Mat Midwest 308200B Hardware Cloth, Galvanized

We built a new hen house for our 14 little spring pullets. The only thing more important than over-engineering the house was to make the run an absolute fortress.We wrapped this around the entire perimeter and buried it about 9" underground to prevent digging predators. Then before burying, we lined the inside ditch with rocks and placed pavers around the outside to say "no, really... keep out." We lined the roof so that flying predators can't get in. I've been checking our outdoor cameras for predators but none have come around so far.The only sane way to cut this is with tin snips while wearing leather gloves. If you're considering using pliers or wire-cutters, do yourself a favor and buy a cheap pair of tin snips scissors. I laid mine out on the ground with a lawn chair holding down the loose end from rolling back and slashing me in the face. Then I rolled it out to the right length and it cut as easy as denim!!! Seriously, tin snips:  BOSTITCH 14-255 10-Inch Aviation Snips, Straight The welds are just as strong you would expect them to be. Had to bash some parts of this with a hammer to squeeze it into places that were a fairly tight fit. It will flex and bend when you hit it, but I was unable to break it with a hammer. That encourages me to believe predators will have a rough time compromising my chicken fortress.After buying three giant rolls of this on Amazon, there is no way I would consider purchasing it at Orange Box store next time. I bought it there in the past. This stuff is of equal quality and significantly cheaper.

After receiving the hardware cloth I saw a comment on Amazon about lead being in this product. Before opening the roll I contacted Mat Midwest Air Tech to ask if they knew what the lead content was in their hardware cloth. They got back to me the following day stating the lead content in the hardware cloth was 620 ppm. I need a barrier at the bottom of my raised garden beds to keep the moles/voles from entering and eating the plants. This would have been suited the purpose, but I didn't want to contaminate the organic soil with more lead. Not knowing if 620 ppm would be safe to use, I found the following information online."Lead contaminated soil can pose a risk through direct ingestion, uptake in vegetable gardens, or tracking into homes.Uncontaminated soil contains lead concentrations less than 50 ppm but soil lead levels in many urban areas exceed 200 ppm. (AAP 1993)The EPA's standard for lead in bare soil in play areas is 400 ppm by weight and 1200 ppm for non-play areas. This regulation applies to cleanup projects using federal funds.The soil screening level Adobe PDF file [PDF - 1.43 MB]External Web Site Icon (SSL) for lead represents a conservative estimate for a level that would be protective of public health in residential soils based on an analysis of the direct ingestion pathway for children. This value is for guidance only and is not enforceable."For this reason the hardware cloth was returned.

I purchased this to use in rabbit cages. We stapled the wire to a two by four frame. It went together nicely. But in 4 months, the wires started coming apart. At first I thought the rabbits did it. I switched them out into other cages (made with wire from another source--same wire, same size etc) and they had no issues with the wire and those cages. As I was using this same roll to re-do the wire on these cages, the roll of wire started coming apart in my hands as I was again stapling to the 2 x 4's. It's not the rabbits tearing it up. The wire stinks. I purchased it because I thought it was a good deal. It was less expensive than Home Depot. All of the cages have come apart. Now I have to re-do them. It is less expensive but it doesn't last long either.

I have not built the chicken pen yet, so will add to my review when I do. One thing for sure. The price is the BEST there is out there. I have paid at least 25.00 more for the same size roll. So for the pric, I will give 5 stars, not to mention the speed of shipping. If quality lacks, I will let you know, but a visual of the roll looks solid. I might add, if you want your chickens to live, don't be fooled by 1 inch chicken wire. Lost 4 of my chickens to a weasel as it went right through. Thus, I am rewiring everything with the hardware cloth here, and don't want to lose any chicken again. Rule of thumb. If a hotdog can fit through a hole, a weasel easily can.

price was attractive but welds on screen wire are open throughout its length, every 3-8 ft. If the welds open during manufacture or shipping (?) they certainly aren't adequate for even minimally secure fencing. Never mind the appearance. There was no damage to the shipping carton I received or to the intact role once opened. This product doesn't meet the most minimal standards of manufacture or product description. It's junk.

I again went with cheap, as you get 50' for just a little more than a 25' roll cost at the local hardware store. Two issues: wire spacing along width is exact, but along length it is not exactly 1/2" so if you cut off 72 squares along the length the piece will not be square. For fencing, not an issue but if making stuff, like cages, it could be. All hardware cloth wants to curl, a bias due to being rolled tight, which can be unbent as it is unrolled using a roller to bend against the curl. This stuff, however, had a strong curl along the diagonal which was very difficult to partially unbend. Couldn't get a 3' x 3' reasonably flat piece no matter how much I tweaked it. This could be an annoying defect if not using for fencing. I made it work, but was annoyed. I'll have to get a roll made by someone else to see if the diagonal bias and inaccurate spacing is common.