Mesh Fabric Mills Directory

What Mesh Fabric Is

A mesh is defined by its holes. Instead of a solid surface, the yarns are knitted or woven into a net of open spaces, so air and light pass straight through and the finished cloth weighs very little for its area. Most apparel mesh is knitted - warp-knitted on tricot and raschel machines, or weft-knitted - because knitting gives the openings stability while keeping the fabric flexible and, with elastane in the mix, stretchy. The size of the hole is the first design choice: a fine, almost invisible mesh behaves like a sheer lining cloth, a medium hexagonal mesh is the familiar sports jersey fabric, and a coarse, stiff net holds a shape of its own in bags, hats and shoe uppers.

Fibre follows end use. Polyester dominates athletic and industrial mesh because it is strong, quick to dry and holds the knitted openings without sagging; nylon mesh is softer and tougher against abrasion, which suits shoe uppers and luggage; cotton and viscose meshes appear in fashion and lingerie where hand feel matters more than drying speed. Finishes change the character further - moisture-management treatments for sportswear, flame-retardant finishes for contract uses, anti-microbial treatments for footwear linings - so two fabrics that look alike on the roll can be specified very differently underneath.

The Mesh Families and Where They Are Used

Athletic mesh - the perforated knit of team jerseys, shorts and cap panels - is the volume member of the family, valued because the openings vent heat exactly where a garment would otherwise trap it. Power mesh (also called power net) adds strong elastane stretch and compression, and is the unseen structure inside bras, shapewear and dancewear. Tulle and bridal net sit at the fine, soft end, layered for veils, skirts and overlays where the holes are small enough to read as haze rather than net. Tricot mesh, warp-knitted and run-resistant, lines shoes, bags and helmets, while spacer mesh - two mesh faces joined by a pile of monofilament yarns - cushions footwear uppers, backpack panels and medical supports.

Outside apparel the same structures filter, screen and carry: laundry and produce bags, beekeeping veils, tent windows, speaker covers and industrial filtration all run on mesh of one gauge or another. The mills listed below are this directory's mesh specialists, and the mix of countries is typical of the trade - high-volume knitters in Changshu, Wujiang and the Shenghong group in China, established knit factories in Taiwan such as Lu Her, and US converters and processors such as Lincoln Textile Sales and Safer Textile Processing. Readers comparing open fabrics should also see the Net Textiles directory and the Tulle Fabric page. Thank you for using the Apparel Search Fabric Mill Directory.

Specifying and Buying Mesh

A useful mesh specification names five things: the fibre, the hole size and pattern, the finished weight, the stretch (and elastane content, if any), and the finish the end use requires. Hole size is the trap for the unwary - it is quoted differently across suppliers, so a swatch, not a number, settles whether a mesh will work as a breathable jersey or collapse as a lining. Check recovery on stretch meshes by pulling a corner: the openings should return to shape evenly, without grin-through or distortion, and check the edges, because a mesh that curls hard at the cut edge will fight the sewing line. For sportswear programmes, confirm the moisture and odour finishes survive the wash count the garment promises; for footwear and bags, ask about abrasion testing, where nylon usually outlasts polyester at the same weight.

Mesh Fabric Mills Listed Here