{
 "version": "2026-10-20",
 "license": "Dimension sheets are written by Xem Studio from the cited sources and are free to use (CC BY 4.0, attribute 'Xem Studio'). Linked files belong to their publishers under the license shown; Xem Studio does not host them. 'license_verified: false' means the license shown is from memory or the publisher's page as last read and should be confirmed at the link before commercial use.",
 "slug": "regenerator-and-heat-materials",
 "name": "Regenerator and heat materials: stainless mesh counts, steel wool, scrubbers, mica, fiberglass, ceramic, firebrick",
 "kind": "hardware",
 "category": "Stirling engines",
 "group": "Heat & regenerator",
 "year": null,
 "question": "What mesh size is used for a Stirling engine regenerator?",
 "tags": [
  "regenerator",
  "mesh",
  "steel wool",
  "insulation",
  "mica",
  "firebrick",
  "heat",
  "stirling",
  "long earth society"
 ],
 "aliases": [
  "stirling regenerator mesh size",
  "stainless mesh 100 wire diameter",
  "steel wool grades",
  "mica sheet thickness",
  "firebrick dimensions",
  "regenerator material",
  "astm e11 mesh"
 ],
 "overall_mm": {
  "length": null,
  "width": null,
  "height": null
 },
 "official_cad": false,
 "xem_status": "free-files",
 "les": true,
 "free_files": 5,
 "url": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/regenerator-and-heat-materials/",
 "sheet_txt": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/regenerator-and-heat-materials/sheet.txt",
 "sheet": {
  "basis": "ASTM E11 wire-mesh sizes (mesh count, wire diameter, opening); steel-wool grades; common insulator sheet and brick sizes",
  "overall_mm": {
   "length": null,
   "width": null,
   "height": null
  },
  "notes": [
   "Stainless mesh (ASTM E11), count → wire Ø / opening: #40 → 0.25 / 0.42 mm; #60 → 0.19 / 0.25; #80 → 0.14 / 0.18; #100 → 0.10 / 0.15; #150 → 0.066 / 0.104; #200 → 0.053 / 0.074. Regenerators want #100–#200 at 60–70% porosity (loosely stacked discs); #40–60 for low-temperature demonstrators where flow loss matters more than heat capacity.",
   "Alternatives by thermal mass per flow loss, best first: stacked stainless mesh discs; stainless pot scrubber (knitted 0.1 mm wire, ~95% porosity, good enough and 1 dollar); steel wool grade 0000 (0.025 mm fibres, rusts, packs too dense if squeezed; grade 0–1 is 0.06–0.09 mm). Copper mesh conducts heat along the regenerator (bad): use stainless.",
   "Insulation: mica sheet 0.1–0.5 mm (gaskets, 500 °C), fiberglass cloth 0.2–0.5 mm (to 540 °C), ceramic fibre blanket 6–25 mm (1260 °C), steatite standoffs (Ø6–12), insulating firebrick 230 × 114 × 64 mm (IFB 23, cuts with a saw). A 2 in spool regenerator holds about Ø47 × 40 mm of mesh = 25–30 discs.",
   "LES: the regenerator spool between the hot and cold ends is a split printed cage packed with #100 stainless mesh; firebrick under the burner; mica under the hot-end clamp."
