Designation: A 185/A 185M – 05a

Standard Specification for

Steel Welded Wire Reinforcement, Plain, for Concrete1
This standard is issued under the fixed designation A 185/A 185M; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year
of original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.
A superscript epsilon (e) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.

1. Scope* 3. Terminology
1.1 This specification covers welded wire reinforcement to 3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
be used for the reinforcement of concrete. 3.1.1 convoluted wire—when wire for welded wire rein-
NOTE 1—Welded wire for concrete reinforcement has been described
forcement is formed into a sinusoidal wave shape, it is
by various terms: welded wire fabric, WWF, fabric, and mesh. The wire commonly referred to as convoluted wire. The wire is used in
reinforcement industry prefers the term “welded wire reinforcement” the manufacture of cages for certain applications of concrete
(WWR) as being more representative of the range of products being pipe reinforcing.
manufactured. Therefore, the term “welded wire fabric” has been replaced 3.1.2 welded wire reinforcement—as used within the scope
with the term “welded wire reinforcement” in this specification and in and intent of this specification, designates a material composed
related specifications. of cold-drawn steel wire, as-drawn or galvanized, fabricated
1.2 The values stated in inch-pound or SI units are to be into sheets or rolls by the process of electric resistance
regarded as standard. Within the text the inch-pound units are welding. The finished material shall consist essentially of a
shown in brackets. The values stated in each system are not series of longitudinal and transverse wires arranged substan-
exact equivalents; therefore, each system must be used inde- tially at right angles to each other, and welded together at
pendently of the other. Combining values may result in points of intersection.
nonconformance with the specification.
4. Ordering Information
2. Referenced Documents 4.1 It shall be the responsibility of the purchaser to specify
2.1 ASTM Standards: 2 all requirements that are necessary for the manufacture and
A 82/A 82M Specification for Steel Wire, Plain, for Con- delivery of the welded wire reinforcement under this specifi-
crete Reinforcement cation. Such requirements to be considered include, but are not
A 700 Practices for Packaging, Marking, and Loading limited to, the following:
Methods for Steel Products for Domestic Shipment 4.1.1 Quantity (mass [weight] or square area),
2.2 Military Standards: 4.1.2 Name of material (welded wire reinforcement for
MIL-STD-129 Marking for Shipment and Storage3 concrete),
MIL-STD-163 Steel Mill Products Preparation for Ship- 4.1.3 Wire spacings and sizes,
ment and Storage3 4.1.4 Minimum yield strength if Supplement S 1 of Speci-
2.3 Federal Standard: fication A 82/A 82M applies.
Fed. Std. No. 123 Marking for Shipments (Civil Agencies)3 4.1.5 Yield strength measurement. The purchaser shall have
the options described in Specification A 82/A 82M Section 11.3
1
4.1.6 Exclusion of oversteeling, if required (see 8.4.2),
This specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee A01 on Steel,
4.1.7 Length and width of sheets or rolls,
Stainless Steel, and Related Alloys and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee
A01.05 on Steel Reinforcement. 4.1.8 Packaging (see Section 15),
Current edition approved June 1, 2005. Published July 2005. Originally approved 4.1.9 Request for outside inspection (if not requested, 15.1
in 1936. Last previous edition approved in 2005 as A 185 – 05. applies), and
2
For referenced ASTM standards, visit the ASTM website, www.astm.org, or
contact ASTM Customer Service at [email protected]. For Annual Book of ASTM
4.1.10 ASTM designation and year of issue.
Standards volume information, refer to the standard’s Document Summary page on NOTE 2—A typical ordering description is as follows: 100 3 300 –
the ASTM website.
3 MW100 3 MW40 2450 mm 3 6 m [4 3 12 – W15 3 W6 96 in. 3 20
Available from Standardization Documents, Order Desk, Bldg. 4, Section D,
700 Robbins Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094. ft.] in secured bundles of flat sheets, to ASTM A 185– _______ .

*A Summary of Changes section appears at the end of this standard.

Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.

