Wire Mesh Calculator
How many sheets of welded wire mesh a slab takes, laid out in rows with the lap and edge cover from your drawings.
Result
Buy 5 sheetsEstimate
Whole rows of sheets, rounded up after any allowanceNo extra is added by default. Sheets are counted as whole rows, laps included.
- Sheets along the slab length
- 5
- Rows across the slab width
- 1
- Area to reinforce
- 200 ft² (18.58 m²)
- Mesh bought
- 250 ft² (23.23 m²)Estimate
https://calcgallery.com/concrete/wire-mesh-calculator/
Results are estimates for planning only. Actual needs vary with site conditions, products and workmanship. Always confirm quantities with your supplier and follow local building codes and manufacturer instructions. Read the full disclaimer
How to use the Wire Mesh Calculator
- Enter the slab length and width, and the edge cover if your drawings hold the mesh back from the edges.
- Enter the sheet size you can buy and the lap your drawings specify.
- Leave the layout on whichever way uses fewer sheets, or choose which way the sheets run.
- Read the sheets to buy, and how many run along the slab and across it.
How it is calculated
Along each side of the slab, sheets overlap by the lap, so each sheet after the first adds its length less one lap:
covered side = slab side − 2 × edge coversheets along = 1 if the side fits one sheet = ⌈(side − lap) ÷ (sheet side − lap)⌉ otherwisetotal sheets = ⌈along × across × (1 + allowance)⌉The first sheet covers a full sheet length, and every sheet after it adds the sheet length minus the lap. No lap is charged at the slab’s own edges.
On site
Mesh only works where the concrete holds it, so it is supported on chairs or blocks at the height the drawings show rather than pulled up during the pour. Tie the laps, keep the cover the drawings ask for, and cut sheets back from edges and openings as specified. This page counts material; it does not decide whether a slab needs mesh, what gauge or spacing to use, or where the laps go, which depend on the design and local codes.
With your numbers
- Each row: n sheets with a 6 in lap cover n × sheet − (n − 1) × lap
- 5 along × 1 across = 5
- Sheets to buy = 5
Quick reference
No extra is added by default. Sheets are counted as whole rows, laps included.
| Job | Sheets to buy |
|---|---|
| 20 × 10 ft slab | 5 |
| 20 × 10 ft, sheet length along | 9 |
| 24 × 24 ft garage, 2 in cover | 18 |
| 30 × 20 ft, 8 in lap | 20 |
| 40 × 12 ft driveway, 8 × 20 ft sheets | 6 |
| 6 × 3 m slab | 3 |
| 8 × 4 m slab | 4 |
Common questions about the Wire Mesh Calculator
- How many 5 × 10 foot sheets of wire mesh do I need for a 20 × 10 foot slab?
- With a 6 inch lap, 5 if the sheets run across the slab: five sheets side by side, each spanning the full 10 foot width. Laid the other way, 10 foot lengths along the slab, it takes 3 along and 3 across, 9 sheets. The page tries both and shows the smaller.
- Why not just divide the slab area by the sheet area?
- Sheets are laid in whole rows. A slab slightly wider than one sheet needs a whole second row, and dividing areas hides that. For the 20 × 10 foot slab, area division says 5 sheets whichever way round, but the long-side-along layout actually needs 9.
- How much should sheets overlap?
- Use the lap on your drawings or from your engineer. Lap requirements for welded wire reinforcement depend on the wire spacing, the design and the code that applies, which vary. This page counts the lap you enter and does not choose one.
- Does this cover rolls of mesh?
- No. Rolls are cut to length on site, so the question is the total length of roll, not how many whole pieces are laid. This page counts flat sheets.