Expanded Standard: What You Need to Know

When it comes to buying expanded metal products, how do you know you are getting what you pay for?

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If you bought a bag of sugar and got home to discover it was half filled with sawdust, you&#;d demand your money back and probably report the store to the authorities. If you ordered ¾ #9 standard expanded metal and it arrived in a different size or gauge, would you realize you had been cheated? Could you measure it to see if it conforms to the specification? Do you even know there is a specification?

Many service centers purchase and stock expanded metal sheet. The Expanded Metal Manufacturers Association continues to update and improve EMMA 557-20, the Standard for Expanded Metals. EMMA is working with the American Society of Testing Materials to assure that its specification, ASTM F--18 (), is also mathematically and physically accurate. Below is an introduction to both specs.

To identify the product, it helps to be familiar with some basic nomenclature. First, the &#;pattern&#; is determined by the user&#;s needs and is designated by the diamond size and the material thickness. Over time, industry practice has made some of these designations less accurate. For instance, ½ #13 (stated as &#;half thirteen&#;) has a half-inch opening and is made from 13-gauge steel. Conversely, ¾ #9 has an opening of 0.923 inch and is made from 10-gauge material.

Besides the pattern, users must consider whether they need &#;standard&#; (also called raised or regular) or &#;flattened&#; expanded metal. Raised material, with its multiple facets, is what comes out of the expanding press. Flattened material has been run through a cold mill. Standard material is often used for its traction, in a ladder or catwalk for example, while flattened material might be used for a grilling surface.

Finally, the sheet size must also be specified. Expanded products typically are produced in 4-by-8 sheets, but many sizes are available. Sheets also can be sheared to produce custom sizes.

To confirm that the product delivered is what was ordered, four dimensions can be measured (refer to standard graphic):

• Long Way of Diamond (LWD)&#;the nominal dimension measured from one point on a bond to that same point on the next bond.
• Short Way of Diamond (SWD)&#;the nominal measurement going the other direction.
• The Strand Width&#;the amount of metal fed under the dies to produce one strand.
• Strand Thickness&#;the thickness of the base metal.

Here&#;s the rub&#;the thickness of the material and the width of the strand can be varied to create slightly different openings. This is perfectly allowable since there is variation within gauges of base metals. As thicker material is used to produce a given product, the strand width can be reduced to compensate, thereby keeping the weight per square foot the same. The issue is that some producers may utilize thinner materials and still narrow the strand width, delivering an inferior product.

To protect themselves, buyers should take the following steps. First, order the material produced to EMMA 557-20 or ASTM F--18 () standards. Next, weigh the sheet. Standard weights are published per 100 square feet. On a buy of ½ #13 flat carbon steel, a 4-by-8 sheet should weigh 40.32 pounds, plus or minus 10 percent. If the sheet delivered weighs less than 36.29 pounds, the product is substandard. On grating products, which are typically load bearing, the allowed variation is limited to plus or minus 5 percent.

Specialty or made-to-order products are often produced to an engineering drawing rather than any specification. These are generally designed for a specific purpose and might be produced to meet some other, more important criteria, such as fitting into a jig. Manufacturers of shopping carts, lockers or furniture often have their own internal requirements for expanded metal. They may legitimately differ from the normal, pattern-sized sheets generally stocked and sold by metal service centers.

Measuring standard expanded metal can be tricky even for the most experienced warehouse person armed with good calipers. It&#;s critical to ensure that the measuring surfaces are flat with the plane being measured. Because of all the angles in expanded metal, getting into the diamond becomes an exercise in patience. To measure the strand thickness, the calipers must be flat against the thickness of the bond. Standard or raised expanded metal should not be reduced in thickness from the base metal from which it was made.  The complexity of measuring is why weighing the sample is a simple additional way to verifying the material meets the specification.

There are very few differences between the two expanded metal specifications. EMMA 557-20 does not require the accompaniment of a producing mill test report, whereas ASTM-F--18() does. Dimensionally, both specs are identical. Any producer can manufacture product that meets either of these specifications without being a member of the Expanded Metal Manufacturers Association or the American Society of Testing Materials. Nor does a company have to be a North American producer to meet these specifications. To protect themselves from receiving inferior products, service centers would be well advised to source expanded metal from suppliers, both domestic and foreign, that adhere to these standards.

The Expanded Metal Manufacturers Association (EMMA) is a division of the National Association of Architectural Metal Manufacturers (NAAMM), headquartered in Glen Ellyn, IL. The group&#;s mission is to promote the use of various architectural metal products through the development and distribution of technical standards. EMMA 557-20 is available on-line and can be downloaded at www.naamm.org/division/publications/4.

