What is 12 gauge wire used for?
12 gauge baling wire is most often used in the waste management and recycling industries to bundle and bale materials. It compresses and secures materials into manageable bales for storage, transportation, and handling.
12 gauge baling wire provides sufficient tensile strength, load strength, durability, and flexibility to tackle most baling jobs.
Recycling applications
Recycling facilities use 12 gauge wire to bale recyclable materials, including:
- Magazines
- Aluminum and steel
- Plastics
- Plastic film
- Paper
- PET and HDPE plastics
- E-waste
Other applications
12 gauge baling wire is also commonly used on farms and construction sites for:
- Vineyard trellises
- Baling hay
- Agricultural fencing and animal enclosures
- Hanging warehouse ceiling tiles
- Binding construction materials
- Reinforcing rebar
- Orchard tree supports
- Electric fencing
12 gauge baling wire features
Here are some of the notable features and advantages of 12 gauge wire.
Versatility and efficiency
Its strength and workability make 12 gauge wire a go-to solution for recycling facilities that deal with a diverse spectrum of recyclable materials. It also creates bales that are extra-compact and easy to manage, optimizing storage space and facilitating the efficient handling and transportation of materials.
Tensile strength
The tensile strength of 12 gauge baling wire sits in the middle of our available wire products. 12 gauge wire can handle most recycling applications, depending on the strength requirements. We also offer high-tensile 12 gauge wire made with high carbon steel for extra tensile strength.
Good for baling bulky and irregular items
The thickness of 12 gauge wire makes it excellent for binding bulky and irregularly shaped materials such as construction and demolition waste, non-uniform bales of recycled materials, and other challenging applications.
12 gauge wire products
We sell 12 gauge baling wire in single and double-loop bale ties (galvanized, annealed, and bright finishes), black annealed wire (sold by the box or the stem), galvanized stem wire, and high-tensile galvanized stem wire.
Our annealed wire undergoes the process of annealing, which improves ductility and elongation, while hot-dip galvanization coats our galvanized wire products in a corrosion-resistant layer of zinc. Bright products are unfinished and are the most cost-effective.
12 gauge black annealed wire by the box
Our 12 gauge black annealed box wire is used to bale cardboard, paper, and other recyclables. Its flexibility makes it a great choice for baling materials that are prone to expanding.
We sell it in 50 lb (approx. 1,685 feet) and 100 lb (approx. 3,369 feet) boxes. Our annealed products are finished with a wax coating.
12 gauge black annealed wire by the stem
Our 12 gauge black annealed stem wire is the same as our 12 gauge black annealed box wire, but on a stem. A stem is a large spool that contains more wire than a box. Stems are commonly used with large-scale industrial balers.
Each stem weighs in at about 1,900 lb, and comes with 64,011 feet of wire.
12 gauge galvanized wire by the stem
Our 12 gauge galvanized stem wire is a great choice for outdoor applications. Baling wire will rust, but thanks to its protective zinc layer, galvanized wire resists rusting well. Galvanized wire is commonly used for fencing, trellising, and tree supports.
Each stem weighs about 1,330 lb, and comes with 34,340 feet of wire.
12 gauge hi-tensile galvanized wire
Our 12 gauge high-tensile galvanized wire can take on the toughest jobs. It has a maximum tensile strength of 175,000 psi,for baling dense, heavy materials. Its protective zinc coating also makes it a good choice for use outdoors and in corrosive environments.
Each stem weighs in at about 1,330 lb, and comes with 44,807 feet of wire.
12 gauge black annealed single loop bale ties
Our 12 gauge black annealed single loop bale ties are fed into manual balers and feature a single loop. The wax coating ensures smooth handling, and the increased flexibility of annealed wire is perfect for baling expansive materials.
We sell our black annealed single loop bale ties in bundles of 125 and 250 at lengths of 10–23 feet.
12 gauge galvanized single loop bale ties
Our 12 gauge galvanized single loop bale ties are a good choice for use with manual balers.They can be manually cut to virtually any length, which allows operators to tailor the tie to their exact needs.
We offer Class 1 and Class 3 galvanization to suit your needs. Class 3 galvanization offers a substantially thicker zinc coating for enhanced corrosion resistance.
We sell our galvanized single loop bale ties in bundles of 125 and 250 at lengths of 10–23 feet.
12 gauge bright double loop bale ties
12 gauge bright double loop bale ties are used to securely tie bales of recyclables and other materials, and have two loops for easy-tying. They offer exceptional tensile and load strength to secure dense, heavy-duty bales. They are unfinished, which gives them a smooth, shiny appearance, making them great for consumer-facing applications.
We sell our bright double loop bale ties in bundles of 125 at lengths of 156 and 180 inches.
12 gauge galvanized double loop bale ties
12 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 or in contact with chemicals.
We sell our galvanized double-loop bale ties in bundles of 125 at lengths of 156 and 180 inches.
How thick is 12 gauge wire?
A wire’s diameter is inversely related to its gauge, counterintuitive as that seems. The smaller the diameter, the larger the gauge, and vice versa.
Wire gauge is a measurement that comes from the wire manufacturing process of drawing steel rods through a series of progressively smaller holes. The drawing process uses a draw plate, which is a tool with a series of conical or cylindrical holes that decrease in size.
As the wire passes through each hole, its diameter is reduced by a specific increment. This process is repeated until the desired diameter is achieved.
The American Wire Gauge (AWG) system is the dominant system used in North America, while the British Standard Wire Gauge (SWG) system is most commonly used in the United Kingdom and some other countries.
Our 12 gauge wire products are 0.102–0.106 inches (2.59–2.69 mm) in diameter.
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Baling wire products we offer
Baling Wire Direct sells the following high-quality baling wire products.