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 A 185/A 185M – 05a
5. Materials wire in square inches]. Typical examples of the 40 % or more
5.1 The wire used in the manufacture of welded wire wire size differential area are as follows:
reinforcement shall conform to Specification A 82/A 82M and Larger Smaller
Size No. MW129 [W 20] Size No. MW52 [W 8]
its Supplement S1 if so ordered. Size No. MW97 [W 15] Size No. MW39 [W 6]
5.2 Welded wire reinforcement shall be furnished either in Size No. MW65 [W 10] Size No. MW26 [W 4]
flat sheets, or in rolls, as specified by the purchaser. 7.4.1 Welded wire reinforcement having a relationship of
longitudinal and transverse wires other than those covered in
6. Manufacture 7.4 shall not be subject to the weld shear requirement.
6.1 The wires shall be assembled by automatic machines or 7.4.2 Weld-shear tests for determination of conformance to
by other suitable mechanical means that will assure accurate the requirements of 7.4 shall be conducted using a weld tester
spacing and alignment of all wires of the finished welded wire as described in Section 10.
reinforcement. 7.4.3 Four welds selected at random from the specimen
6.2 Longitudinal and transverse wires shall be securely described in 10.2 shall be tested for weld shear strength. The
connected at every intersection by a process of electrical- transverse wire of each test specimen shall extend approxi-
resistance welding which employs the principle of fusion mately 25 mm [1 in.] on each side of the longitudinal wire. The
combined with pressure. longitudinal wire of each test specimen shall be of such length
6.3 Wire of proper yield strength and quality when fabri- below the transverse wire so as to be adequately engaged by
cated in the manner herein required shall result in a strong, the grips of the testing machine. It shall be of such length
serviceable mat-type product having substantially square or above the transverse wire that its end shall be above the center
rectangular openings. It shall be fabricated and finished in a line of the upper bearing of the weld tester.
workmanlike manner and shall conform to this specification. 7.4.4 The material shall be deemed to conform to the
NOTE 3—A variation of manufacturing includes the application of one requirements for weld shear strength if the average of the four
or more longitudinal convoluted wires at one edge of welded wire samples complies with the value stipulated in 7.4. If the
reinforcement for concrete pipe reinforcing cages. This shape allows the average fails to meet the prescribed value, all the welds across
cage ends to be expanded to a larger diameter to accommodate the the specimen shall then be tested. The welded wire reinforce-
bell-shaped ends of concrete pipe. ment shall be deemed acceptable if the average of all weld
7. Mechanical Property Requirements Mechanical Property shear test values across the specimen meets the prescribed
Requirements minimum value.
7.1 Tensile—Wire for the production of welded wire rein- 8. Dimensions, Mass, and Permissible Variations
forcement is described in Specification A 82/A 82M. Tensile
8.1 Width—The width of welded wire reinforcement shall
tests shall be made on wire cut from the welded wire
be considered to be the center-to-center distance between
reinforcement and tested either across or between the welds; no
outside longitudinal wires. The permissible variation shall not
less than 50 % shall be across welds. Tensile tests across a weld
exceed 13 mm [1⁄2 in.] greater or less than the specified width.
shall have the welded intersection located approximately at the
In case the width of flat sheets or rolls is specified as the overall
center of the wire being tested and the cross wire forming the
width (tip-to-tip length of cross wires), the width shall not vary
welded intersection shall extend approximately 25 mm [1 in.]
more than 625 mm [61 in.] from the specified width.
beyond each side of the welded intersection.
8.2 Length—The overall length of flat sheets, measured on
NOTE 4—Tensile, reduction of area, and bend testing are normally done any wire, shall not vary more than 625 mm [61 in.], or 1 %,
at the time the wire is drawn. The manufacturer’s finished product shall whichever is greater.
meet the requirements of this specification and Specification A 82/A 82M. 8.3 Overhang of the transverse wires shall not project
7.2 Reduction of Area—The ruptured section of the tensile beyond the centerline of each longitudinal edge wire more than
specimen shall be measured to determine this property. In the a distance of 25 mm [1 in.], unless otherwise specified. When
case of a specimen which has been tested across a weld, the transverse wires are specified to project a specific length
measurement shall be made only when rupture has occurred at beyond the center line of a longitudinal edge wire, the
a sufficient distance from the center of a weld to permit an permissible variation shall not exceed 13 mm [1⁄2 in.] greater or
accurate measurement of the fractured section. The wire shall less than the specified length.
meet the minimum reduction of area requirements of Specifi- 8.4 The permissible variation in diameter of any wire in the
cation A 82/A 82M. finished welded wire reinforcement shall conform to the
7.3 Bend Test—The wire shall withstand the bend test as tolerances prescribed for the wire before fabrication, in Speci-
described in Specification A 82/A 82M and shall be performed fication A 82/A 82M, with the following exceptions:
on a specimen taken from between the welds. 8.4.1 Because of the mechanical characteristics of fabricat-
7.4 Weld Shear Strength—The weld shear strength between ing welded wire reinforcement, the out-of-round requirements
longitudinal and transverse wires shall be tested as described in shall not apply.
Section 10. The minimum average shear value in Newtons 8.4.2 Unless otherwise precluded by the purchaser in 4.1,
shall be not less than 241 multiplied by the nominal area of the the manufacturer shall be permitted to apply over-sized wire.
larger wire in square millimetres [or in pounds-force shall not The size differential shall not exceed two “W” size increments
be less than 35 000 multiplied by the nominal area of the larger on sizes MW52 [W 8] and smaller, and four “W” size

