Wire Partition Security Cages: How to Size and Spec One for Your Warehouse

A wire partition cage is the simplest way to lock up part of an open warehouse floor without building a wall. Tool cribs, spare-parts rooms, returns areas, high-value inventory, IT and network gear: anything that should be visible but not reachable goes behind mesh. The systems are modular, so the same parts that build a small 8 × 8 cage also build a long partition wall down a building.

Modular also means you have to spec it right. Panel sizes, mesh, the gap at the floor, door type and whether you need a ceiling all change what arrives on the truck. This guide walks through each decision using published manufacturer specifications, so you can show up to a quote with the right numbers.

Browse rack protection and security cages, see the 8 × 8 × 8 wire partition cage, or request a delivered freight quote with your dimensions.

How a wire partition system goes together

Every major system uses the same basic parts:

• Panels: a steel frame with wire mesh welded or attached inside it.
• Posts: steel tubes with a base plate that anchors to the floor. Panels bolt or hook between them.
• Doors: hinged, sliding or double, each with its own posts and lock hardware.
• Ceiling panels (optional): mesh laid across the top when the cage must be closed from above.
• Filler panels: narrow solid or adjustable pieces that close the leftover gap at the end of a run.

The key idea is stacking. Instead of one tall panel per bay, short panels stack on top of each other between posts. One major manufacturer, Wire Crafters, makes its standard woven panels in 4-ft and 5-ft heights and widths from 1 ft to 10 ft, and builds full-height walls by stacking two or more panels between posts (Wire Crafters woven partition brochure, via Cisco-Eagle; Southwest Solutions Wire Crafters brochure). Two 4-ft panels make an 8-ft wall, and two 5-ft panels make a 10-ft wall.

Husky Rack & Wire's EZ Wire line works on the same principle, with stock panels from 1 ft to 10 ft wide and 1 ft to 5 ft high, stacked using welded connectors (Husky EZ Wire brochure; Husky EZ Wire brochure, Taylor Material Handling copy).

Stacking matters in practice. Smaller panels are easier for two people to carry and install, a damaged bottom panel can be swapped without taking down the whole wall, and adding height later is a matter of adding a row.

Step 1: Measure the footprint

Start with a floor plan sketch, not a catalog. You need:

1. Length of each side of the cage, measured where the posts will actually sit.
2. Which sides are open floor and which run along an existing wall. A cage set against a building wall needs only three sides of mesh, which changes the parts list.
3. Where the door goes and which way it should swing or slide.
4. Obstructions: columns, conduit, sprinkler pipe, ducts, rack uprights, floor drains.
5. Clear height to the lowest overhead obstruction, if you're considering a ceiling or a tall wall.

Because standard panels come in one-foot width steps, plan each side as a sum of standard panel widths plus posts, then use a filler panel for the remainder. Wire Crafters lists an adjustable solid filler panel for small gaps in a run (Southwest Solutions Wire Crafters brochure; MH-USA panel options).

Step 2: Pick the height

Common wall heights come straight from the panel heights: 8 ft (two 4-ft panels) or 10 ft (two 5-ft panels) with the Wire Crafters system (MH-USA panel options; Wire Crafters brochure). Taller walls stack more rows.

How tall you go depends on what you're stopping:

• Keeping people out of an area usually means a wall tall enough that nobody can reach over or climb it easily, or a full-height wall to the structure.
• Defining a work zone or tool crib where theft risk is low can be a shorter wall.
• If anyone could climb over, you need either full height or a ceiling.

Step 3: Choose the mesh

Mesh is chosen by two questions: what must not pass through it, and how hard it should be to cut.

The most common standard is 10-gauge steel wire woven into a 2 in. × 1 in. rectangular mesh. Wire Crafters describes it as its standard partition mesh (10 gauge, .135 in. wire), and the same spec shows up in dealer literature for its Style 840 system (Wire Crafters brochure; Storage Equipment Co. Style 840 page). Husky's EZ Wire also uses 10-gauge wire, but in a 1-1/2 in. diamond weave (Husky EZ Wire brochure; Taylor copy).

When to ask for something other than standard:

• Small, high-value items (small parts, fasteners, small electronics) can pass through a standard opening. Ask for a tighter mesh. Wire Crafters lists 3/4 in. square (10 ga) and 1/2 in. square (12 ga) woven options for exactly that reason (MH-USA panel options; Southwest Solutions woven wire partitions brochure).
• Higher cut resistance: heavier wire, such as the 2 in. square 6-gauge and 1-1/2 in. square 8-gauge woven options in the same lineup (MH-USA panel options; Southwest Solutions woven wire partitions brochure).
• Field fitting around obstructions: welded mesh panels can be cut on site, which helps around pipes and columns (MH-USA panel options).

