A balcony that runs the full width of a building, a tall window wall, or a multi-bay cattery run rarely matches the width of a single length of netting. Somewhere in the layout, the installer joins two or more pieces of material, and that join — the seam — becomes the part of the job a quotation usually leaves unstated. A quotation lists the area, the mesh size, the fixing method, and the price; it says little about how the panels will be stitched together. For a buyer ordering across many units, the seam is where later complaints tend to begin, so it belongs in the order conversation before production rather than after the first install reveals a puckered or gapped join.
This guide explains why panels get joined, how the seam and its stitching are built, what to look for at receiving, and how to carry the same checks through to the finished installation.
Why large openings end up with joined panels
Netting leaves the factory in rolls of a set width, and a wide opening usually exceeds that width once the wrap and the fixing allowance are added. Joining two lengths side by side is the standard way to cover the span, and it is an accepted, normal part of cat net installation. The question is never whether a join exists; it is whether the join is built the way the buyer approved and whether it lands where the installation plan expects it.
Two practical reasons push a project toward joined panels. The first is material width: when the opening is wider than the roll, one uncut piece cannot cover the span without being stretched. The second is handling: very large single pieces are harder to cut, fold, carry, and position on site, so breaking a big opening into manageable panels that are joined on site often produces a cleaner result. Whether the material is supplied as rolls or pre-cut panels changes where the joining happens, not whether a seam will exist.
What sits inside a seam
A seam on a transparent nylon net is usually a stitched overlap: two edges are laid over each other and sewn together through the mesh so the join holds under tension. A seam on a wire-reinforced net is handled differently, because the metal wire inside each strand changes how the material is folded and finished; the join often relies on a folded and bound edge rather than a plain stitch line. The two product families therefore present different seam details, and a buyer who knows which material they are ordering can ask the right question about each one.
Within a stitched nylon seam, the useful distinction is between a single stitch line and a double stitch line. A single line holds the two layers together with one row of stitching. A double line adds a second row, typically parallel and set back from the first, which spreads the load across more thread and more material. The edge of a seam is frequently finished with a folded binding or a reinforced hem so the cut mesh edge cannot unravel or tear back under tension. These details are visible to the eye, which is what makes them checkable at receiving.
Because the transparent nylon cat protection net and the stainless steel wire-reinforced cat net are built from different strand material, their seam behaviour differs as well. The wire-reinforced material is stiffer, so its joins and folded edges sit against a fixing line differently from a soft nylon seam.
Seam position against the fixing line
Where a seam falls relative to the anchors matters as much as how it is stitched. A seam that runs along or very close to a fixing point behaves differently from a seam that floats mid-span between anchors. A mid-span seam carries tension across the whole join, while a seam near an anchor is partly supported by the surrounding fixing. Neither position is automatically wrong, but the position changes how the seam should be inspected and how tightly the finished net can be pulled.
The right position is a layout decision, and it depends on the opening, the panel layout, and the installer's plan. The buyer's job is to confirm where each seam is intended to sit and to hold the supplier to that plan at receiving and after installation. If the delivered panels place a seam somewhere other than the drawing showed, the tension and the fixing line may no longer line up the way the quotation assumed. This is one reason the cat net order checklist treats panel layout and seam position as points to confirm rather than assume.
Reading stitching quality at receiving
Stitching quality is a visual check, and it can be read without specialist tools. At receiving, look at the seam under normal light and confirm the following: the stitch line runs straight and follows the seam without wandering off the overlap; the stitch spacing is even along the whole run; there are no skipped stitches or broken loops; the thread sits flat without loose loops or puckers; and the binding or hem covers the cut edge fully so no raw mesh is exposed. Any one of these can be a sign that the seam was rushed or that a length of stitching was damaged in transit.
The same check applies to the surrounding material. A seam is only as sound as the panel it joins, so confirm the mesh is not pulled or distorted where the stitching passes through. The mesh size and strand diameter of the joined panels should also match, because joining two panels of different mesh or strand creates a visible mismatch at the seam line.
Asking about seam construction before the order
The seam should be part of the order specification, not a surprise that arrives with the shipment. When the buyer and supplier agree the panel layout, three questions settle most seam details: what stitch type is used on the join, whether the cut edges are bound or hemmed, and where each seam is intended to sit against the fixing line. The answers belong on the order confirmation so a later lot can be checked against the same wording.
Frame the request around confirmation rather than around numbers the buyer has invented. Ask the supplier to state the stitch construction and the edge finishing for the material being ordered, then keep that stated description against the retained sample and the delivery. Where a double stitch or a bound edge has been agreed, that agreement becomes the receiving standard. Exact stitch counts and thread specifications are the supplier's to confirm, and the buyer's to record.
Checking seams after installation
The final check happens on the finished installation, where the net is under tension for the first time. Walk each seam and confirm the join sits flat with no gap opening between the two layers, no strand slipping out of the stitching, and no section where the seam has stretched differently from the rest of the panel. A seam that opens slightly under tension or shows the stitch line pulling through the mesh is a point to raise with the installer while the job is still on site.
The seam should also be checked against the fixing line one more time. If a seam has moved away from its planned position during tensioning, the anchors around it may be carrying a load the drawing never anticipated. The edge finishing and fixing points guide covers how the panel edge and the anchor detail work together, and the same logic applies to the seam: the join and the fixing detail are one system, and they are inspected together.
Seam receiving checklist
Work through the list at receiving so a seam problem is found before the panels leave the warehouse.
- Stitch line straight and on the overlap — a wandering line leaves some of the seam with less thread holding it. Confirm the stitching follows the overlap edge for the full run.
- Even stitch spacing, no skips or breaks — uneven or missing stitches concentrate load on the remaining thread. Confirm the run is continuous and evenly spaced.
- Binding or hem covers the cut edge — an exposed raw edge can unravel or tear back. Confirm no raw mesh is visible along the join.
- Joined panels match in mesh and strand — mixed panels show a visible mismatch at the seam. Confirm both sides of the join are the same material.
- Seam position matches the drawing — a seam in the wrong place changes the fixing line. Confirm the delivered layout matches the agreed panel plan.
- Seam tension consistent after install — a seam that opens or pulls through under tension needs attention on site. Confirm each join sits flat with no gap.
Related reading
For the decisions that sit around the seam, two existing guides add the surrounding detail. The cat net edge finishing and fixing points guide explains how the panel edge and the anchor work as one system, and the cat net order checklist covers the wider order points that a seam specification plugs into.
A joined panel is a normal, useful part of covering a large opening, and it does not have to be a risk point if it is specified, checked at receiving, and re-checked on the finished installation. The seam's job is simple: hold two lengths of netting together so the opening reads as one continuous barrier. Confirming how that join is built — and that the delivered panels match the agreed construction — is how a buyer keeps that simple job under control.