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 A 185/A 185M – 05a

FIG. 1 Welded Wire Reinforcement Weld Tester

increments on sizes larger than MW52 [W 8]. A “W” size characteristics shall be made for each 7 000 m2[75 000 ft2] of
increment is a whole number increment, for example, W 5 to welded wire reinforcement or remaining fraction thereof.
W 6, or W 5.4 to W 6.4, etc. In all cases where such over- 9.2 One test for conformance to weld shear strength require-
steeling is practiced, the manufacturer shall identify the welded ment shall be made for each 28 000 m2[300 000 ft2] of
wire reinforcement with the style originally ordered. With the welded wire reinforcement or remaining fraction thereof.
permission of the purchaser, the manufacturer shall be permit-
ted to exceed the limits of this section. 10. Weld Shear Test Apparatus and Methods
8.5 The average spacing of wires shall be such that the total
number of wires contained in a sheet or roll is equal to or 10.1 As the welds in welded wire reinforcement contribute
greater than that determined by the specific spacing, but the to the bond and anchorage value of the wires in concrete, the
center-to-center distance between individual members shall not weld acceptance tests shall be made in a weld tester that
vary more than 6.35 mm [1⁄4 in.] from the specified spacing. stresses the weld in a manner similar to which it is stressed in
Sheets of welded wire reinforcement having the specified concrete. In order to accomplish this the vertical wire in the
length shall not be required to contain an identical number of weld tester shall be stressed in an axis close to its center line.
transverse wires, and therefore, shall be permitted to have Also the horizontal wire shall be held closely to the vertical
various lengths of longitudinal overhang. wire, and in the same relative position, so as to prevent rotation
9. Number of Tests of the horizontal wire. When the welded wire reinforcement is
9.1 One test for conformance to tensile strength and bend
requirements, and one check for conformance to dimensional

