You have just purchased an electro-welded box gabion to build a retaining wall, a structured channel, or an engineering work that requires straight, aligned, and long-lasting faces. Unlike the hexagonal gabion, electro-welded panels are rigid and allow for the construction of walls with precise geometry. In this guide, we show you how to correctly assemble, fill, and tie it.
Product Specifications
The electro-welded gabion is a prefabricated box made of rigid wire mesh panels welded at their intersections, which gives it a stable geometry and flat faces. It is assembled on site from individual panels and filled with stone. Its rigidity makes it ideal for retaining walls, channel linings, bridge abutments, and all types of structural work where aesthetics and alignment are important.
| Specification | Gabion 2×1×1 m |
|---|---|
| SKU | 694500 |
| Mesh type | Electro-welded (rigid wire) |
| Length | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Width | 1 m (3.3 ft) |
| Height | 1 m (3.3 ft) |
| Volume per box | 2 m³ (70.6 ft³) |
| Primary application | Retaining walls and structural works |
Step-by-step guide to use
The electro-welded gabion arrives on site as disassembled panels that you assemble on site. The rigidity of the product leaves little room for error: if the base is not level or the filling is not adequate, the wall will lose alignment. Follow the strict order.
Prepare the base
Excavate a foundation trench at least 30 cm (12 in) deep, level and compact it. Place a 10 cm (4 in) layer of compacted hardcore or gravel. The base is what will support the entire structure: any subsequent settlement will result in a tilted wall.
Assemble the panels
Lay out the panels on a flat surface and join them at the edges using wire spirals or staples. Verify that the four side faces and the base form right angles, leaving the top open for later filling. Always assemble two or three boxes at a time to align them as a single unit.
Position the empty box in place
Move the assembled box to its final position, align it with the wall line, and join it to adjacent boxes with spirals at each shared edge. The assembly should function as a single monolithic structure, not as independent boxes resting on each other.
Fill with correct granulometry stone
Use hard, angular, non-friable stone, with a size between 1.5 and 2 times the mesh opening (typically 10 to 20 cm / 4 to 8 in). Hand-place the stones on the exposed face to achieve an even finish, and dump the less visible stones inside. Fill in layers of 30 cm (12 in) and lightly compact each one.
Place intermediate ties
When each third of the filling is complete (at 33 cm and 66 cm high), place wire ties joining the front and back faces of the box. Without these ties, the exposed face will bulge under the weight of the stone, ruining the wall's alignment.
Close the lid
Once filling is complete to the brim, close the lid with spirals or staples along the four top edges. The lid must be taut, without gaps. If you are going to stack another course of gabions on top, prepare the new row by replicating the steps.
Behind the gabion wall, install non-woven geotextile and a dimpled drainage sheet before backfilling the back with selected material. The geotextile filters fines and the drainage sheet channels infiltrated water to the base of the wall. Without this pair, in Dominican construction with tropical rain, hydrostatic pressure displaces the first course of gabions in a few months.
Do not use soft, rounded river stone or stone smaller than the mesh opening. Soft stone fractures under weight, rounded stone rolls and rearranges, leaving everything loose, and small stone will wash out through the gaps in the first heavy rain. A box with the wrong stone is a lost box in less than a year.
How many gabions and what stone do you need?
If you are sizing a wall and don't know how many boxes per course are needed, what stone granulometry is correct, or if your project allows for electro-welded gabions or needs flexible hexagonal ones, ask the virtual assistant. It will guide you according to height, soil, and expected hydrostatic thrust.
Complementary products
A gabion wall rarely works alone. It needs water management behind the wall and, if you want it to last decades in the Dominican climate, a correct filter-drainage pair.
Non-woven polypropylene geotextile filters fines from the backfill and prevents the gabion stone from silting up. The dimpled drainage sheet channels infiltrated water to the base of the wall and eliminates hydrostatic pressure, the main cause of failure in gabion walls. HDPE geomembrane is used when the wall contains saturated soil or a reservoir that should not leak to the other side of the wall.
Maintenance and care
The electro-welded gabion does not require structural maintenance if it was properly installed, but it should be inspected periodically:
- Annual inspection: check spirals, ties, and edges. If you find any loose, re-tie immediately with wire of the same gauge.
- Inspection after extreme events: hurricanes, tropical storms, and floods are when the wall receives maximum load. Always inspect afterward.
- Controlled vegetation: weeds can grow between the stones. Small climbing plants are even aesthetic and benefit the wall, but shrubs with deep roots generate thrust and must be removed.
- Drainage cleaning: if you installed a drainage sheet on the backfill, verify that the water outlet at the base of the wall is not obstructed with sediment.
- Expected useful life: in Caribbean climates, a properly installed welded mesh gabion with suitable stone has a useful life of 50 years or more. The galvanization of the mesh is what defines the actual lifespan.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between welded and hexagonal gabions?
Hexagonal gabions use flexible double-twist mesh: they tolerate differential settlements and adapt to ground movements, ideal for riverbanks and soft soils. Welded gabions have rigid panels: flat faces, precise geometry, and greater structural stability, ideal for vertical retaining walls and abutments. If your project may settle unevenly, go with hexagonal; if you want a straight and aesthetic wall, go with welded.
How high can I stack welded gabions?
Without specific structural calculation, up to 3 meters (10 ft) high with a widened wedge base (each upper course is set back 30 cm from the previous one). Above 3 m, the wall must be designed with active thrust analysis, sliding and overturning safety factors, and sometimes requires passive ties to the backfill.
What stone can I use in the Dominican climate?
The best local option is hard limestone, basalt, or large rounded river stone (as long as it respects the grain size 1.5–2× mesh opening). Avoid soft limestones, friable sandstones, and stones with visible cracks. Ask the supplier for a material with compressive strength greater than 50 MPa and water absorption less than 5%.