Woven cloth is made by interlacing individual wires in an over-under pattern, similar to textile weaving, and is used in filtration and screening applications. Welded mesh is made by fusing intersecting wires at their junctions and is more common in construction fencing and reinforcement. The heading separates these by subheading, with woven stainless products at 731412 and 731414 and welded products at 731420 through 731439.

Expanded metal (731450) is produced by slitting and stretching a solid metal sheet to create a diamond-pattern grid — no wire is used. Wire mesh, by contrast, is made from drawn wire that is either woven or welded. The distinction matters for classification because expanded metal has its own dedicated subheading separate from all wire-based products.