Steel is the typical metal used in cylindrical filters. Stainless steel is more expensive but is good material to avoid problems with rust.

Cylindrical filters mesh varies from 10 to 500 or more—10 mesh is coarse; 40 to 60 mesh is intermediate, and 100 to 500mesh is a fine mesh. Most cylindrical filters meshes have a simple square opening mesh weave in each direction.

A Dutch weave has thicker wires in the horizontal direction and is specified by two numbers—for example, 12 x 64 mesh. Dutch weave allows fine filtration.