Whether starting from scratch or bringing new life to an existing building, architectural wire mesh is an exciting design material that brings unique aesthetics. With a wide range of weave patterns and the ability to be colorized, it is particularly beneficial in the fact that it gives architects a sense of artistic freedom.
Now, on a personal level, when you order something from Amazon, you can’t wait for it to arrive so you can integrate whatever you ordered into your everyday life. The same goes for architectural mesh, as its ability to make a project pop leaves architects eager to get their hands on it.
That said, there is nothing worse than being excited for a delivery with an unknown arrival timeframe.
W.S. Tyler has helped architects such as yourself include architectural mesh into their architectural design process for over 20 years. Since then, we have come to understand that time is of the essence, which is why we strive to be as transparent about lead times as possible so you can plan accordingly.
To help you understand what to expect, the following article will highlight:
- What lead times are associated with architectural mesh
- What factors into these lead times
- Lead time management
- Expenses associated with lead times
What Lead Times Can I Expect?
Typically, architectural mesh panels have a lead time of 14 to 16 weeks. This timeframe is from receipt of drawings.
In other words, 16 weeks from when we receive the production drawings that are finalized and approved. This is because you can, in theory, send in a purchase order months before production drawings are approved.
What Factors Affect Architectural Mesh Lead Times?
Once we receive your finalized drawings, we will then purchase the raw wire needed to fabricate your panels. It can take upwards to six weeks to get raw wire in-house.
After the raw wire is delivered, it takes anywhere from 2 to 4 weeks to manufacture and fabricate the mesh panels. This involves drawing and crimping the raw wires, setting up the weaving looms, and weaving the specific mesh pattern detailed in your drawings.
The finalized mesh panels are then rolled on to large cardboard tube and packaged for shipping.
Once your panels and all hardware needed to mount them leave our facility, it takes a day or two to get them to the port and another week to two weeks to be placed on a boat. The boat will then travel for 4 to 6 weeks.
It will take customs a week or two to tear down the containers on the ship. A trucking company will then pick the panels up and deliver them to your project site.
Lead Time Management
Unfortunately, once the mesh panels leave our facility, shipping issues that can affect the lead times are out of our hands. The only way customers can manipulate lead times is to make sure we get finalized production drawings as soon as possible.
Air Freight
The lead times discussed in this article reflect our standard method of shipping architectural mesh panels by boat. There are some instances in which we ship architectural mesh by air.
This would allow us to reduce the 4- to 6-week timeframe of boat travel to just one week.
However, air freight is only possible when shipping smaller projects. Specifically, it is only used when the project calls for a handful of pieces within the realms of 4'x5'.
If you are outfitting a parking structure, for example, the mesh panels simply can’t be delivered by air. This is because shipping via boat allows us to ship all the components at once, and air freight would require us to break up the shipment.
Not only does breaking up the shipment become extremely costly, but it also increases the risk of different elements of the project taking longer than intended to be delivered or even getting lost in transit.
How Do Lead Times Affect Cost?
Expenses associated with shipping are included in the overall cost of your mesh panels. Having said that, lead times have little to no impact on the cost.
Customers do sometimes request to have the mesh panels expedited. Again, once they leave our facility, we have no say in regards to the delivery timeframe.
Now, we can say to expedite your shipment. But as a project gets larger, the chances the shipping company can accommodate faster shipping times decreases.
If your order can be expedited, however, you can expect a notable increase in the order cost.
Select a Suitable Contractor for Long-Lasting Effects
When investing in architectural wire mesh, lead times are typically 14 to 16 weeks from receipt of final production drawings. This accounts for 4 to 6 weeks to obtain raw materials, 2 to 4 weeks to weave the panels, another week or two for fabrication, a week to get them onto a container ship, and 4 to 6 weeks to deliver.
Once your mesh panels and mounting hardware arrive, a contractor with experience handling woven wire mesh must install the mesh panels. This will ensure each panel is pulled into the correct amount of tension, the substructure of your building is protected, and your architectural mesh panels stand the test of time.
While W.S. Tyler does not install the mesh panels ourselves, we have helped architects navigate all corners of the architectural mesh world for over 20 years. In other words, we can point you in the direction of the right contractor.
If you are unaware of what to look for in a contractor or want to make sure you made the right choice, read the following article: