Bond The solid intersection of two strands.

SWD Nominal dimension, Short Way of Diamond

LWD Nominal dimension, Long Way of Diamond

Design Size Actual dimension SWD and LWD. Measured form a point to a corresponding point on the adjacent diamond.

SWO Short Way of Opening

LWO Long Way of Opening

Strands The sides of the expanded metal design.

Strand Thickness Thickness of the base metal.

Strand Width Amount of material fed under dies to produce one strand.

Diamonds Open area of metal after expanding

EDGE CONFIGURATION Condition of edge of an expanded metal sheet. Usually refers to "open" (random) or "closed" (bonded) diamond edges produced from shearing.

Flattened (abbreviated F) Expanded metal that has been cold-rolled after expansion to provide a smooth, flat and level sheet. The flattening process reduces the original thickness of the base metal.

Grating Expanded metal that is produced from heavier plate, usually low-carbon steel, with larger diamonds. It is typically used for walkways and platforms.

Machine run Stock size pieces as manufactured (without being sheared to size).

Meshes A term used to describe special expanded metal products.

Shearing Cutting expanded metal to produce various sizes and shapes.

standard (abbreviated S) (Same as "Regular" or "Raised") Expanded metal as it comes from the press. The strands and bonds are set at a uniform angle to the plane of the sheet. This gives added strength and rigidity, as well as skid-resistant surface.

STYLE DESIGNATION FORMAT A combination of numbers, letters and abbreviations in a standard format permitting proper specification of dimension, thickness, style and weight of most commonly used expanded metal products (e.g. 3/4 #9, or 4.0 lb.)