white or transparent is the usual specification over growing plants. Growers raising stock under the same netting often order a planting bag beside it, and the wider shade net range covers the grades where the crop needs shade rather than insect exclusion.
| Material | HDPE with UV stabilised yarn |
| Mesh | 40 x 25 as standard, other counts to order |
| Weight | 80 to 130 gsm |
| Width | Up to 5 m |
| Roll length | 30 m, 50 m and 100 m |
| Colour | White or transparent |
| Working life | 5 years |
| MOQ | 5000 m2 |
If the net is going onto a permanent frame and staying there through several seasons, the heavier end of the range is the one that pays for itself, because it is the fixings and the wind that destroy a screen and a heavier cloth spreads that load better. If the cover is seasonal, moved between crops, or the buyer is working to a price, the lighter end does the same insect job for less money and is easier to pull over a hoop. Most enquiries settle on the middle. Tell us the frame, the wind exposure and how long the net stays up and we will confirm the weight. Where the job is shade rather than insect exclusion, a knitted monofilament net is the better fit.
Mesh count, weight, width, roll length and colour are all made to order, and the standard minimum order quantity is 5000 m2. Rolls ship in one strong polybag with a label, in 30 m, 50 m and 100 m lengths as the usual options. It is worth putting the gsm on the enquiry even if you are not sure of the exact figure, because a quotation without it cannot be compared with another supplier. Buyers tracking what is going into vegetable cropping can follow trade coverage such as HortiDaily and FreshPlaza for what growers are installing.
Does a heavier net block more light?
Slightly, because there is more yarn across the same mesh openings, but the effect is small beside the choice of colour. If light is the concern, tell us what you are covering and we will quote white or transparent with the weight that suits.
Which weight should I take for a permanent vent screen?
A screen that stays on a frame through several seasons is usually specified at the heavier end of the 80 to 130 gsm range, because wind and fixings wear a light cloth out first. Tell us the frame and the exposure and we will confirm the figure.
Can you supply a different weight from the same mesh?
Yes. The mesh and the gsm are quoted separately, so a 40 mesh can be made up lighter or heavier to your specification. Tell us the mesh, the weight and the roll size and we will quote it.
Tell us the mesh count, the weight you want to work to, and the span and roll length you buy in, and we will confirm the width, the roll sizes and the packing that suit your order.
Mark Wu, Co-founder & Technical Director, Sichuan Zhifang Net Industry. 15 years manufacturing agricultural nettings for growers in 32 countries.