  ],
  "table": {
   "columns": [
    "material",
    "size",
    "temp_c",
    "use"
   ],
   "rows": [
    [
     "stainless mesh #100",
     "0.10 mm wire, 0.15 opening",
     800,
     "regenerator"
    ],
    [
     "stainless mesh #200",
     "0.053 wire, 0.074 opening",
     800,
     "high-T regenerator"
    ],
    [
     "stainless scrubber",
     "0.1 mm knitted",
     800,
     "cheap regenerator"
    ],
    [
     "steel wool 0000",
     "0.025 mm fibre",
     400,
     "demonstrators (rusts)"
    ],
    [
     "mica sheet",
     "0.1–0.5",
     500,
     "gaskets, washers"
    ],
    [
     "fiberglass cloth",
     "0.2–0.5",
     540,
     "wrap, gasket"
    ],
    [
     "ceramic fibre blanket",
     "6–25",
     1260,
     "burner box"
    ],
    [
     "steatite standoff",
     "Ø6–12 × 10–30",
     1000,
     "hot-end spacing"
    ],
    [
     "insulating firebrick",
     "230 × 114 × 64",
     1260,
     "burner base"
    ]
   ]
  }
 },
 "sheet_text": "Regenerator and heat materials: stainless mesh counts, steel wool, scrubbers, mica, fiberglass, ceramic, firebrick — dimension sheet\nSource: Xem Studio, https://xemstudio.com/objects/regenerator-and-heat-materials/  (CC BY 4.0)\nBasis: ASTM E11 wire-mesh sizes (mesh count, wire diameter, opening); steel-wool grades; common insulator sheet and brick sizes\nCatalog version: 2026-10-20\n\nSizes: see table below\n- Stainless mesh (ASTM E11), count → wire Ø / opening: #40 → 0.25 / 0.42 mm; #60 → 0.19 / 0.25; #80 → 0.14 / 0.18; #100 → 0.10 / 0.15; #150 → 0.066 / 0.104; #200 → 0.053 / 0.074. Regenerators want #100–#200 at 60–70% porosity (loosely stacked discs); #40–60 for low-temperature demonstrators where flow loss matters more than heat capacity.\n- Alternatives by thermal mass per flow loss, best first: stacked stainless mesh discs; stainless pot scrubber (knitted 0.1 mm wire, ~95% porosity, good enough and 1 dollar); steel wool grade 0000 (0.025 mm fibres, rusts, packs too dense if squeezed; grade 0–1 is 0.06–0.09 mm). Copper mesh conducts heat along the regenerator (bad): use stainless.\n- Insulation: mica sheet 0.1–0.5 mm (gaskets, 500 °C), fiberglass cloth 0.2–0.5 mm (to 540 °C), ceramic fibre blanket 6–25 mm (1260 °C), steatite standoffs (Ø6–12), insulating firebrick 230 × 114 × 64 mm (IFB 23, cuts with a saw). A 2 in spool regenerator holds about Ø47 × 40 mm of mesh = 25–30 discs.\n- LES: the regenerator spool between the hot and cold ends is a split printed cage packed with #100 stainless mesh; firebrick under the burner; mica under the hot-end clamp.\n\nmaterial  size  temp_c  use\nstainless mesh #100  0.10 mm wire, 0.15 opening  800  regenerator\nstainless mesh #200  0.053 wire, 0.074 opening  800  high-T regenerator\nstainless scrubber  0.1 mm knitted  800  cheap regenerator\nsteel wool 0000  0.025 mm fibre  400  demonstrators (rusts)\nmica sheet  0.1–0.5  500  gaskets, washers\nfiberglass cloth  0.2–0.5  540  wrap, gasket\nceramic fibre blanket  6–25  1260  burner box\nsteatite standoff  Ø6–12 × 10–30  1000  hot-end spacing\ninsulating firebrick  230 × 114 × 64  1260  burner base\n\nFiles elsewhere (not hosted by Xem Studio; license as stated by the publisher):\n- Wikipedia: Mesh (scale) — web — CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_(scale)\n- Wikipedia: Regenerative heat exchanger — web — CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_heat_exchanger\n- Wikipedia: Steel wool — web — CC BY-SA 4.0 (text) — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_wool\n- McMaster-Carr: Wire cloth (free STEP per part, for your own design use; no redistribution) — STEP, PDF — McMaster-Carr site terms [verify license at link] — https://www.mcmaster.com/products/wire-cloth/\n- Long Earth Society: Engine and rig builds — web, video — LES site — https://longearthsociety.com/engineering/\n\nFree files (CC BY 4.0, Xem Studio; STEP + STL, 5 parts): https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/index.json\nAPI: https://xemstudio.com/api/geometry?object=regenerator-and-heat-materials\n",
 "sources": [
  {
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "title": "Mesh (scale)",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mesh_(scale)",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (text)",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "title": "Regenerative heat exchanger",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regenerative_heat_exchanger",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (text)",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Wikipedia",
