Solid sheet of material stand expanded metal without any waste being generated. The result of this expanding operation is a product that is lighter per meter and stronger per kilogram than the original plain sheet. Different Metal sheet product that has been slit and stretched to a wide array of different shaped openings are called Expanded Metal. Steel expanded metal offers savings in weight and metal, free passage of light, liquid, sound and air, while providing a decorative or ornamental effect.

Some commonly used shapes are circles, squares, and diamonds; diamonds are the most popular shapes because of how well the shape absorbs energy and resists mechanical deformation after installation. Other design considerations are the size and angles of the shapes, which will also affect how well the metal absorbs energy and where the energy is spread throughout the expanded metal.

For the diamond shape, there are at least four different angles that come into account, the two acute and two obtuse angles. The larger the angles, the less strength the shape will have because there would be too much space inside the shape. However, if the angles are too small, strength is lost because the shape is too close together, so there is no space for the structure to hold.