Shade Net Machine: How a Raschel Knits HDPE Tape Into Shade Netting

October 28, 2026

A shade net machine is a Raschel warp knitting machine set up to knit HDPE tape or monofilament into an open mesh whose density sets the shade factor. The buying decision runs backwards from the shade percentage the customer asks for: that fixes the weight per square metre, the weight fixes the mesh density, and the mesh density tells you which gauge, how many guide bars and what yarn feed the machine needs.

Most search results for this term are either brand press releases or sourcing listings. Neither explains the chain from shade factor to machine specification, which is the part a mill owner actually needs before signing for a line. This guide walks that chain using published supplier ranges and one manufacturer benchmark, and flags where the numbers are experience values rather than standards.

What a shade net machine actually is

Agricultural and construction shade netting is knitted, not woven, on Raschel machines. Sourcing listings split shade net machines into knitted, woven and PP types, and the knitted class uses HDPE or LDPE yarn. The knitted route dominates because a Raschel can lay the tape into a stable open mesh at speed, and the mesh holds its shape without a woven selvedge.

The yarn comes in two forms. Flat HDPE tape is the common choice for greenhouse and plantation nets. Monofilament gives a stiffer, heavier net at the same shade level. One supplier comparison puts monofilament Raschel shade cloth at 110 to 160 g/m² while tape Raschel cloth covering the same shade range sits at 35 to 130 g/m². If your market buys by weight per roll, that difference is the first thing to settle before you look at any machine.

On the machine side a shade net Raschel is a net machine with a tape feed. Karl Mayer’s RS 2 Net, for example, feeds polyethylene tape through its FTL yarn feed assembly and is rated up to 1200 rpm depending on pattern and raw material. The same manufacturer lists the RS 4 Net as a separate technical net model. Our own net machine range, including the Raschel netting machine and the Raschel knitting net machine, belongs to the same family; the specific parameters for each model are on those product pages rather than repeated here.

From shade factor to grams per square metre

Shade factor is the share of sunlight the net blocks. Supplier catalogues quote ranges of roughly 30 or 35 percent up to 90, 95 or 99 percent, with fabric weights from about 30 gsm at the open end to 380 gsm at the dense end. One Chinese supplier lists 30 to 90 percent at 35 to 240 g/m²; another lists 35 to 99 percent at 30 to 380 gsm. The spread between catalogues is normal because shade factor depends on tape width and colour as well as weight.

A manufacturing guide from a UAE shade net producer gives a rough working table that many buyers use as a starting point: around 120 gsm for 50 percent shade, 160 gsm for 70 percent, 200 gsm for 90 percent and 230 gsm for 95 percent. Treat these as supplier experience values, not a standard. The useful point is the shape of the curve: the last steps toward full shade cost disproportionately more material than the first steps away from open mesh.

What this means for machine selection: a mill that sells mainly 50 to 70 percent net for vegetables and nurseries runs lighter fabric and more metres per hour than a mill that sells 90 percent plus for car parks and construction screens. Decide which end of the range pays your invoices before you decide on gauge.

From grams per square metre to mesh and gauge

Weight per square metre on a shade net is set by how many tapes you lay per unit width and how closely the weft-direction tapes sit. The same UAE guide states it plainly: knitting density determines the shade factor. A three-needle tape shade net, for instance, is knitted only from flat tape with three weft tapes per inch, and that count is what the customer sees as mesh.

Net machines are offered in gauges from E1 to E24, with two to four guide bars and working widths from about 135 to 340 inches, according to one machine supplier’s listing. For shade net the coarse end of that range is the relevant one. A finer gauge packs more needles per inch and would be chosen for mosquito or curtain net, which is why a shade net line and a mosquito net line are usually different machines even though both are Raschel net machines.

Guide bar count matters because it limits how many independent tape systems you can lay. Two bars give a basic chain plus inlay construction. Three or four bars let you add a second inlay direction or a reinforcing tape, which is how heavier construction-grade nets get their tear resistance. If you plan to knit both light agricultural net and heavy screening net on one machine, specify the higher bar count from the start rather than trying to add it later.

For the broader mesh and yarn logic shared by all knitted nets, our guide to Raschel net types, mesh and yarn covers the same decisions for safety and construction netting.

Speed, output and what the benchmark figure means

The only published output benchmark for a current shade net Raschel comes from Karl Mayer’s RS 2 Net announcement: with a standard lapping, a mesh density of 3.5 per centimetre and 80 percent efficiency, output is about 165 metres per hour. The 1200 rpm top speed in the same release is explicitly conditional on pattern and raw material.

Read that figure carefully before using it in a business plan. It is for one mesh density at one efficiency. Denser nets with more tape per course run slower per metre, and 80 percent efficiency assumes a well-run tape feed with few breaks. Tape feed is where shade net lines usually lose efficiency: flat tape is wider and less forgiving on tension than round yarn, which is why a dedicated tape feed assembly like the FTL is part of the machine rather than an accessory.

Two other items sit on the raw material side rather than the machine side but decide whether the finished net is saleable. Tension control through the creel and feed keeps the mesh regular across the width, and UV stabiliser dosing in the HDPE masterbatch sets how many seasons the net survives outdoors. A machine buyer should ask the tape supplier about the stabiliser level in the same conversation as the machine supplier about the feed.

Which configuration fits which business

If your orders are mostly agricultural shade in the 50 to 70 percent band, then a two or three bar net Raschel at a coarse gauge with a tape feed is the right starting point, and you should size the width to your customers’ standard roll widths rather than to the maximum the machine offers.

If your orders include 90 percent and above screening net or construction shade, then specify four guide bars and confirm the machine can carry the heavier tape count without dropping efficiency, because the extra material per metre is where margin is made or lost.

If your buyers specify monofilament rather than tape, this guide’s weight ranges do not apply directly: monofilament net at the same shade factor is heavier, and the feed assembly is different. Ask for the monofilament version of the specification separately.

If you are comparing knotted and knotless constructions for fishing or sports net, this article is not the right reference; see knotted vs knotless Raschel netting machines instead.

When you are ready to match a shade factor and roll width to a machine, send the target gsm and mesh count through our contact page and we will reply with the guide bar and gauge options that fit. The current machine catalogue is on grandstarcn.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What machine is used to make shade net?

Shade netting is knitted on a Raschel warp knitting machine fitted with a flat tape feed. Woven and PP versions exist, but the knitted route with HDPE or LDPE yarn is the common one for greenhouse and plantation products.

Is shade net made from HDPE tape or monofilament?

Both are used. Flat HDPE tape gives a lighter product at the same shade level, roughly 35 to 130 g/m² against 110 to 160 g/m² for monofilament according to one supplier comparison, so most agricultural grades use tape.

How does gsm relate to shade percentage?

Heavier fabric blocks more light. Supplier catalogues quote about 30 to 380 gsm across 30 to 99 percent shade, and one producer’s rule of thumb is around 120 gsm for 50 percent and 200 gsm for 90 percent. These are experience values, not a standard.

How many guide bars does a shade net Raschel need?

Net machines are offered with two to four bars. Two cover basic agricultural mesh; three or four let you add inlay or reinforcing tape for heavier screening grades. Specify the higher count if you plan to run both.

How many metres per hour can a shade net machine produce?

The published benchmark is about 165 metres per hour for Karl Mayer’s RS 2 Net at 3.5 mesh per centimetre and 80 percent efficiency, with a top speed of 1200 rpm that depends on pattern and raw material. Denser nets run slower per metre.