FAQ's

Yes, all our steel manufacturing strictly adheres to SANS 1024 (Welded Mesh) and SANS 920 (Steel Bars for Reinforcement).

We do not compromise on wire diameter or tensile strength. Our products are manufactured to meet the rigorous specifications required by South African structural engineers and building control officers.

Yes, Material Test Certificates are available for all bulk reinforcing orders upon request.

We maintain full traceability of our raw wire stocks. If your project requires a quality dossier or safety file documentation, our quality control department will supply the necessary chemical and physical test results for the batch supplied.

We manufacture using strictly A-Grade Hard Drawn Steel Wire on automated welding lines.

By using high-quality raw materials and consistent machine settings, we ensure uniform aperture spacing and strong welds that hold firm during transport, handling, and concrete pouring. Our mesh is “fit for purpose” for standard construction and reinforcement applications.

For a standard residential driveway, Ref 193 is the industry standard.

Ref 100 is often too light for vehicle traffic and is better suited for walking paths or patios. Ref 193 provides the necessary tensile strength to prevent cracking under the weight of cars and light delivery vehicles.

The main difference is the wire thickness and steel content.

Ref 100: Uses thinner wires (approx. 4mm) and is lightweight. Best for pedestrian areas, screeds, or swimming pool gunite.

Ref 193: Uses thicker wires (approx. 5.6mm) and is much stronger. Best for driveways, house foundations, and structural slabs.

You should overlap mesh sheets by at least 200mm to 300mm (one full square).

If the sheets do not overlap sufficiently, the concrete slab will have a “weak line” where the two sheets meet, leading to cracks. Always tie the overlap with binding wire to keep it in place during the pour.

No, typically Brickforce is installed every 3rd or 4th course of bricks for standard walls.

However, for foundations, above windows/doors (lintels), or in unstable soil conditions, engineers may specify it in every course to provide maximum stability and prevent wall cracking.

Galvanized Brickforce has a zinc coating that prevents rust, while black Brickforce is uncoated raw steel.

Use Galvanized Brickforce for coastal areas (like Cape Town/Durban) or exterior walls exposed to dampness. Use standard black Brickforce for interior walls where rust is not a risk.

For a standard 220mm/230mm double wall, use 150mm wide Brickforce.

This ensures the wires sit centrally in the mortar and grip both skins of the brickwork without sticking out the sides. For a single “stock brick” wall, use 75mm Brickforce.

The letter “Y” stands for High Yield (High Tensile) steel, and the number is the diameter in millimeters.

Y10: 10mm High Tensile steel (often used in lighter foundations).

Y12/Y16: 12mm or 16mm High Tensile steel (used in structural columns, beams, and heavy-duty slabs).

Yes, but it requires specialised bending tools.

High Tensile steel is very springy and hard to bend by hand. Vulcania offers a “Cut and Bend” service where we deliver the rebar already bent to your engineer’s schedule, saving you time and labor on site.

“R” is Mild Steel and “Y” is High Tensile Steel.

R-Bars (Mild Steel): Softer, easier to bend, often used for stirrups or tying.

Y-Bars (High Tensile): Much stronger, used for the main structural support in concrete. Never swap Y-bars for R-bars without an engineer’s approval.

We work directly from your Engineer’s Bending Schedule (BBS) or Bill of Quantities.

Please email your bending schedule to our sales team. We will quote on the full tonnage, process the cut-and-bend to exact specifications, and arrange logistics for delivery to your site or resale yard.

Yes, and often more secure because it is anti-climb and anti-cut.

The apertures (gaps) in our high-security mesh are too small for fingers or tools to fit through, making it impossible to climb. Palisade offers good visual deterrence but can often be climbed or pried open with a jack.

Yes, our panels are designed for modular installation.

While we recommend professional installers for large commercial jobs to ensure posts are planted correctly, many DIY enthusiasts install our panels for residential perimeters using our standard posts and fixing clamps.

Yes, we offer various finishes including Galvanized, PVC coating, and Powder Coating.

The most popular colors are Charcoal (Anthracite) and Green to blend in with gardens, but we can coat to specific requirements for large orders.

We are a volume manufacturer dedicated to supplying Construction Groups, Civil Engineering Projects, and Building Wholesalers.

Our facility is optimised for bulk production, cut-and-bend scheduling, and wholesale supply. We prioritize trade accounts and large-scale infrastructure projects rather than small direct-to-public sales.

Vulcania offers specialised installation services exclusively for our Fencing and Gates division. We manufacture, fabricate, and install palisade, security mesh, and custom gates.

We do not install structural reinforcing steel (rebar or mesh) into concrete; we supply these products to your main building contractor for installation.

Buying factory-direct eliminates middleman markups, offering cost-efficiency. More importantly, it ensures accountability. Because Vulcania manufactures the steel, fabricates the gate to your custom measurements in our workshop, and uses our own trained teams for installation, we control quality control from the raw material to the final handover.

Yes, particularly at our Pretoria branch fabrication hub. Beyond standard fencing profiles, we fabricate bespoke sliding and swing gates to specific site measurements. We also fabricate related security items such as burglar bars, balustrades, and structural steel components for carports based on client specifications.

The choice depends on the required structural strength. A standard Y-post is typically lighter (around 2.0kg/m) and suitable for standard stock-proof fencing (cattle and sheep).

An I-Standard post is significantly heavier and stronger (around 3.0kg/m), making it the recommended choice for heavy game fencing (like buffalo or eland) or high-security perimeters where impact resistance is required.

Yes. Vulcania has embraced digital convenience. Customers can browse specifications, select different grades of brickforce and mesh, and place orders directly through our e-commerce enabled website for delivery or collection.

Generally, light surface rust is not detrimental and can actually improve the bond between the steel and the concrete. However, heavy, flaky rust or deep pitting that reduces the cross-sectional area of the bar below its specified diameter is unacceptable. Vulcania supplies new steel that meets SANS standards; any light weathering during transport or site storage is normal and usually acceptable to site engineers.

While site conditions (like soil type and wind load) vary, a general industry standard for a 1.8m to 2.4m high security fence (palisade or mesh) is a foundation depth of approximately 600mm. The posthole should be concreted with sufficient strength (usually 25MPa) to prevent the post from leaning over time or being easily dug out by intruders.

Vulcania operates on the principle of “No job too big or too small.” We possess a varied fleet of delivery vehicles, allowing us to service massive infrastructure projects as well as smaller residential builds or renovations that require delivery into tighter suburban areas.

Vulcania sells directly to everyone. We supply large construction firms, small contractors, farmers, and private homeowners. Our goal is to make manufacturer-direct steel products accessible to the entire market.

We are a volume manufacturer dedicated to supplying Construction Groups, Civil Engineering Projects, and Building Wholesalers.