News


Photos: Another Special Wire Mesh Project

At Darby Wire Mesh, we are always willing to go above and beyond to help our customers. In some cases, we get so involved in a particular customer’s project that when the project is complete, our customer will reach out to us to share the accomplishment. From our standpoint, it is further evidence why our customers – from small machine shops to billion dollar organizations – have trusted us for nearly 170 years!

This brings us to Pennsylvania couple, Leah and Jason. During the past few months, we have worked with them for their garden project. Here’s what they used and here are some great pictures!

T-304 SS Welded Wire Mesh, 4 x 4 Mesh, .032″ Diameter Wire – Darby #4304.032WD and

Galvanized Welded Wire Mesh, 2″ x 2″ Mesh, .135″ Diameter Wire – Darby #2″GA.135WD

Galvanized welded mesh used in a fencing project.

Galvanized welded mesh used in a fencing project.

Galvanized welded wire mesh used in a fencing project.

Stainless steel welded mesh used in a garden project


Special Wire Mesh Project with Amazing Photos

Greg from Mississippi wanted to use wire mesh and contacted us for help with his special project. After some thorough discussions, Greg settled on this specification:

Plain Steel Woven Wire Mesh, Lock Crimp
3″ x 3″ Opening, .250″ Diameter Wire

After receiving his material is about 1.5 weeks, Greg had some feedback to share with us:

“I wanted to thank you for the great experience I had working with you and Darby Wire. 

My needs represented a very small project for your company. However, the response to the RFQ – with a couple of options thrown in – was quick and efficient. The final order was produced and shipped on schedule with the end result being exactly what I was looking for.

Again, thank you!”

-GREG FROM MISSISSIPPI

Now, onto the best part! Greg used this custom manufactured woven wire mesh as infill panels on his expansive porch. Way to go, Greg! It looks great…we can’t wait for our invitation to visit you this fall!

P.S. Please respect the photos that Greg shared with Darby Wire Mesh. Please do not lift or copy these images to place on your website. Thank you.



Darby’s Recommendations for Navigating the Supply Chain

You’ve seen it on the nightly news.  You’ve read about in the newspaper, you’ve experienced it first hand at your local hardware store, your grocery store, and during your online shopping session: supply chain issues are impacting every business and everyday life. Simply put, the entire world is still feeling the impact of COVID-19.

Shipping containers are piled high at the port of Los Angeles.
(LA Times – Mario Tama / Getty Images)

Inventories are low

As it relates to wire mesh and wire cloth, here is what we think you need to know and what you can do to combat these supply chain issues:

As an example, one of Darby’s most versatile and economical products, Galvanized Hardware Cloth is an item that is imported from overseas. When the global pandemic started, manufacturing was initially suspended. When manufacturing resumed, necessary safety protocols slowed down production. When it came to container shipping, limited bandwidth to process large amounts of cargo led to very long delays.

So long story short, inventories are low across the country, not just in wire mesh and wire cloth, but also children’s toys, electronics, and clothing.

Darby’s recommendation: be smart, act quickly, and plan ahead. For example, if there’s a particular wire mesh specification you need, do not delay in starting the quote process and finalizing your order. This is especially true if your quantity requirements are significant. When you delay in finalizing your order, you run the risk of stock outages.

Lead times for custom manufactured items and/or fabricated parts are extended

Oftentimes, we supply custom manufactured and/or non-stock specifications, both in large opening sizes, say 2” x 2”, or in small opening sizes, 20 x 20 Mesh or 60 x 60 Mesh. By and large, the lack of raw wire availability, significant delays in transit, and shortages in labor continue to contribute to longer lead times.

Darby’s recommendation: be smart, act quickly, and plan ahead. When looking for a custom manufactured item, a non-standard specification, or a fabricated part, please plan ahead. Start the quote process sooner than later, and be ready and willing to place your order as soon as possible.

Finally, be sure to discuss your lead time requirements with us. To give you a frame of reference, Darby was founded in 1854, before the US Civil War. We have survived and thrived through two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Great Recession, and a handful of other perilous situations. Trust us: we are positioned well to help you during a global pandemic!

Darby has been around forever!

Shipping is taking much longer than expected

It should not be shocking to hear that US logistic carriers, like UPS, FedEx, T-Force, Ward, A. Duie Pyle, and XPO are pushed to the limit. When major distribution and logistics companies no longer offer guaranteed service and when major companies like Amazon have scaled back their 2 Day Prime offerings, shipping is a major obstacle to overcome.

Darby’s recommendation: be smart, act quickly, and plan ahead. Do not wait until the last minute to order wire mesh. Review your timeline and do not delay.

Keep this in mind: Darby might be able to process your order in a single day; however, if UPS does not make its daily pick up, your shipment will be late. As we get deeper into December and the holiday shopping season is in full swing, we encourage you to assume that delays will occur and what was once “normal shipping days in transit” will no longer apply.

Please free to contact us at [email protected] should you have any questions.   


Happy Thanksgiving

For the Thanksgiving holiday, EJ Darby & Son, Inc. will be closed Thursday, November 25th and Friday, November 26th. We will return to the office on Monday, November 29th. The past 21 months have been extremely challenging, but our team at Darby has more than excelled during an uncertain time. As we reflect at this time of year, we are grateful for our Darby team, our channel partners, our customers, and our friends and colleagues.  

