Gabion baskets are stone-filled cages used to hold banks, slopes and structures in place where water and gravity are working against them. EMIS specifies and supplies both traditional steel-wire gabions and modern composite tensile-mesh systems, matched to the watercourse, ground conditions and design life your scheme needs.
A gabion is a simple idea executed carefully: a mesh cage, filled with graded stone, placed where ground needs holding, along a riverbank, under a bridge pier, at the toe of a slope. The cages interlock into a mass structure that is heavy, free-draining and flexible enough to tolerate settlement without cracking, which is why gabions have been a mainstay of river and coastal engineering for over a century.
Composite gabions replace the traditional steel wire with a high-strength polypropylene tensile mesh. The result addresses steel's main weakness in wet and saline environments: the polymer mesh does not corrode, so service life no longer depends on a zinc or PVC coating surviving abrasion. The baskets are around 80% lighter than steel-wire equivalents before filling, easier to handle, cheaper to transport, simpler to place on restricted sites, and assembly needs no specialist lacing tools.
Because the mesh is inert and open, vegetation establishes through the face over time, so composite gabions suit schemes with ecological or landscaping objectives as well as hard engineering ones. EMIS specifies the right system for the duty, composite or steel-wire, basket, mattress or sack format, sources it from vetted suppliers in the United Kingdom and overseas, and coordinates delivery to the programme with the compliance evidence your designer needs.
The project types and sectors this category most often serves.
Gabion revetments armour banks against scour and current attack while staying free-draining. Stepped or battered faces are built from standard baskets and mattresses matched to flow velocity and bank geometry.
Stacked gabion walls act as gravity retaining structures that tolerate differential settlement. Composite systems keep long-term strength where groundwater or contaminated ground would attack steel wire.
Gabion mattresses and baskets reinforce embankments, spillways and overflow channels on flood alleviation schemes, from local watercourse improvements to nationally significant flood defence programmes.
Bridge piers, culvert outfalls, quay toes and pipeline crossings all need local scour protection. Gabion aprons and mattresses provide it with a flexible system that follows the bed as it moves.
The open mesh face lets vegetation grow through, so gabion structures can double as planted landscape features, a practical option for developers and public-realm schemes with ecological commitments.
Vetting, specification and lead-time coordination, handled before the product reaches your site.
Flow velocity, ground chemistry, design life and face treatment drive the specification. We translate the engineer's requirement into the right system and format before anything is priced.
Composite and steel-wire systems are sourced from suppliers vetted for testing, certification and delivery record, with mesh test data and material certificates held ready for your designer.
Gabions arrive flat-packed in volume, often internationally sourced. We manage the order book, freight and delivery sequence so baskets, geotextiles and stone specification line up with your build sequence.
Typical performance characteristics, full specifications are provided at quotation.
| Mesh material | High-strength polypropylene tensile mesh (composite systems); galvanised or polymer-coated steel wire also available |
|---|---|
| Mesh aperture | Approx. 75 mm (typical composite grille) |
| Tensile strength | ≥ 30 kN/m class (composite mesh, per direction) |
| Durability | High resistance to acids, alkalis and saline water; no corrosion mechanism in the polymer mesh |
| Temperature tolerance | Suitable for sustained exposure across typical UK and international service temperatures |
| Weight | Composite baskets are typically around 80% lighter than steel-wire equivalents before filling |
See the typical requirements we support, the challenges we help manage, and the ten-step process behind every engagement.
Tell us the requirement and the programme. You will get a specified, priced package from one accountable contact, with the category already selected on the form.
We respond to all enquiries within one business day.