Mesh choice should match the item you're protecting, not the scariest scenario you can imagine. A standard 2 × 1 woven panel is enough for most tool cribs and storage cages.

Step 4: Account for the sweep space

Most systems leave a gap between the bottom of the lowest panel and the floor, called the sweep space. It lets you sweep or scrub under the wall and keeps panels off a floor that's rarely perfectly level.

The gap differs by manufacturer:

Two practical consequences. First, your wall height is panel height plus the sweep, so check overhead clearance with the sweep included. Second, if small items on the floor could be slid under the wall, ask the manufacturer about flush-to-floor options. Wire Crafters notes that flush partitions can be made by modifying the post hole layout (Wire Crafters brochure).

Step 5: Choose the door

The door is the part people use every day, so pick it for the traffic it will see:

Wire Crafters lists hinged doors in 3-ft and 4-ft widths with padlock lugs standard and cylinder locks available, plus double hinged, sliding and Dutch styles (Wire Crafters brochure; Southwest Solutions brochure). Decide early who carries keys. A padlock is simple, while a cylinder lock can be keyed to match other locks you already use.

Step 6: Decide on a ceiling

A cage without a ceiling can be climbed. If the contents are worth locking up and the walls don't reach the structure, plan for mesh ceiling panels. Standard panels in the Wire Crafters line can be used in ceilings as well as walls (Wire Crafters brochure; Storage Equipment Co.).

Before adding a ceiling, talk to whoever maintains your fire sprinkler system and check with your local fire official. A ceiling over a cage, mesh or not, can affect how sprinklers reach the space beneath it, and the answer depends on your building's system and local rules. That conversation is cheap before the order and expensive after installation.

Step 7: Plan the anchors and the floor

Posts anchor to the concrete slab through a welded base plate. Wire Crafters lists a standard base plate with anchor holes and includes 3/8 in. floor anchors with orders (Storage Equipment Co. Style 840 page; Wire Crafters brochure, which specifies 3/8 in. hardware). Before install day, confirm:

• The slab is sound where each post lands.
• No embedded conduit or radiant lines are under the anchor points.
• The floor is reasonably level along each run, since the sweep space absorbs only small differences.

A buyer's checklist

Bring this to your quote request and you'll get an accurate answer the first time:

• Length of each side, and which sides run along an existing wall
• Desired wall height (and clear height to the lowest obstruction)
• Mesh: standard 2 × 1 woven, or tighter or heavier, and why
• Door type, width, swing or slide direction, and lock type
• Ceiling: yes or no (and sprinkler question asked)
• Obstructions to work around (columns, pipes, rack uprights)
• Delivery details: dock or ground-level door, and whether you need a liftgate

If you're outfitting a new space all at once, our move-in equipment page groups cages with the other gear most warehouses need on day one, such as yard ramps and dock boards and rolling ladders. Our guides on how to size a yard ramp and buying versus renting a rolling ladder cover those decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the standard mesh for a wire partition cage? The most common standard is 10-gauge steel wire woven into a 2 in. × 1 in. rectangular opening, per Wire Crafters' published specs. Husky's EZ Wire uses 10-gauge wire in a 1-1/2 in. diamond weave. Tighter and heavier meshes are available when small items or cut resistance matter.

How tall are wire partition panels? Standard Wire Crafters panels are 4 ft or 5 ft high and stack between posts, so two panels make an 8-ft or 10-ft wall. Husky EZ Wire panels run 1 ft to 5 ft high.

Why is there a gap under a wire partition? It's the sweep space, which allows floor cleaning and absorbs small floor variations. Published figures are 3-1/4 in. for Wire Crafters Style 840 and 3-1/2 in. for Husky EZ Wire.

Do I need a ceiling on my security cage? If the walls don't reach the structure and the contents are worth protecting, a ceiling prevents climbing over. Check with your sprinkler contractor and local fire official before adding one.

Can I add to a cage later? Yes. Modular systems are designed to be extended with more panels, posts and rows. Keep the manufacturer and model on file so new parts match.

Request a delivered freight quote with your cage dimensions, or contact us with questions.

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Specifications in this guide are taken from the manufacturers' published literature linked above and can change. Final dimensions, mesh, hardware and manufacturer are confirmed on your quote. Verify with the manufacturer for your application, and check fire, building and safety requirements with your local officials. This guide is general product information, not engineering, legal or code-compliance advice.