The product
An outdoor fabric, woven thread by thread
It's not a print and it's not hardware-store mesh. It's a fabric made on a knitting machine with dope-dyed polypropylene thread: the pattern is formed by the interweaving of the coloured threads, and each screen is made to the measurements of the space it's going into.
How it's made
The thread
Virgin polypropylene, dope-dyed: the pigments are mixed into the polymer during spinning, not applied on top. That's why they can't leach out of the fibre.
The weave
The pattern is formed on the knitting machine, by interweaving threads of different colours. The design is in the structure of the fabric, not on a surface that can wear away.
Made to measure
Height and width are taken from the actual fence. The screen is calculated slightly shorter to stay taut, and arrives with tubes and cable ties ready to fit.
How it's made
The screening is made using a multi-thread jacquard knit: it's the structure of the knit itself that forms the pattern, not a coating applied on top.
The knit is run-resistant: if a thread gives way, the fabric doesn't ladder like a stocking, and the damage stays where it is. Cutting it with scissors or a knife is easy; tearing it is another matter entirely.
The pattern appears on one side only. The reverse is a solid colour, in a shade that follows the dominant colour of the chosen design: if the pattern is mostly green, the back will be green. It's worth knowing this in advance, as it determines which side to view — and therefore how to orient it during installation.
The patent
The way this fabric is made is protected by a European patent: EP 3736365, granted on 24 May 2023 and validated in Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
What it covers is specific: an outdoor screen made from isotactic polypropylene yarns in different colours, worked in jacquard or intarsia to form multicoloured patterns, in screens whose predominant dimension exceeds two metres — along with the method and the machine used to produce it.
One thing we prefer to point out ourselves: a patent confirms that the invention is new, not that the product lasts longer. These are two different things, and they're often confused.
How it's fitted
A sleeve runs along all four sides of the screen, into which a plastic tube is inserted to keep the fabric even and taut. The cable ties then attach between one mesh row and the next, without drilling or cutting the fabric.
There's a useful side effect: if the fence post falls on the side where you're fitting the screen, the tubes at the top and bottom cover it, so there's no visible difference in thickness.
The cable ties, in plastic or stainless steel, are included in the price. Sold separately are the aluminium profiles and the kit for raising the fence height.
Technical data
The yarn data comes from the manufacturer's technical bulletin; the measurement data comes from our own production.
- Material
- Virgin polypropylene, UV-stabilised
- Dyeing
- Dope-dyed: the pigment is inside the fibre
- Moisture regain
- 0.13% — the lowest of any textile fibre
- Specific gravity
- 0.91 g/cm³ — the only textile fibre that floats
- Chemical resistance
- Excellent against acids and alkalis, superior to nylon and polyester
- Abrasion resistance
- Excellent, and unchanged when wet
- Base yarn colours
- 20, with more being added
- Catalogue variants
- Over 250 combinations of pattern and colour
- Densities available
- 3-thread and 4-thread
- Height
- From 60 to 220cm, made to measure
- Width
- Up to 25m per screen (up to 32-35m on request)
- Fixings
- Plastic or stainless steel cable ties, included in the price
The lab tests
The fabric was tested by the Centro Tessile Serico in Como. On the blue wool scale, which tops out at 8, our two catalogue fabrics score 7 and 7-8.
| Test | Method | Sample | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colour fastness to weathering | UNI EN ISO 105 B04 | 3-thread fabric | 7 out of 8 |
| Colour fastness to weathering | UNI EN ISO 105 B04 | 4-thread fabric | 7-8 out of 8 |
| Colour fastness to weathering | UNI EN ISO 105 B04 | 2-thread fabric | 7 out of 8 |
| Air permeability | UNI EN ISO 9237 | 4-thread fabric | 2099 mm/s |
| Colour fastness to sea water | Manufacturer's bulletin | Yarn | 5 out of 5 |
| Colour fastness to washing | Manufacturer's bulletin | Yarn | 5 out of 5 |
Customisation
The catalogue features over 250 design and colour combinations, built from twenty base yarn colours.
You can choose a pattern from the catalogue or have one designed for you. For a custom design or logo, the technical limit is five colours, and feasibility is assessed by looking at the file: gradients and very fine details can't be knitted the way they're printed.
The file still needs to be reworked for the knitting machine's program. Useful formats: PNG, JPEG or BMP — PDF can't be used.
Cleaning and repairs
The fabric doesn't pick up dirt easily, by nature of the fibre. For light dirt, running water is enough; for more stubborn marks, use a pressure washer, taking care not to cut the fabric.
Avoid harsh, oxidising products — bleach, solvents, thinners, alcohol, petrol — and contact with concentrated pool treatment products. Never dry clean, and never use direct heat sources.
Holes and cuts can be repaired without replacing the whole screen: when the damage is extensive, a patch of fabric is overlaid.
What this fabric isn't
We'd rather say it ourselves, precisely, than have you find out later.
- It has no fire reaction classification and shouldn't be used inside enclosed spaces. Outdoors, even in public settings, there are no restrictions.
- There are no wind resistance tests. What we do have measures air permeability, meaning how much air passes through the fabric: that's a different measurement. The real limit, in windy areas, is the strength of the structure it's fixed to.
- Polypropylene is inherently sensitive to UV rays: it's the stabiliser added to the thread that protects it. That's why we talk about UV-stabilised yarn, and not UV resistance.
- We don't state a lifespan in years. Accelerated ageing data is useful for comparing different yarns, not for predicting the life of a screen, which depends on exposure, location and the agents present.
The documents
This is everything we have on file about the product and the yarn.
The test reports are issued in the name of our production partner, and reproducing them requires the laboratory's written authorisation. If you need them, get in touch: we'll show them to you.
Where it's made
The yarn, knitting and finishing are all Italian: production takes place in the province of Modena, with the office and showroom in San Giovanni in Persiceto, in the province of Bologna. The showroom can be visited by appointment.
One thing we prefer to point out ourselves: the steel cable ties come from China. That's why we say the fabric is made in Italy, rather than using a «Made in Italy» label for the product as a whole.