--- title: "Gabions : Top Benefits Purpose & Ways to Use Gabions" date: 2022-03-02 author: "Pawan Khatri" url: https://oceangeosynthetics.com/what-is-the-purpose-of-gabions/ --- March 2, 2022 | [Gabion Box](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/category/gabions/), [Insights](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/category/insights/) # Gabions : Top Benefits Purpose & Ways to Use Gabions ![](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Capture-3-300x156.png) **A [gabion](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/products/gabions/) is a wire mesh cage filled with stone or other rubble.** Stacked and tied together, gabions form retaining walls, riverbank revetments, check dams, channel linings, foundations and garden walls. The name comes from the Italian *gabbione*, “big cage”. On hill roads, gabion walls hold up the cut slope and the valley side of the formation, and stop loose rock and small slips from reaching the carriageway. Gabions are an old technology. They were used to strengthen riverbanks and protect settlements from erosion, and as quick walls for military field works. Today they are also chosen for how they look in landscaping. ## Table of Contents ## **Where are gabions used?** ![](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Capture-3-300x156.png) Gabions are most common in hilly areas and along rivers and coasts. On steep [highways](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/suitable_sectors/road-highway/) they retain cut slopes and embankments. Along construction sites they hold back loose fill and debris that could otherwise slide onto the works or the road. Riverbank protection is the oldest use. Banks erode in the monsoon, and gabion walls and mattresses protect them while letting water drain out of the bank behind. Gabions are also used to line drainage channels and to build check dams and culvert headwalls. You can also use [gabions in landscaping](https://oceangeosynthetics.com/gabion-walls-in-landscaping/) at a home or commercial site, as boundary walls, planters, benches or terrace walls. Garden use is newer, and it relies on the same properties as the civil uses. ## **What are the Benefits of a Gabion?** Gabions are popular for three reasons: they are cheap to build, they last for decades with little maintenance, and they are simple to assemble without heavy plant or skilled masons. ## **Cost-Effective** The fill is usually local stone, so the main material does not have to be bought or hauled far. There is no formwork or curing time, and unskilled labour can fill the baskets. Any durable, non-crumbling material larger than the mesh opening can be used as fill. Crushed concrete or stone from demolition sites can be reused instead of being sent to landfill. ## **Long-Lasting** A gabion wall is flexible. If the ground settles or the toe is scoured, the wall deforms instead of cracking, and it keeps working. Gabions come in two main mesh types: double-twisted hexagonal woven mesh (the usual choice for civil works, covered in India by IS 16014) and welded mesh, which holds a sharper, more architectural shape for landscaping. Durability depends mostly on the wire coating. Heavily galvanised (zinc-coated) wire is standard. For longer life, wire is coated with Galfan, an alloy of zinc with about 5% aluminium, which resists corrosion better than plain zinc. Where the wall sits in water, saline soil or polluted runoff, a PVC coating over the galvanised or Galfan wire adds another layer of protection. Assembly is simple: unfold the baskets, lace the edges together, place and fill them, and close the lids with lacing wire. The voids between stones let water, air and light pass through, so a gabion wall does not build up water pressure behind it the way a solid wall does. ## **FAQs** ### Can gabions be used as decorative elements? Yes, gabions can be used as decorative elements in landscaping projects, creating visually appealing features such as walls, pillars, and arches. ### Are gabions permeable to water?  Yes, gabions are permeable to water as the gaps in the wire mesh allow water to flow through, preventing hydrostatic pressure buildup. ### Can gabions be used in arid climates?  Yes. Gabions need little maintenance, are not affected by temperature swings, and their open stone fill lets the occasional flash flood drain through, which is why they are common for check dams and channel lining in dry regions. ## **[Ocean Non Wovens Pvt. 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