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 A 185/A 185M – 05a
manufactured with different wire sizes, the larger diameter wire for the performance of all inspection and test requirements
shall be the “vertical wire” when tested (see Fig. 14). specified herein. Except as otherwise specified in the contract,
10.2 The weld tester shown in Fig. 1 shall be hung in a ball the contractor shall have the option to use his own or any other
and socket, or similar self aligning arrangement, at the center suitable facilities for the performance of the inspection and test
of the machine and used with an anvil sized such that it fully requirements specified herein, unless disapproved by the pur-
supports the horizontal wire and allows the vertical wire of the chaser at the time of purchase. The purchaser shall have the
test specimen to move freely in the vertical direction. This, or right to perform any of the inspections and tests at the same
a similarly effective fixture designed on the same principle, is frequency as set forth in this specification where such inspec-
acceptable. tions are deemed necessary to assure that material conforms to
10.3 Test specimens shall be inserted through the notch in prescribed requirements.
the anvil using the smallest notch available in which the
vertical wire fits loosely. The vertical wire shall be in contact 13. Rejection and Rehearing
with the surface of the free rotating rollers while the horizontal 13.1 Unless otherwise specified, any rejection shall be
wire shall be supported by the anvil on each side of the slot. reported to the manufacturer within five working days from the
The bottom jaws of the testing machine shall grip the lower end time of selection of test specimens.
of the vertical wire and the load shall be applied at a rate of
13.2 In case a specimen fails to meet the tension or bend
stressing not to exceed 689 MPa/min [100 000 psi/min].
test, the material shall not be rejected until two additional
11. Sampling specimens taken from other wires in the same sheet or roll have
been tested. The material shall be considered as meeting the
11.1 Test specimens for testing mechanical properties shall specification with respect to any prescribed tensile property,
be obtained by cutting from the finished welded wire reinforce- provided the tested average for the three specimens, including
ment a full width section of sufficient length to perform testing the specimen originally tested, is equal to or exceeds the
described in 7.1 and 7.2. required minimum for the particular property in question, and
11.2 Test specimens for determining weld-shear properties provided further that none of the three specimens develops less
shall be obtained by cutting from the finished welded wire than 80 % of the required minimum for the tensile property in
reinforcement, a full width section of sufficient length to question. The material shall be considered as meeting this
perform testing described in 7.4. specification with respect to bend test requirements, provided
11.3 Measurements for conformance to dimensional char- both additional specimens satisfactorily pass the prescribed
acteristics shall be made on full sheets or rolls. bend test.
11.4 Any test specimen exhibiting obvious imperfections
13.3 Any material that is found not to meet the requirements
shall be discarded and another specimen substituted.
of this specification subsequent to its acceptance at the manu-
12. Inspection facturer’s facilities shall be subject to rejection and the
manufacturer shall be promptly notified.
12.1 The inspector representing the purchaser shall have
13.4 Welded intersections shall withstand normal shipping
free entry at all times while work on the contract of the
and handling without becoming broken, but the presence of
purchaser is being performed to all parts of the manufacturer’s
broken welds, regardless of cause, shall not constitute cause for
facilities that concern the manufacture of the material ordered.
rejection unless the number of broken welds per sheet exceeds
The manufacturer shall afford the inspector all reasonable
1 % of the total number of intersections in a sheet. For material
facilities to assure that the material is being furnished in
furnished in rolls, not more than 1 % of the total number of
accordance with this specification.
intersections in 14 m2[150 ft2] of welded wire reinforcement
12.2 Except for yield strength, all tests and inspections shall
shall be broken. Not more than one half the permissible
be made at the manufacturer’s facilities prior to shipment,
maximum number of broken welds shall be located on any one
unless otherwise specified. Such tests shall be so conducted as
wire.
not to interfere unnecessarily with the operation of the manu-
facturer’s facilities. 13.5 In the event of rejection because of failure to meet the
12.3 The purchaser shall have the option to require a yield weld shear requirements, four additional specimens shall be
strength measurement to determine compliance with yield taken from four different sheets or rolls and tested in accor-
strength requirements of Specification A 82/A 82M, and shall dance with Section 10. If the average of all the weld shear tests
specify that the measurement be performed by the manufac- performed does not meet the requirement, the material shall be
turer at the manufacturer’s facilities a recognized laboratory, or rejected.
the purchaser’s representative at the manufacturer’s facilities. 13.6 In the event of rejection because of failure to meet the
Such measurements shall be conducted without unnecessarily requirements for dimensions, the amount of material rejected
interfering with manufacturing operations. shall be limited to those individual sheets or rolls which fail to
12.4 For U.S. Government Procurement Only—Except as meet this specification.
otherwise specified in the contract, the contractor is responsible 13.7 Rust, surface seams, or surface irregularities shall not
be cause for rejection provided the minimum dimensions,
cross-sectional area and tensile properties of a hand wire
4
A detailed drawing showing complete dimensions of the testing jig may be brushed test specimen meet the requirements of this specifica-
obtained from ASTM Headquarters. Order ADJA0185. tion.

