Wire mesh usually costs less than rebar in material, because a typical sheet of welded wire mesh carries about half the steel per square metre of a light rebar grid. That doesn't make it the cheaper slab in every case. Supports, laps, waste and placing time narrow the gap, and on slabs designed for rebar, mesh isn't an equivalent option. The fair comparison is the placed cost of reinforcement that does what the slab needs.
This post compares the two on cost: what you're buying, where the money goes, and a worked quantity comparison. For how they differ in performance, see our guide to wire mesh vs rebar for concrete slabs.
What you're paying for with each
The two systems put very different amounts of steel into the slab:
| Item | Welded wire mesh | Rebar grid |
|---|---|---|
| Steel | Cold-drawn wire, often smooth, welded at every crossing | Deformed bar (10M, 15M) to CSA G30.18 |
| Typical example | 6x6 W2.9xW2.9: about 1.9 kg/m² | 10M @ 400 mm each way: about 3.9 kg/m² |
| How it's sold | Sheets or rolls, by the piece | By weight, or by the bar at retail |
| Supports | Needed, often closer together | Needed |
| Laps | Overlap at every sheet edge | Only where bars are longer than stock |
| Site labour | Roll or lay out, cut, lift onto supports | Lay out bars, tie crossings, set on supports |
| Extra bars | Still needed at edges, openings, dowels | Part of the same order |
The mesh mass is calculated from the wire area and spacing; the rebar mass uses the CSA G30.18 weight of 10M (0.785 kg/m). The two materials are made to different standards and have different strengths, so the steel mass shows you what you're buying, not which one is "stronger".
A worked quantity comparison
Take a 6 m by 6 m (about 20 ft by 20 ft) slab, 36 m², and compare 6x6 W2.9xW2.9 mesh with a grid of 10M at 400 mm each way. These are illustration only; your slab's reinforcement comes from its design.
Rebar grid. With bars stopping 50 mm from each edge: (6,000 minus 100) divided by 400 is 14.75, rounded up to 15 spaces, so 16 bars each way, 32 bars at 5.9 m. That's about 189 m of 10M, roughly 148 kg. Each bar fits in a 6 m stock length, so no laps are needed in the field of the slab.
Wire mesh. 36 m² at about 1.9 kg/m² is roughly 70 kg before overlaps. Every joint between sheets or roll widths overlaps, so you buy more area than the slab, and cut-offs at the edges add more.
So in this example the rebar grid uses about twice the steel. Material is where mesh wins. The other cost lines work differently:
- Pieces and ties. The grid is 32 bars with 256 crossings, and the specification or common practice sets how many get tied. Mesh arrives already welded.
- Supports. Both need chairs or bolsters. Light mesh sags between supports, so it typically needs them closer together than a 10M grid does.
- Waste. On a square slab, cutting is minimal for both. On an irregular slab with openings, mesh usually wastes more because whole sheets get cut around corners.
- Extras. A slab with thickened edges, dowels into a foundation wall or bars around a drain needs rebar either way, so a mesh slab often still has a rebar line on the order.
Where the costs tip the other way
Mesh tends to come out ahead when:
- The slab is thin, regular in shape and lightly loaded, and the drawings allow mesh.
- The goal is mainly holding shrinkage cracks tight, not carrying load.
- The crew has a reliable way to keep the mesh at the right depth during the pour.
A rebar grid tends to make more sense when:
- The design calls for it. If the drawings show bar size and spacing, that's what gets priced. A switch needs the designer's or engineer's approval.
- The slab carries loads. Slabs that support walls, posts or the structure above are designed under Part 4 of the 2024 Ontario Building Code (Article 9.16.1.2), and those designs are usually drawn in rebar.
- Placement is a risk. Mesh that's walked into the subgrade during the pour adds cost and does almost nothing. Bars on proper supports are easier to keep where they belong, so the money spent stays in the slab.
- The slab is irregular. Bars cut to a bar list fit odd shapes with less waste than sheets.
- Vehicle loads. Driveways and garage floors are where this question comes up most. See wire mesh vs rebar for a garage floor and for a concrete driveway.
One more cost belongs in the comparison: what happens later. Reinforcement in a slab on grade mostly earns its keep after the concrete cracks, by keeping cracks tight and the slab sections level with each other. A driveway or garage floor with wide, offset cracks costs far more to repair or replace than the steel ever did, so the cheapest reinforcement on paper isn't the cheapest slab if it ends up in the wrong place or isn't enough for the loads.
Rebar grid, rebar sheets and "10M mesh"
Some searches for "rebar mesh" or "10M rebar mesh" are really about a grid of 10M bar. There are two ways to get one:
- Tied on site from straight bars delivered cut to length. You pay for the bar by weight plus cutting, and the crew pays in tying time.
- Welded rebar mats or sheets, made in a plant to set sizes and delivered as panels. They save tying time, but cost more to fabricate and ship, and they suit repetitive work better than a one-off house slab.
Either way the price follows the steel weight and the fabrication, much like any other rebar order. Our guide to what drives rebar mesh price covers how welded wire mesh itself is priced.
How to get a fair comparison
To compare a mesh quote and a rebar quote on the same basis:
- Start from the same slab plan, with edges, openings, thickened areas and dowels marked.
- Price what the design allows. If only rebar is specified, a mesh price isn't a real option until the designer approves it.
- Include supports, tie wire, laps and waste on both quotes.
- Include placing labour, either your crew's time or the installer's price.
- Include the rebar that stays in either case: edge bars, dowels, corner bars and trim bars.
- Ask about delivery. Bulky mesh sheets and bundled bar ship differently, and on small orders delivery can be a big share.
Fibre-reinforced concrete is a third option people weigh against both. It changes the concrete rather than adding a mat, and it isn't a like-for-like swap for designed rebar. See does fibre-reinforced concrete replace rebar.
Pricing the rebar side
We supply and fabricate rebar for slabs, from straight 10M and 15M bar cut to length to dowels and bent edge bars, and we can prepare the take-off from your drawings. If you're weighing a rebar grid against mesh, send us the slab plan and we'll price the rebar option so you're comparing real numbers.
Send your drawings or slab dimensions for a quote, or see the rebar products we supply.
Frequently asked questions
Is rebar or mesh cheaper?
Light welded wire mesh usually costs less in material because it puts less steel in each square metre. Once supports, laps, waste and placing are counted the gap narrows, and on slabs where the design calls for more steel, mesh isn't an equivalent option at all.
What's cheaper for a garage floor, wire mesh or rebar?
Mesh usually has the lower material cost, but a garage slab carries vehicle loads and often has thickened edges and openings that need bars anyway. Follow your drawings, and if there are none, ask your designer or building department what applies before choosing on price.
How much more steel is in a rebar grid than in wire mesh?
It depends on the layout. As an example, 10M at 400 mm each way puts about 3.9 kg of steel in each square metre, compared with about 1.9 kg for 6x6 W2.9xW2.9 mesh, so roughly twice as much.
What is a rebar grid or rebar sheet?
A rebar grid is straight bar such as 10M or 15M tied into a grid on site. A rebar sheet or mat is the same idea welded together in a plant and delivered as a panel. Both are priced more like rebar, by weight plus fabrication, than like light wire mesh.
