Rebar mesh price comes down to how much steel is in each sheet or roll, how it is made, and what it costs to get it to the slab and keep it at the right height. Most "rebar mesh" sold for slabs is welded wire mesh, priced per sheet or roll, so the real unit is steel per square metre at a given wire size and spacing. Heavier mats built from 10M or 15M bar are a different product and are priced more like rebar, by weight plus fabrication.
We don't publish prices, and mesh prices move with the steel market like everything else. What follows is how mesh is specified, what changes its cost, and how to compare quotes so you're paying for the same thing.
What people mean by "rebar mesh"
The term covers three quite different products, and quotes are only comparable if they're for the same one:
| Product | What it is | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Welded wire mesh (welded wire fabric) | Smooth or deformed cold-drawn wire, welded at every crossing, sold in sheets or rolls | Thin slabs on grade, sidewalks, some topping slabs |
| Welded rebar mats | Deformed reinforcing bars welded into a grid in a plant | Precast, repetitive slab or wall panels, specified engineered work |
| Tied rebar grid | Straight rebar (10M, 15M) laid out and tied on site | Garage and driveway slabs, structural slabs, footings, walls |
Welded wire reinforcement for concrete is generally made to ASTM A1064, which covers plain and deformed wire and the welded mesh made from it. Reinforcing bar in Canada is made to CSA G30.18. If a quote just says "mesh", ask which product, which wire or bar size, and which standard.
How to read a mesh designation
Mesh is described by spacing and wire size. The common format, in imperial and metric:
- 6x6 W2.9xW2.9: wires 6 in apart each way, each wire with an area of 0.029 in². "W" means smooth wire; "D" means deformed wire.
- 152x152 MW18.7xMW18.7: the same mesh in metric. Spacing is in mm, and the number after MW is the wire area in mm².
- 6x6 6/6 or 6x6 10/10: the old gauge naming you'll still hear on site. 6 gauge corresponds to W2.9 and 10 gauge to W1.4.
The designation tells you how much steel you're buying per square metre, which is the honest basis for comparing prices. Here's how the common styles compare with a light rebar grid:
| Reinforcement | Steel area each way | Approx. steel mass, both ways |
|---|---|---|
| 6x6 W1.4xW1.4 | about 59 mm² per metre | about 0.9 kg/m² |
| 6x6 W2.9xW2.9 (152x152 MW18.7) | about 123 mm² per metre | about 1.9 kg/m² |
| 10M @ 400 mm each way | 250 mm² per metre | about 3.9 kg/m² |
| 10M @ 300 mm each way | about 333 mm² per metre | about 5.2 kg/m² |
The mesh figures are calculated from the wire areas and spacing; rebar figures use CSA G30.18 nominal values. Wire and bar are made to different standards with different strengths, so equal area doesn't mean equal performance. The table is for comparing quantities and prices, not for choosing a substitute; that's the designer's call.
What drives the price of rebar mesh
Wire size and spacing. This is the biggest factor. A heavier wire or a tighter spacing puts more steel in every sheet. W2.9 mesh carries roughly twice the steel of W1.4 at the same spacing.
Sheets vs rolls. Rolls are easier to transport and are common for lighter mesh, but they want to curl back and are harder to keep flat and at the right height. Flat sheets are stiffer and easier to place, but they take up more room on a truck and need laps at every edge.
Smooth vs deformed wire. Deformed wire bonds better to concrete and is sometimes specified for that reason. It's a different product with its own pricing.
Coatings. Plain mesh is the baseline. Galvanized or epoxy-coated mesh, used where corrosion is a concern, costs more. If the drawings call for a coating, quotes for plain mesh aren't comparable.
Sheet size and custom sizes. Standard sheets and rolls are cheapest per square metre. Mesh made to custom dimensions, or welded rebar mats made to suit a panel, add fabrication.
Laps and waste. Adjacent sheets have to overlap, and the overlap is steel you pay for but don't gain coverage from. Cutting around edges, columns and drains adds more waste. On a small or irregular slab this can be a large share of what you buy.
Supports. Mesh needs chairs or supports to stay at the right depth. Supports are often left out of mesh quotes, but they belong in the cost.
Freight and handling. Sheets are bulky for their weight. Small orders and long delivery distances raise the cost per square metre more for mesh than for bundled bar.
The steel market. Wire is made from steel rod, so mesh prices follow the same market forces as rebar. Our guide to rebar prices in Canada explains what moves them.
How to compare mesh quotes
Mesh quotes are easy to misread because they're per sheet or roll and the sizes differ. To put them side by side:
- Confirm the product. Same wire size, spacing, wire type (smooth or deformed), coating and standard.
- Convert to coverage. Work out the area each sheet or roll covers after laps, then divide the price by that net area.
- Count the extras. Supports, tie wire, cutting, delivery and any minimum order or handling charges.
- Check the quantity. Use the actual slab plan, with openings and edges, not just length times width.
- Compare placed cost, not just material. Mesh is quick to roll out, but if it ends up on the subgrade it isn't doing its job. Our post on wire mesh vs rebar for concrete slabs covers the placement problem.
If you're deciding between mesh and a rebar grid on cost, the material price per square metre is only part of it. Our wire mesh vs rebar cost comparison works through labour, supports, laps and what each option gives you.
When mesh isn't the right line on the quote
A few situations where pricing mesh is the wrong starting point:
- The drawings call for rebar. If the design shows 10M or 15M at a spacing, switching to mesh needs the designer's or engineer's approval, even if the steel area looks similar.
- The slab carries load. Slabs that support walls, posts or vehicles, structural slabs and thickened edges are reinforced to a design. The 2024 Ontario Building Code requires floors on ground that support loads from the superstructure to be designed under Part 4 (Article 9.16.1.2).
- Bars are needed at edges, openings or joints. Corner bars, dowels and trim bars around openings are rebar, even on a mesh slab.
- You're comparing to fibres. Fibre-reinforced concrete is a different approach again. See does fibre-reinforced concrete replace rebar.
Pricing your slab reinforcement
Procut supplies and fabricates rebar: straight bar in 10M to 55M, dowels, stirrups, ties and custom bent shapes, cut to your bar list. If your slab is reinforced with a rebar grid, or you want a rebar option priced alongside mesh, send us the slab plan or drawings and we'll prepare the take-off. We don't supply welded wire mesh.
Send us your slab plan or drawings for a quote, or browse our rebar products.
Frequently asked questions
How is rebar mesh priced?
Welded wire mesh is usually sold by the sheet or roll, so the price is really for a given area of steel at a given wire size and spacing. Heavier mats made from rebar are priced more like rebar, by weight plus fabrication. Compare quotes on the area they cover after laps, not on the sheet count.
What does 6x6 W2.9xW2.9 mean?
It describes welded wire mesh with wires 6 in (152 mm) apart each way, each wire having a cross-sectional area of 0.029 in². The metric equivalent is 152x152 MW18.7xMW18.7, where 18.7 is the wire area in mm². It used to be called 6x6 6/6 by gauge.
Is rebar mesh the same as rebar?
No. Most of what is sold as rebar mesh is welded wire mesh made from smaller cold-drawn wire. A tied rebar grid or a welded rebar mat uses deformed reinforcing bar such as 10M or 15M and carries much more steel per square metre.
Is wire mesh as good as rebar?
They do different jobs. Light mesh mainly holds shrinkage cracks tight in thin slabs, while rebar is used where the design needs more steel or structural capacity. Whichever is used, it only works if it ends up at the right depth in the concrete. Use what your drawings specify.
