Galvanized Wire

What is galvanized wire and where is it used?

Galvanized wire is plain steel wire, drawn down from wire rod and coated with zinc. The zinc layer cuts off contact between the steel and air or moisture, holding off rust; that makes it the standard material for anything left outdoors. It is sold by weight, not by the metre — the point buyers most often confuse when they compare prices.

We stock galvanized wire in 2.0 mm, 2.5 mm and 3.0 mm. Its commonest uses are line wire and tie wire on fence runs, chain link fence and welded wire mesh production, vineyard trellis systems, greenhouse frame connections, baling and packaging ties, and general fabrication work.

Technical specifications

The table weights are approximate, calculated from the density of steel; production tolerances allow small deviations.

How many kilos should I order? Working metres into kilos

With wire sold by weight, the buyer’s first question is always the same: "I need 500 metres, so how many kilos?" One formula answers it. The weight per metre of steel wire is the diameter squared divided by 162:

• Kilos per metre = diameter (mm) × diameter (mm) ÷ 162
• Metres per kilo = 162 ÷ (diameter × diameter)

So one kilo gives you about 40 metres in 2.0 mm, 26 metres in 2.5 mm and 18 metres in 3.0 mm.

Example 1 — line wire: A plot with a 200 metre perimeter takes three rows of 2.5 mm line wire: bottom, middle and top. That is 200 × 3 = 600 metres; 600 × 0.039 = 23.4 kg. Round up for tensioning slack, corner turns and offcuts and order 25 kg.

Example 2 — tie wire: Tie the same run every 40 cm with a 20 cm tie and three rows come to roughly 1,500 ties, or 300 metres of wire. In 2.0 mm that is 7.5 kg, so 8 kg covers it.

Example 3 — viticulture: A vineyard of 10 rows × 80 metres with three wire levels per row needs 2,400 metres. That is roughly 94 kg in 2.5 mm against 60 kg in 2.0 mm; the gap explains on its own why heavier wire costs more.

2.0 mm, 2.5 mm, 3.0 mm: which diameter suits your job?

Two things decide the diameter together: the load the wire will carry and how easily it can be worked by hand.

• 2.0 mm: The most practical diameter to bend by hand — tie wire, light lashing, greenhouse and seedling connections, joining mesh, packaging work. It gives the most metres per kilo, so it is comfortably the cheapest option where there are many small connections. Used as line wire over long spans it sags in time.
• 2.5 mm: The most popular line wire on fence runs. It holds without sagging at post spacings of 2.5–3 metres, takes a wire strainer well and needs pliers to bend by hand. The standard choice on galvanized chain link fence and mesh runs.
• 3.0 mm: For runs under high tensile load — long spans, heavy mesh, the main load-bearing level in vineyards, gabion and basket fabrication, industrial connections. It will not bend by hand and needs solid pincers to cut. Fewest metres per kilo, so the highest cost per metre.

The practical rule: wire that is tensioned is thick, wire that ties is thin. Using both diameters on one job works out stronger and cheaper than sticking to one.

Coils and spools: how the wire reaches you

Galvanized wire is despatched in two windings, and the choice has a direct effect on how fast the work goes on site.

A coil is wire wound into large rings with an open centre. It is the economical form, but unless you pay it out on a rig that lets the wire turn — a spinner or a rotating spindle — it kinks back on itself and tangles like rope. That is the commonest cause of lost time on site.

A spool is wire wound onto a reel in even layers. It pays out easily, rarely tangles and can be fed straight into the line in machine production. The same weight sits far more tidily on a spool, but packaging cost can push the price per kilogram slightly above coil.

When you order, say how many kilos you want in a single piece; on hand-worked jobs, a piece light enough to carry matters as much as the total weight.

Galvanized wire or annealed wire?

These two get confused constantly, yet they are made for opposite purposes.

• Galvanized wire: Zinc coated, silver grey and bright. Hard, with a springy tendency to pull back to shape. It lasts outdoors, in damp and in contact with soil — fencing, mesh, vineyards and outdoor connections.
• Annealed wire: Black and uncoated. Heat softening makes it very soft; it bends by hand, knots and stays put. In return it rusts quickly outdoors. Used for tying rebar, baling, packaging and temporary ties.

The decision rule is simple: if the tie stays outdoors permanently, use galvanized; if it will be buried in concrete shortly or is only temporary, annealed is right. Annealed wire outdoors means ties that snap within a few seasons. Both come from the same raw material, wire rod; the difference is in the heat treatment and the coating.

Zinc coating, service life and common mistakes

Service life comes down to two things: the thickness of the zinc coating and the environment the wire sits in. In dry inland regions it stands for years without trouble; on the coast, in constantly irrigated fields and in livestock shelters where it meets manure, the zinc goes noticeably faster. Almost every mistake that shortens its life is an installation mistake:

• Leaving cut ends open: Every cut exposes bare steel; unless it is sealed with galvanizing spray, rust starts there first.
• Over-bending: Working the same point repeatedly cracks the zinc layer. The bend is the weakest part of the wire.
• Contact with dissimilar metals: Tying zinc-coated wire to copper or to bare black wire triggers rapid corrosion at the contact point. Tie galvanized wire with galvanized tie wire.
• Leaving it buried in soil: A section in permanently damp ground wears out many times faster than one in open air.

What determines the price of galvanized wire?

On a product sold by weight, the price is not a fixed list but a figure that follows the current steel market. These are the items that set it:

• The steel market: The price of wire rod, the raw material, and the exchange rate feed into the price per kilogram week by week. The most volatile item.
• Zinc coating weight: More zinc per square metre means longer life and higher cost. Wire that looks cheap is usually thinly coated wire.
• Wire diameter: Even where the price per kilogram is close across diameters, thin wire gives far more metres for the same weight, so its cost per metre is lower. Compare on metres.
• Winding: Spool winding carries extra packaging and labour over coil.
• Quantity: The unit price falls as order weight rises; pallet and tonne quantities are quoted separately.
• Despatch: The product is heavy; total weight and distance set the carriage cost, and delivery is charged.

All the prices we quote include VAT. For a firm figure we need the diameter, the weight (or the length) you need and the province for delivery; we convert metres into kilos for you.

Ordering, despatch and delivery terms

Our business is selling and shipping product. You order by phone or through the contact form; the wire is weighed, prepared and sent from our Ostim warehouse to every province in Türkiye by courier or freight depot. Light orders go by courier, heavy and palletised orders by freight; the route follows the quantity and is stated clearly in the quotation.

If you are in Ankara, site surveys are free of charge: we see the site in person and settle the right diameter and weight with you from the run length, the post spacing and the intended use. Delivery is always charged even so, and that holds for deliveries within Ankara too; carriage is calculated on order weight and distance and shown as a separate line in the quotation.

Installation is not one of our standard services. Our teams attend site on perimeter projects of approximately 1,000 metres and above; on smaller jobs we ship the product and give you technical support by phone wherever you get stuck tensioning and tying. Send us the dimensions of your project and we will draw up and price a complete material list covering wire, barbed wire, posts and fittings.