Not often can the story of an entire industry be told in the history of one company. But in the insect screen industry, the company is New York Wire - the first in the business, the oldest in existence and the industry innovator for over a century.

Francis J. Root founded the Hamilton Wire Cloth Company of Hamilton, New York in 1888. He then merged the company with three other wire weavers: P.S. de Witt & Sons of Brooklyn, New York; Homer Wire Cloth of Homer, New York; and York Wire Cloth of York, Pennsylvania. In 1892 he renamed the company New York Wire Cloth.

Originally, screen products for use in residential and commercial construction were made from a combination of horsehair and linen. The earliest processing was carried out by the fabric makers of the early 1600’s. This accounts for the screening industry’s relationship to the textile industry in production methods and standards.

New York Wire Company engineered the first looms that were capable of weaving metal wire. A low carbon steel was the first metal used for manufacturing insect screening. The early 1900’s saw the introduction of new metals for screening including bronze and galvanized steel. These metals proved to be more durable than the painted low-carbon steel. New York Wire Company also developed the first bar looms and was the first producer to use bobbinless looms, allowing for continuous feed of wire increasing production speed. This process made it possible to weave electro-galvanized wire successfully. In 1915, New York Wire Company patented the electro-galvanized screening process that produced screening with a greater life cycle at a lower cost. This process became the standard for over thirty years.

In 1933, New York Wire Company introduced the first successful aluminum screening. It had greater weathering characteristics and stayed cleaner than other metals. In 1954, New York Wire Company introduced the first high-speed wire weaving looms in the world. And by 1956, bright aluminum was the number one screening. It was also in the 1950’s that New York Wire Company introduced small packages of screening , called Ready Rolls, for the do-it-yourself trade, which are so popular with retailers today.

In 1971, New York Wire Company entered the fiberglass screening market. Fiberglass screening continues to grows in popularity and is currently used by many of the major door and window manufacturers.

Most recently, New York Wire has greatly expanded it’s operations through the purchase of Hanover Wire Cloth and CCX Fiberglass Products. In addition to insect screening and industrial meshes New York Wire now manufacturers a full line of fiberglass building products, including the WallSpan® brand of fiberglass drywall tape and reinforcement mesh for cement board and EIFS (Exterior Insulation Facing Systems.) This expansion has dramatically increased our capabilities to ensure we can continue to meet the growing demands of the market.