A monofilament net is knitted from single HDPE filaments rather than split tape, which changes how it behaves over a crop. The mesh stays flat and sheds rain instead of sagging between supports, and the single filaments give a more even shadow than tape netting does. This model runs from 40 to 99 per cent shading, in black, grey, blue or a colour matched to your order. Weights are set by GSM against what the crop needs. Sizes are cut to your bay or bed. The fabric carries UV stabiliser through the yarn, not as a surface coating.
Walk a vegetable block in July and the difference between two shade nets shows up in the crop before it shows up on paper. Tape netting sags into shallow troughs between the wires and drops a shadow with wide bands in it; the plants underneath grow uneven, with the rows under the bands behind the rows between them. A monofilament net holds its shape and spreads the shadow more evenly, which is the whole reason growers move to it once they see it side by side.
It is not a replacement for every net on the farm. Where the job is simply to knock the heat off a yard or cover a paddock at the lowest cost, split tape netting does that well and costs less. Monofilament earns its place where the crop is the priority: vegetable blocks, propagation, nursery beds and any house where an even shadow matters to grade and yield.
Two practical differences drive that. The flat knit sheds rain instead of holding it, so the net does not weigh down and pull at its fixings in a downpour. And the single filaments give a finer, more continuous mesh, so the light that gets through is spread across the bed rather than concentrated in gaps.
Shading percentage tells you how much light is blocked. It does not tell you how the remaining light is distributed, and that is where construction decides the result. A tape net leaves larger openings between warp and weft, which produces a striped shadow under the mesh. A monofilament knit breaks those openings up into a finer pattern, so a plant sitting under the net receives a steadier light level across the day.
The same knit affects airflow. A finer, open mesh lets air move through with less resistance, which keeps the humidity under the net closer to the open air. In still, humid seasons that is the difference between a crop that stays clean and one that needs extra ventilation.
| Material | HDPE monofilament, UV stabilised in the yarn |
| Construction | Knitted flat mesh |
| Shading rate | 40% to 99%, made to order |
| Colour | Black, grey, blue or customised |
| Weight | Set by GSM against the application |
| Guarantee | 500kly |
| Size | Cut to your bay, bed or roll length |
| Applications | Agriculture, horticulture, greenhouse, aquaculture |
| Model | ZF-SH003 |
| Packing | Roll in woven bag, customised packing on request |
Leafy crops and herbs generally want the higher end of the range, where the sun is strongest and leaf burn is the risk. Fruiting crops usually take a lighter rate, because the plant still needs light to size and colour the fruit. Nursery and propagation beds sit in between, and the rate is often split across the season rather than fixed.
Colour matters as much as percentage in some crops. Black gives the deepest shadow for a given rate, while grey and blue reflect more and can run cooler over a sensitive block. We keep the three as standard and cut other colours to order. A monofilament net is often run alongside a reflective screen on the same house, plain knit for the shoulders of the season and foil for the peak. The wider shade net range covers knitted, flat wire and reflective types, and growers who run nursery beds under either usually pair them with a planting bag.
UV performance is the number that decides how long a net lasts, and it depends on the stabiliser being worked into the yarn rather than applied to the surface. Surface treatments wash off in a season; the fabric then fails at the fold lines first. Our nets carry the stabiliser through the extrusion and go through the same five in-house checks as the rest of the range before packing.
We have been making agricultural netting since 2011, in a plant of close to 10,000 square metres with more than 50 machines. Shade specification for vegetable production is covered in the open literature, including the practical guidance at practical farm and crop guidance and the protected crop reporting at protected crop production reporting. Company background is on our about page.
Is monofilament worth the extra over tape netting?
On a crop where shadow evenness affects grade, yes. On a yard, a carport or a paddock cover, tape netting does the job for less and there is no reason to pay for the finer knit. Decide from what sits underneath the net.
Will the net sag after a season?
The flat knit sheds rain rather than holding it, which is the main cause of sagging between supports. Tension the net properly at installation and it holds its line. Roll-up systems should be set so the fabric is not stretched across a sharp frame edge.
What does the 500kly guarantee refer to?
It is the ultraviolet energy the fabric is rated to take before it starts to degrade. Virgin imported and domestic raw material, UV and anti-ageing additives worked into the yarn, then a shaping treatment.
Can I get a colour matched to my order?
Yes. Black, grey and blue are standard, and other colours are made to order against a sample. Colour and shading rate are quoted together, since the two interact.
Send us the crop, the bay size and your summer temperature range, and we will confirm the shading rate and colour that suit the block.
Mark Wu, Co-founder & Technical Director, Sichuan Zhifang Net Industry. 15 years manufacturing agricultural nettings for growers in 32 countries.
Running a monofilament net on your block? Leave a review below and tell other growers how it changed the crop under it.