   "title": "Steel wool",
   "url": "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steel_wool",
   "formats": [
    "web"
   ],
   "license": "CC BY-SA 4.0 (text)",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "McMaster-Carr",
   "title": "Wire cloth (free STEP per part, for your own design use; no redistribution)",
   "url": "https://www.mcmaster.com/products/wire-cloth/",
   "formats": [
    "STEP",
    "PDF"
   ],
   "license": "McMaster-Carr site terms",
   "license_verified": false,
   "hosted": false
  },
  {
   "publisher": "Long Earth Society",
   "title": "Engine and rig builds",
   "url": "https://longearthsociety.com/engineering/",
   "formats": [
    "web",
    "video"
   ],
   "license": "LES site",
   "license_verified": true,
   "hosted": false
  }
 ],
 "xem": {
  "status": "free-files",
  "sheet_free": true,
  "mesh_price_usd": null,
  "step_price_usd": null,
  "tolerance_mm": null
 },
 "related": [
  "tri-clamp-spool",
  "tri-clamp-ferrule",
  "copper-pipe-type-l-m",
  "tea-light-candles",
  "thermoelectric-tec1",
  "borosilicate-test-tubes"
 ],
 "faq": [
  {
   "q": "What mesh size for a Stirling regenerator?",
   "a": "#100 to #200 stainless (0.1–0.05 mm wire) stacked loosely to 60–70% porosity; coarser #40–60 for low-temperature demonstrators. Never copper: it short-circuits the temperature gradient."
  },
  {
   "q": "Can I use steel wool as a regenerator?",
   "a": "Yes for a demonstrator: grade 0000 packed loosely; it rusts and clogs over months. A stainless pot scrubber is the better 1-dollar option."
  },
  {
   "q": "What is the wire diameter of #100 mesh?",
   "a": "0.10 mm, with a 0.15 mm opening (ASTM E11); #200 is 0.053 mm wire, 0.074 opening."
  }
 ],
 "files_license": null,
 "offers": [
  {
   "file": "mesh-disc-40mm-template",
   "formats": [
    "step",
    "stl"
   ],
   "price_usd": 0,
   "license": "CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio)",
   "step": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/mesh-disc-40mm-template.step",
   "stl": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/mesh-disc-40mm-template.stl",
   "note": "regenerator mesh disc template Ø40 × 0.5 (cut stainless mesh to this)"
  },
  {
   "file": "regenerator-cage-47-5x40",
   "formats": [
    "step",
    "stl"
   ],
   "price_usd": 0,
   "license": "CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio)",
   "step": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/regenerator-cage-47-5x40.step",
   "stl": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/regenerator-cage-47-5x40.stl",
   "note": "regenerator cage for a 2 in spool bore (Ø47.5): Ø47.3 × 40, 1.65 wall, split; pack with mesh or scrubber"
  },
  {
   "file": "regenerator-cage-34-8x30",
   "formats": [
    "step",
    "stl"
   ],
   "price_usd": 0,
   "license": "CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio)",
   "step": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/regenerator-cage-34-8x30.step",
   "stl": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/regenerator-cage-34-8x30.stl",
   "note": "regenerator cage for a 1.5 in spool bore (Ø34.8): Ø34.6 × 30"
  },
  {
   "file": "firebrick-230x114x64",
   "formats": [
    "step",
    "stl"
   ],
   "price_usd": 0,
   "license": "CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio)",
   "step": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/firebrick-230x114x64.step",
   "stl": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/firebrick-230x114x64.stl",
   "note": "insulating firebrick (IFB) 9 × 4.5 × 2.5 in: 230 × 114 × 64 mm"
  },
  {
   "file": "ceramic-standoff-10x20",
   "formats": [
    "step",
    "stl"
   ],
   "price_usd": 0,
   "license": "CC BY 4.0 (Xem Studio)",
   "step": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/ceramic-standoff-10x20.step",
   "stl": "https://xemstudio.com/files/hardware/regenerator-and-heat-materials/ceramic-standoff-10x20.stl",
   "note": "ceramic / steatite standoff Ø10 × 20, Ø4.3 hole"
  }
 ],
 "markdown": "https://xemstudio.com/objects/regenerator-and-heat-materials/index.md"
}