Magnified schematic — the wire-to-opening ratio is true to scale; very thin lines are drawn at a minimum visible width.
A US standard No. 50 test sieve (ASTM E11) has a nominal opening of 300 µm.
| Opening (microns) | 300 µm |
| Opening (millimeters) | 0.3 mm |
| Opening (inches) | 0.0118 in |
| US standard sieve | No. 50 |
| Tyler equivalent | 48 mesh |
| Pitch (wire center to center) | 500 µm |
| Typical wire diameter | 0.2 mm |
| Approx. open area | 36% |
A 300 µm opening falls within the medium sand (250 µm–500 µm) class of the Wentworth grain-size scale. Comparing grain size with the nominal opening only: fine sand and finer would pass; coarse sand and coarser would be retained; medium sand is split at about 300 µm. Real sieving also depends on particle shape, sieving time and the opening tolerance of the cloth.
These applications commonly use a 50 mesh count or an opening near 300 µm:
300 µm stainless mesh (as sold)
Hop spiders are sold with 300 µm stainless mesh. Forum users brewing heavily hopped beers report that 300 µm can clog and prefer coarser mesh.
24, 50, 80, 100 or 200 mesh
Agricultural nozzle tip strainers are offered with stainless screens of 24, 50, 80, 100 or 200 mesh to keep spray tips from plugging.
No. 4, 8, 16, 30, 50, 100 sieves
ASTM C33/C33M-23 grades fine aggregate on the No. 4 to No. 100 sieves: 95–100% passing No. 4 (4.75 mm) and 0–10% passing No. 100 (150 µm).
Water 20–40 mesh · steam 40–60 mesh
A common recommendation: 20–40 mesh for chilled and city water lines, 40–60 mesh for steam (very fine mesh is eroded by high-velocity steam). Follow the equipment maker for your service.
Sieves from 200 to 1600 µm
Coffee sifters stack interchangeable sieves between 200 and 1600 µm to isolate a target grind range.
Ranges show common practice with sources on the mesh size by application page — always check your equipment maker's recommendation.
The name "50 mesh" suggests 50 openings per inch, i.e. a pitch of 25,400 ÷ 50 = 508 µm. Standard test sieves, however, are defined by their opening, not by the count: a 300 µm opening woven with the typical 0.2 mm wire gives a real pitch of 300 + 200 = 500 µm, which is about 50.8 wires per inch. That is why mesh numbers and micron values never line up perfectly — and why this site uses the ASTM E11 opening as the answer.
| Mesh | Microns (µm) | Millimeters | Inches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 35 mesh | 500 | 0.5 | 0.0197 |
| 40 mesh | 425 | 0.425 | 0.0167 |
| 45 mesh | 355 | 0.355 | 0.014 |
| 50 mesh | 300 | 0.3 | 0.0118 |
| 60 mesh | 250 | 0.25 | 0.0098 |
| 70 mesh | 212 | 0.212 | 0.0083 |
| 80 mesh | 180 | 0.18 | 0.0071 |
Values are ASTM E11 nominal openings (Tyler equivalents for 150 and 250 mesh). Italic ≈ values are estimates for non-standard mesh counts, calculated from the mesh count and an assumed wire diameter (interpolated between ASTM E11 sieves, or extrapolated beyond No. 635). Wire values are ASTM E11 typical wire for standard sizes.
50 mesh is 300 µm, which is 0.3 mm or 0.0118 inches.
In a simplified comparison with the nominal opening, particles smaller than about 300 µm can pass a 50 mesh screen. A 300 µm opening falls within the medium sand (250 µm–500 µm) class of the Wentworth grain-size scale. Comparing grain size with the nominal opening only: fine sand and finer would pass; coarse sand and coarser would be retained; medium sand is split at about 300 µm. Real sieving also depends on particle shape, sieving time and the opening tolerance of the cloth.
With a typical 0.2 mm wire, 50 mesh has roughly 36% open area. Thicker wire lowers the open area and the opening size.