12.5 gauge wire

Our 12.5 gauge wire products

We sell 12.5 gauge baling wire as double loop bale ties (galvanized and bright).

12.5 gauge bright double loop bale ties

12.5 gauge bright double loop bale ties feature two loops for easy tying. They offer exceptional tensile and load strength for securing dense, medium-weight bales of recyclables or other materials. They are unfinished (bright), which gives them a smooth, shiny appearance, making them great for consumer-facing applications or short-term storage where corrosion resistance isn’t needed.

We sell bright double loop bale ties in bundles of 125 at lengths of 156 inches.

12.5 gauge galvanized double loop bale ties

12.5 gauge galvanized double loop bale ties also feature two loops for easy tying. Their corrosion-resistant zinc coating makes them a great choice for baling materials that will be stored outside, for long periods, or in contact with chemicals.

We sell galvanized double-loop bale ties in bundles of 125 at lengths of 156 inches.

What is 12.5 gauge wire used for?

Waste management and recycling operations use 12.5 gauge wire to bundle and bale materials. Baler wire allows facilities to compact and securely bind materials into manageable bales for efficient handling, transportation, and storage.

Our manufacturing process

You need high-quality baling wire to do the job right. Here’s how we consistently manufacture the best baling wire in the world:

1. We start by purchasing 100% American steel billets from select family-owned mills, bought with metallurgical documents for comprehensive material traceability.
2. The raw materials are shipped to our state-of-the-art factory where our team of over 120 trained technicians and 5 engineering experts get to work.
3. The billets undergo an innovative mechanical reverse-bending mechanical descaling process. This technique reduces die wear and removes mill scale and surface rust, leaving behind a smooth surface (Mechanical descaling eliminates the need for hazardous chemicals and protects the environment.).
4. The wire billets are drawn through a bull-block continuous wire machine. The rods are progressively narrowed through increasing die gauges until the desired diameter is achieved. The inverse relationship between gauge and wire diameter means a larger wire gauge correlates to a thinner wire.
5. After the steel wire has been drawn to size, we gently air-cool it to produce consistent tensile strength.
6. We send wire that requires annealing or galvanization for further processing.

We exercise strict quality control to produce wire that exceeds industry standards. Any wire that doesn’t pass testing is removed from supply, so our customers only receive exceptional baler wire.

Our annealing process

Annealing enhances a wire’s ductility and flexibility while reducing brittleness and hardness. It optimizes wire for baling expansive or shifting materials. The three stages of our annealing process are:

1. Recovery: We heat the wire below its recrystallization temperature to relieve internal stress, reduce linear defects, and restore some of the wire’s conductivity.
2. Recrystallization: Additional heat causes the wire to form new grains, resulting in the elimination of dislocations and the development of a new, strain-free microstructure, which further enhances ductility and reduces hardness, creating a slightly weaker, more flexible wire.
3. Grain growth: As the grains continue to grow, the wire loses some additional strength. We anneal until the wire achieves a 25% elongation potential.

After annealing, we coat the wire in a protective wax that offers minor rust and corrosion protection and allows smooth feeding into high-volume auto-tie balers.

Our galvanizing process

Galvanization improves a wire’s resistance to corrosion and rust. It involves coating the wire in a durable zinc shield to serve as a sacrificial anode. Here’s how we hot-dip galvanize our wire:

1. Surface preparation: We clean the wire to prepare it for zinc adhesion, removing all surface impurities.
2. Pickling: We immerse the wire in an acid solution to remove the remaining oxides and scale, creating a clean substrate for the zinc.
3. Fluxing: We immerse the wire in a flux solution, which prevents oxidation and promotes a uniform zinc coating.
4. Galvanizing bath: We dip the wire in a molten zinc bath (around 450°C or 850°F).
5. Alloy formation: While immersed in the molten zinc, a metallurgical reaction occurs between the iron in the wire and the zinc, resulting in the formation of a series of zinc-iron alloy layers.
6. Withdrawal: We slowly remove the wire at a rate that allows excess zinc to drip off and creates a uniform layer of zinc.
7. Quenching: We rapidly cool the zinc-coated wire in a quenching solution, solidifying the zinc and completing the galvanization process.

We offer two galvanization classes on our galvanized wire products. While Class 1 is cheaper, its basic zinc coating wears out a lot faster. Class 3 galvanization features superior corrosion resistance; a heavy zinc coating withstands (up to 50+ years) extreme environmental conditions and saves you money in the long run.

How strong is 12.5 gauge wire?

12.5 gauge is strong enough for medium-duty applications. It provides sufficient load strength, tensile strength, durability, and flexibility to tackle most jobs, but it is not suited for heavy-duty baling applications.

How thick is 12.5 gauge wire?

Our 12.5 gauge wire products are 0.099 inches (2.5146 mm) in diameter.

A wire’s gauge is inversely correlated to its thickness; smaller gauges correlate to thicker wire and vice versa.

North America primarily uses the American Wire Gauge (AWG) system, while in the United Kingdom and some other countries, the British Standard Wire Gauge (SWG) system is most commonly used. To learn more about wire gauge, check out our baler wire gauge guide.

Further reading

• What is high-tensile wire?
• Does black annealed wire rust?
• Do you sell black annealed box wire?
• What single loop tie wire do you sell?
• Do you sell galvanized baling wire products?
• Do you sell single loop bale ties?

Shop baling wire

Baling Wire Direct sells the following high-quality baling wire products.

Shop Bale Ties

Shop annealed wire

Shop Galvanized Wire

Shop high-tensile wire