Finally, with projected shipping delays during the holiday season, please do not delay in finalizing your order, especially if you have a tight timetable or require something urgently. Our team is working hard to fulfill your order as quickly as possible, but we are unable to control logistics. All online orders placed over the holiday weekend will be scheduled to ship the week of November 29th.

Happy Thanksgiving


Rest in Peace, Norberto Batiz

Norberto Batiz – Our Friend.

It is with deep sadness in informing you that we have lost a dear friend and well-respected employee. On Wednesday, September 15, 2021, Norberto Batiz suddenly and tragically passed away, and everyone at Edward J. Darby & Son, Inc. will miss him immensely.

Born on June 6, 1953 in Ponce, Puerto Rico, Norberto’s first day at Darby was May 11, 1988. He proudly worked here until his retirement in August of 2016. After about three years of retirement life in Puerto Rico, he came back to Darby in 2019. We often say that he came back because he missed us, but the truth is: Darby was not the same organization without Norberto and we were so happy when he returned.

Norberto’s death came as a shock to everyone here at Darby, and this company will not be the same without him. Norberto was a trusted, honest, kind, and thoughtful employee and friend to everyone within our walls. He always had a smile on his face, especially on his daily trips into the conference room to enjoy his coffee. His positivity was contagious, and he brought out the best in his work friends and colleagues.

He was a skilled fabricator and was often tasked with fabricating some of our most difficult and time sensitive jobs. His claim to fame, without fail, was he was “Mister 99.9%”. Whenever Norberto was asked about a specific job – whether it was cutting tolerances or quantities, or if a job was going to ship on time, Norberto’s response was, without fail, that the job is “99.9% perfecto”!

We send our deepest condolences to Norberto’s 9 children (Idelisa, Norberto Jr., Angelica, Miguel, Adriane, Migdalia, Lisa, Jessica and Carmelo) and 16 grandchildren. Norberto often spoke of his family, and it was clear that he was a loving father and grandfather.

Our collective hearts are broken with Nobert’s passing. Darby will not be the same without Norberto. We will miss him.

Rest in peace, Norberto.

Norberto slitting wire mesh

Previously: darbywiremesh.com/darby-celebrates-retirement-of-long-time-employee/



In Remembrance of David Hober – Our Friend

Dave Hober

David Hober was a fixture at Edward J. Darby & Son, Inc. for close to 60 years, and today, we mourn his passing.

Mr. Hober passed away peacefully on October 29, 2020 and leaves behind his loving wife, Barbara, and four children, Kimberly, Teresa, John, and Jeremy. The entire team at Darby sends our condolences, our love, and our support to his family during this difficult time.

In 1958, Dave started at Edward J. Darby & Son, Inc. and quickly become a respected and dependable colleague, often called upon for his product expertise and creative engineering. If there was something that needed to get done, Dave was the man. And he was the man for many years here at Darby. Even after he officially left Darby, he was often in the warehouse showing the guys the best way to tackle a problem. He also spent many, many morning in the conference room chatting over a few cups of coffee. In those conversations, it was clear that Dave was an honest, genuine, and smart man, who deeply cared about Darby, its employees, and his friends.

A deeply religious and good man, Dave will be missed by his congregation and his community.  We at Darby will remember his kind spirit, his resourcefulness, his guidance, and, of course, his passion for Studebakers.

We will miss him. Rest in Peace, Dave.


Happy Halloween!!!

Spiders crawling on wire mesh! Happy Halloween!

We at Darby hope you have a Happy Halloween! In this case, spiders love to crawl on woven intercrimp wire mesh.

Special shout out to a local brewery, Human Robot. Great place, great beer…and personally, we can’t get enough of their awesome (wire mesh) decorations! Also, they are right around the corner of our headquarters, here in Philadelphia.


(UPDATED) Holiday Shipping Delays: UPS and Motor Freight Carriers

Following health and safety guidelines, Edward J. Darby & Son, Inc. continues to operate and to supply the country with essential products during this time. We are working hard to satisfy our customers and are fulfilling orders as quickly as possible.

Carrier Delays: Due to COVID-19 and other factors, shipping companies, including UPS, Fed Ex, and LTL Carriers like UPS Freight, Fed-Ex Freight, A. Duie Pyle, and YRC Freight are experiencing shipping delays.

UPDATED 12/4/2020: Due to COVID-19 and the holiday shopping season, UPS and many freight carriers are experiencing delays. These delays are occurring at daily scheduled pick ups and throughout the supply chain. Please be patient, and in some cases, be sure to allow for extra days in transit.

For more information, please visit: For more information regarding UPS delays, please click here.

9/2/2020: We have seen a slight improvement in UPS Ground services over the past few weeks, and we are hopeful that more accurate and timely deliveries will continue to occur. Many standard orders that ship from Darby have not experienced significant delays; in fact, the longest delay we have seen in the past week has only been 1-2 days. We’ll continue to monitor this and keep you posted.

Freight carriers like A Duie Pyle, UPS Freight, Fed Ex Freight, and other carriers have also improved their deliveries over the last few weeks. Again, we’ll continue to monitor and report what we are seeing. Thank you. We are in this together.