Knotted vs knotless netting: what actually changes, and when to specify it
Both constructions are sold for the same sports, often by the same sellers, and the internet is full of confident claims that one is stronger than the other. Almost none of them cite anything. This guide does the opposite: it collects what is actually published about the two constructions, names the measurement trap that makes two quotes look different when they describe the same net, and gives a rule for when the construction is worth writing into your request at all.
The measurement trap, in one published example
The ECB's Technical Specification TS2 for indoor cricket calls for a 48 mm white nylon mesh, and states the same net as 50 mm knot to knot. Those are not two products. They are one net measured from two different reference points: the clear opening between the twines, and the pitch from one knot centre to the next. The two figures differ by about 2 mm, which is the order of the twine diameter, and that is exactly what you would expect from the geometry.
The consequence is practical. If one supplier quotes "50 mm" from a knotted specification and another quotes "48 mm" as a clear aperture, the naive reading is that the first is coarser. It may be the same net. Before comparing two mesh figures, ask each supplier which reference point their number uses. Ourmesh size chart by sport states apertures, and the ball diameters it lists are what the aperture has to stop.
What sellers and governing bodies actually publish
| Source | What it publishes |
|---|---|
| ECB Technical Specification TS2 (governing body) | Indoor cricket: 48 mm white nylon mesh, stated as 50 mm knot to knot |
| Huck, garden cricket kits | Knotless PP, 40 mm in 2.3 mm twine and 45 mm in 3 mm twine |
| Durant Cricket, retractable systems | Knotted netting, mesh not published |
| Sportsequip, mobile cages | 50 mm square mesh in 3.5 mm braided PE or 2 mm PP; construction not stated |
| Our own documented range | Knotless polyester on the factory samples we hold, 45 mm and 100 mm in 4 mm twine |
Compiled from the same sources as ourcricket net dimensions page, where each figure carries its link. Sellers are named because their specifications are public.
Read that table for what it does not contain: not one of these sources gives a reason for its choice of construction. Both are sold for the same application, at the same time, in the same country. If there were a decisive technical argument, the market would show it, and it does not.
What nobody publishes
We looked for, and did not find, any published comparison of abrasion life or break strength between knotted and knotless netting in the same material, mesh and twine. No governing body publishes one, no seller publishes one, and no standard we could find requires one construction over the other for ball-stop use. Anyone who tells you knotless lasts a given percentage longer is quoting a number that does not exist in public.
What can be said without inventing anything is geometric. A knot is a raised point standing proud of the mesh plane, so at every place where the net bears on a post, a cable or a tensioning wire, the knots take the contact first. That is an argument about where wear appears, not about how long the net lasts. Break strength belongs to the twine, and that is the field worth arguing over: see thetwine gauge chart, where the published figures disagree with each other and we show the disagreement.
When the construction is worth naming
- A governing body specification names it. If TS2 or an equivalent states a construction, quote the specification, not your preference.
- The net runs against hardware. Perimeter systems on posts and cables, and anything winched or repeatedly retracted, put the mesh in constant contact with metal.
- You are replacing a net and want like for like. Matching the existing construction keeps the hang and the handling familiar to whoever installs it.
- Your procurement rules require it. Some tenders name a construction; that is a document requirement, and it is legitimate.
Outside those four cases, naming a construction narrows the field of what a factory can offer you without buying you anything measurable. State the mesh, the twine and the finish, and ask what constructions exist in that combination. TheSpec Finder shows the combinations we hold documented, which is the honest starting point for that conversation.
How to write it in an RFQ
Construction is field five of the seven an accurate quote needs, alongside edging, corner reinforcement and colour: see thesports netting RFQ checklist. Two habits make that field useful rather than decorative. State the reference point of your mesh figure, aperture or knot to knot, in the same line as the number. And if you do not have a reason to require a construction, write "either, tell me what exists": it is a stronger request than a preference you cannot justify, and it gets a faster answer.
The families where this question comes up most areball stop and perimeter netting, where the net bears on posts and cables for years, andpractice cages and backstops, where governing body specifications are most likely to name a construction.
Frequently asked questions
Is knotless netting stronger than knotted netting?
Nobody publishes a comparison that would let you answer that, and we are not going to invent one. What is documented is a difference in shape, not in strength: a knot is a raised point that sits proud of the mesh plane, so it is the first thing to meet a post, a cable or a tensioning wire. That is a wear argument at the contact points, not a break-strength claim. Break strength is a property of the twine, and it is the twine gauge you should be specifying against.
Why does the same net have two different mesh figures?
Because a knotted mesh can be measured two ways: knot centre to knot centre, or the clear opening between the twines. The two differ by roughly one twine diameter. The ECB specification for indoor cricket states both for the same net, 48 mm mesh and 50 mm knot to knot. When a quote states one number and a specification states the other, they can describe the same product, and comparing them as if they were the same figure is a real specification error.
Which one should I ask for?
In most cases, neither: specify the mesh aperture, the twine and the finish, and ask which constructions exist in that combination. Construction becomes worth naming when the net runs against hardware, when a governing body specification names it, or when you are replacing a net and want the new one to behave like the old one.
Do you sell knotted netting?
The combinations we hold factory samples for are knotless polyester, and that is what our family pages state. If your specification calls for knotted construction, say so in the request: we check whether it exists in our partner’s documented range and tell you plainly if it does not, rather than substituting in silence.
Not sure which construction your specification needs?
Send the application and the mesh you have in mind. The reply within 2 business days will tell you which constructions exist in that combination in our partner's documented range, and say so plainly if the one you asked for does not.
We reply within 2 business days with questions or a documented quote.