BRC mesh: A142, A193, A252 and A393 sizes
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BRC mesh is a grid of steel bars welded at every crossing and laid in concrete slabs as reinforcement. UK supplier BM Steel lists A142 mesh with 6 mm bars at 200 mm centres, weighing 2.22 kg per square metre, and suggests it for slabs 100 to 150 mm thick.
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What BRC mesh is
BRC mesh, also sold as BRC wire mesh or welded wire mesh, is steel reinforcing fabric: straight bars laid in two directions and welded where they cross, delivered as flat sheets or in rolls. BM Steel offers it for slabs, driveways and paths. Shops in Tanzania file it with welded mesh; on our wire mesh price page, a Dar es Salaam shop lists BRC sheets and rolls next to light weld mesh.
The difference from the light welded mesh used for fences is the bar size: from 4.5 mm in the Tanzanian listings to 10 mm in BM Steel’s range.
BRC mesh sizes: the A-series
BM Steel’s reinforcement mesh range gives the four square meshes A142 to A393, all with bars at 200 mm in both directions:
| Mesh | Bar diameter | Pitch | Steel area | Mass |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A142 | 6 mm | 200 mm | 142 mm²/m | 2.22 kg/m² |
| A193 | 7 mm | 200 mm | 193 mm²/m | 3.02 kg/m² |
| A252 | 8 mm | 200 mm | 252 mm²/m | 3.95 kg/m² |
| A393 | 10 mm | 200 mm | 393 mm²/m | 6.16 kg/m² |
Source: BM Steel, reinforcement mesh, bars to BS 4449:2005.
The number in the name is the steel area in square millimetres per metre width. An A252 mesh carries 252 mm² of steel in every metre, which is why it is heavier than A142 by more than 70% (our calculation: 3.95 ÷ 2.22).
BRC mesh sheet weight
BM Steel’s A142 sheet measures 4800 × 2400 mm and weighs 25.57 kg. The same sheet size in A393 would weigh about 71 kg (our calculation: 11.52 m² × 6.16 kg/m²).
In Tanzania, BRC also comes in 8 × 4 ft sheets (2.97 m² by our conversion) and in rolls 8 ft (2.44 m) wide, with 200 × 200 mm openings, according to the shop listings on our price page. An 8 × 4 ft sheet of A252 would weigh about 11.7 kg (our calculation).
Where BRC mesh is used
BM Steel suggests A142 for slabs between 100 and 150 mm thick, and for driveways, paths, patios, garage bases and shed foundations. Heavier meshes follow the structural design: which mesh a slab needs, where it sits in the depth of the slab and how far the sheets overlap are set by the engineer’s drawings, not by the price list.
For a 20 m² slab, A142 sheets of 4800 × 2400 mm give 20 ÷ 11.52 ≈ 1.7, so two sheets before any overlap is allowed for (our calculation).
Spacers under the mesh
Mesh must sit at the right height in the concrete, with cover below it. Kitovu has Plastic Rebar Chairs with Base (Rebar Spacers) in stock in Zanzibar — a chair with a wide base and a cradle for a horizontal bar.
BRC mesh or fibre
Fibre is a different product from mesh. Kitovu’s Polypropylene Fibre for Concrete and Mortar is a 12 mm monofilament microfibre sold for plastic shrinkage crack control; similar products state that such fibre does not replace structural steel reinforcement, not confirmed for this item.
What to check when you buy
- Code against bar size. A142 means 6 mm bars at 200 mm in BM Steel’s table. One Dar es Salaam listing names a 5.5 mm roll as A142 — check the diameter, not only the code.
- Pitch — 200 × 200 mm or 150 × 150 mm.
- Sheet or roll size, and the weight of each piece for handling on site.
- Bar standard — BM Steel’s mesh is made with bars to BS 4449.
Sheets and loose bars are tied on site with binding wire.
BRC mesh in Zanzibar
Kitovu sells from stock in Zanzibar; BRC mesh is not among its products, but the spacers and fibre above are.