Hardware cloth and chicken wire are both steel mesh products used to protect gardens from pests, but they are not interchangeable. Choosing the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake — particularly when trying to keep rodents out of raised beds or root zones.
What Is Hardware Cloth?
Hardware cloth is welded wire mesh — individual wires are resistance-welded at every intersection, forming a rigid grid. The apertures (gaps) are typically 6mm, 12mm, or 19mm square. Because the mesh is welded, cutting one wire does not cause the surrounding mesh to unravel. Hardware cloth is sold in galvanised, vinyl-coated, and stainless steel versions.
What Is Chicken Wire?
Chicken wire is a twisted hexagonal mesh with wires twisted around each other to form hexagons, usually with 25mm or 50mm apertures. It is flexible and easy to shape, but because the wires are twisted rather than welded, any tension or cut causes adjacent sections to unravel. Galvanised chicken wire has a thinner coating than hardware cloth and rusts faster in soil contact.
The Key Differences
The most important difference is aperture size. Standard chicken wire has 25-50mm hexagonal gaps — too large to stop mice, rats, or voles. A mouse can squeeze through a 6mm circular hole; a rat through a 12mm hole. Hardware cloth with 6mm apertures stops both. If your goal is rodent exclusion, chicken wire is ineffective. Hardware cloth is also stiffer, making it easier to lay flat as a raised bed liner or form into a cylinder for tree guards.
When Chicken Wire Is the Right Choice
Chicken wire has a genuine use case: lightweight temporary enclosures that need to be draped or shaped around plants. It is ideal for protecting seedlings from birds and large rabbits, making temporary deer fencing, and creating compost enclosures where rodent exclusion is not a priority.
Raised Bed Liners
To protect raised bed root zones from voles and moles, line the base and lower sides with 6mm galvanised hardware cloth before filling. Cut a piece slightly larger than the bed base, lay it flat, and fold the edges up the interior walls by 50-75mm. Secure with staples along the upper edge. This adds $15-30 to a typical bed cost and dramatically reduces rodent intrusion.
FAQ
Can hardware cloth rust?
Eventually yes. Galvanising provides a protective zinc layer that corrodes before the steel underneath. For critical long-term applications, PVC-coated or stainless steel hardware cloth is the best choice.
What gauge hardware cloth should I buy for raised beds?
19 gauge (approximately 0.9mm wire diameter) is the standard recommendation. It is stiff enough to resist vole pressure and hold its shape during installation.
How do I cut hardware cloth cleanly?
Use aviation snips for clean cuts. Wear heavy gloves — the cut ends are very sharp. Fold cut edges under using pliers to remove the sharp points.
Can I use it to keep squirrels out of pots?
Yes — lay a piece of 12mm hardware cloth flat on the soil surface around a newly planted bulb or seedling. Squirrels cannot dig through it to reach the soil.
Is PVC-coated wire worth the extra cost?
For visible applications — decorative cage planters, trellis grids, above-ground fencing — the coating looks better and lasts longer. For buried applications, hot-dip galvanised is often a better choice as PVC coating can crack over time.
See also: Safest Materials for Edible Gardens and How to Build a Raised Bed That Lasts.