| Term |
Description |
| Absolute Filter Rating |
Filter rating at 99% efficiency |
| Nominal Filter Rating |
Filter rating at 70-90% efficiency |
| Aperture |
Distance between wire threads, measured in microns or millimeters |
| Pitch |
Distance from centre to centre of wire threads |
| SWG |
Standard Wire Gauge (Imperial Measurement) |
| Imperial Mesh |
Number of apertures counted in a row, see mesh count above |
| Weft |
Wire threads running down the width of the roll |
| Warp |
Wire threads running down the length of the roll |
| Micron |
1/1000 of a millimetre |
| Open Area |
Percentage of free area in mesh or metal, see illiustration above |
| Blinding |
Blockage or restriction of the apertures of a sieve or filter by particles |
| Differential pressure |
Pressure ratio upstream and downstream from the filter |
| Dry screening |
Screening powdered materials without liquid |
| Mesh analysis |
Separation of a bulk material sample and analysis of particle size |
| Mesh counter |
Optical device used to establish mesh count |
| Mesh fineness |
Number of wires per inch (Imperial measure) |
| Mesh thickness |
Calculated according to wire diameter and mesh type |
| Service life |
Operational life of a screen/mesh until it requires replacement |
| Square weave mesh |
Mesh woven with wires spaced at a distance, giving open apertures |
| Twilled weave |
Mesh type giving small filter pores |