When detailing ‘special’ mesh types it must be remembered that the production methods require large quantities to be made at a time.  It is not practical therefore to have ‘one-offs’.  Families of sheets should be grouped together to allow longer production runs.  For economy, it is often better to compromise rather than specify small quantities of ‘exact’ sizes.

The simplest ‘special’ is a sheet that fits exactly the requirements of the unit.  Another common case is to have a longer end dimension beyond the last cross-wire (sometimes called a ‘flying end’).  This allows lapping without increasing the overall layers/thickness.  To specify special sheets, a schedule should be produced as below.

The schedule should be discussed with reinforcement suppliers as soon as practical to allow them to check for practicality. With appropriate equipment, mesh can be bent into shapes allowing rapid fabrication of cages, but this needs careful attention to detail.  If a bend(s) is required then the shape should be sketched on the diagram.  It must be made clear which axis the bending take place on.  When checking bent shapes it must be remembered that cross wires prevent any significant overlap. It should also be remembered that bent mesh is a bulky item for transport since it is unlikely to nest.  In most cases it will be easier to have the bend as loose bars with the mesh attached as normal.

A further alternative to special meshes is to use a standard light mesh and attach further loose bars to it.  This is particularly useful when a lot of steel is required in one direction only, or in a limited area.  Lap details must be carefully considered.