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 A 185/A 185M – 05a
13.8 Rehearing—Rejected materials shall be preserved for a computer-to-computer exchange of business information in a standard
period of at least two weeks from the date of inspection, during format such as ANSI ASC X12.
which time the manufacturer shall be permitted to make claim
15. Packaging and Marking
for a rehearing and retesting.
15.1 Unless otherwise specified, packaging, marking, and
14. Certification loading for shipment shall be in accordance with Practices
14.1 If outside inspection is waived, a manufacturer’s cer- A 700.
tification that the material has been tested in accordance with 15.2 When welded wire reinforcement is furnished in flat
and meets the requirements of this specification shall be the sheets, it shall be assembled in bundles of convenient size
basis of acceptance of the material. The certification shall containing not more than 150 sheets and securely fastened
include the specification number, year-date of issue and revi- together.
sion letter, if any. 15.3 When welded wire reinforcement is furnished in rolls,
14.2 This conformance is predicated upon testing and ac- each roll shall be secured so as to prevent unwinding during
ceptance of wire prior to fabrication, coupled with random shipping and handling.
shear testing during production. Because warehousing and 15.4 Each bundle of flat sheets and each roll shall have
stocking of large quantities of material is common, test data attached thereto a suitable tag bearing the name of the
shall be representative of the material shipped, however it shall manufacturer, description of the material, ASTM A 185/A
not be required to correlate directly to the actual material 185M, and such other information as specified by the pur-
shipped. chaser.
14.3 When Supplement S1of Specification A 82/A 82M is 15.5 When specified in the contract or order, and for direct
specified for the material, test results for yield strength, tensile procurement by or direct shipment to the U.S. government,
strength, reduction of area, and bend tests shall be reported when Level A is specified, preservation, packaging, and pack-
(S1.3.1 of Specification A 82/A 82M). ing shall be in accordance with the Level A requirement of
14.4 A material test report, certificate of inspection, or MIL-STD-163.
similar document printed from or used in electronic form from 15.6 When specified in the contract or order, and for the
an electronic data interchange (EDI) transmission shall be direct procurement by or direct shipment to the U. S. govern-
regarded as having the same validity as a counterpart printed in ment, marking for shipment, in addition to requirements
the certifier’s facility. The content of the EDI transmitted specified in the contract or order, shall be in accordance with
document must meet the requirements of the invoked ASTM MIL-STD-129 for U. S. military agencies and in accordance
standard(s) and conform to any existing EDI agreement be- with Fed. Std. No. 123 for U. S. government civil agencies.
tween the purchaser and the manufacturer. Notwithstanding the
absence of a signature, the organization submitting the EDI 16. Keywords
transmission is responsible for the content of the report. 16.1 concrete reinforcement; reinforced concrete; reinforc-
NOTE 5—The industry definition as invoked here is: EDI is the ing steels; steel wire; welded wire reinforcement

SUMMARY OF CHANGES

Committee A01 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue (A 185 – 05)
that may impact the use of this standard. (Approved June 1, 2005.)

(1) In section 13.3, the term “injurious imperfections” was

replaced with definitive language, and permissive language
was removed.

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 A 185/A 185M – 05a
Committee A01 has identified the location of selected changes to this standard since the last issue (A 185 – 02) that may
impact the use of this standard. (Approved May 1, 2005.)

(1) The title was changed to reflect the dual nature of the (3) SI units were made standard with inch-pound units shown
standard. in brackets throughout the standard.
(2) Editorial changes were made throughout the standard to
remove permissive language and provide consistency with
related specifications.

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