EMMA Members

Amico Expanded Metal, Birmingham, AL
: 205-307- Web: www.amicoglobal.com/expanded-metal/

Expanded Solutions, Oklahoma City, OK
: 405-946- Web: www.expandedsolutions.com

New Metals, Inc., San Antonio, TX
: 888-639- Web: www.newmetals.com

The company is the world’s best expanded metal supplier supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

Niles Expanded Metal, Niles, OH
: 800-321- Web: www.nilesexpandedmetals.com/

What are some factors you should consider before buying steel products?

1. Quality
2. Durability
3. Anti-corrosive properties
4. Purpose
5. Supplier

Not enough words can describe just how valuable steel is when it comes to many different kinds of endeavors. For the construction industry, this material has been utilized for the purposes of adding stability to virtually almost any kind of structure. This may be in the form of reinforced bars, or steel beams, just to name a few. In construction, as well as other kinds of industries, it&#;s important to determine the many things to consider in buying steel products.

Not all steel materials have been manufactured in conjunction with industry-grade practices. On the end of the manufacturer, they may utilize low-carbon steel which has lower tensile strength &#; meaning the material is more prone to different forms of warping and damage. On your end as a consumer, budget constraints might prevent you from purchasing a steel product whose qualities have been properly enhanced through different treatments. Read on to learn more about the various factors you have to consider when it comes to choosing steel.

Quality

The quality of the steel material is definitely a factor that you wouldn&#;t want to overlook. For whatever purpose you may use this material, a poorly-made steel product will only result in undesirable situations.

To give another example, when you&#;re choosing steel materials for piping installations, you have to ensure that the material won&#;t just suddenly become more prone to perforations or cracks. Aside from the steel pipe not being able to serve its purpose, &#; transporting fluids for purposes of ventilation &#; leakage might take place in the pipes, causing a potential explosion.

To avoid this, you have to make sure that the steel pipe is not haphazardly done. Whether you&#;re choosing seamless or seamed pipes, ensure that there are no irregularities in the shape of the material, which can be prone to breakage once subjected to the slightest bit of pressure.

Durability

In conjunction with the quality, you would also likely expect any steel product that you&#;ll purchase to provide the highest level of durability. Durable steel material can guarantee you that you won&#;t have to spend an unnecessary amount of money in simply having to constantly make repairs or changes to the material. On another note, this is also a way for you to ensure the safety of your surroundings.

Anti-corrosive properties

Not all kinds of steel have the same anti-corrosive properties. However, there are methods which can be undergone to increase this feature. In particular, galvanized steel, or steel which has been applied with a protective zinc coating, is typically more durable and stable compared to one which has not undergone the process.

Through galvanization, the ability of the steel product to withstand the changes caused by weathering is greatly enhanced. While you can always opt for stainless steel, which does not typically require galvanization, it can prove to be more expensive compared to galvanized steel.

Purpose

Before purchasing a steel product, you have to make sure that you already have a clear picture in your mind of the specific material which you want. You wouldn&#;t want to waste money on a material that does not do the job it&#;s meant for. On the other hand, you would also want to think about the long-term benefits of investing in a more expensive, yet more effective product.

To better illustrate this, picture a parking garage. While traditional steel beams may be used, you&#;d be better off considering the alternative, being castellated steel beams. They&#;re less expensive than the normal steel beams, but they&#;re more lightweight, durable, and are able to withstand the pressure created by carrying different loads.

Going back to piping installations, it would be more advantageous for you to purchase galvanized pipe fittings to go along with steel pipes. This further ensures that the entire material would be free from oxidation, which is not unacceptable in any process which involves the transmission of fluids.

Supplier

The supplier is also another important consideration in buying steel products. This is, after all, your main point of contact when it comes to any inquiries regarding your questions.

A good steel supplier would be able to satisfactorily answer any inquiries you may have about their products. More importantly, they should be run by a team of experts who understand the different processes involved in steel-making &#; galvanization, heat treatment, metal fabrication, and the like. If you&#;re not necessarily knowledgeable about this kind of material, your supplier would be able to help you out. Furthermore, they would also be able to make suggestions for you with regards to the most appropriate product to use and have these products available in their inventory.

Aside from all those attributes mentioned above, your steel supplier&#;s reputability is also important. A way for you to ensure this is to conduct research on what their other customers say about them. You could also check information regarding how many years they&#;ve been in the steel supplying industry for good measure.

Key Takeaway

The many properties of steel are one of the reasons why many industries make use of them. Of course, this would not be possible without having adequate knowledge of the things to consider in buying steel products.

When buying steel, make sure that its quality has met or exceeded industry standards. Steel should also be able to exhibit longevity, especially for high-power and high-impact uses in complex systems. Finally, you&#;d need to have a clear understanding of what purpose the material would be used for in order to create more cost-efficient solutions for you.

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