UK Manufactured Lead Wire — Spooled & Custom Diameter
Heaps, Arnold & Heaps Ltd manufactures lead wire at our Rotherham facility for a wide range of UK industrial, engineering, plating and specialist applications. With over 250 years of lead manufacturing experience, we produce extruded lead wire in diameters from 0.8mm up to 100mm, supplied on 500g, 1kg, 5kg, 10kg and 20kg spools, or in bespoke coil weights to suit customer process requirements.
Our lead wire is used across bearing clearance measurement, cathodic protection, chrome plating and electro-finishing processes, radiation shielding installations, commercial fishing weight manufacture and angling supply, and the fly tying trade. Pure refined lead and antimonial lead compositions are both available.
Why Choose Heaps, Arnold & Heaps Lead Wire?
- UK manufactured at our Rotherham extrusion facility — full traceability
- Wide diameter range — 0.8mm up to 100mm from a single supplier
- Multiple spool sizes — 500g, 1kg, 5kg, 10kg and 20kg as standard
- Bespoke coils and reel weights for production-line feeding
- Pure refined lead or antimonial alloys to specification
- Application-specific supply — bearing clearance, plating, shielding and angling
- Trade pricing for plating houses, engineering shops and angling retailers
- Over 250 years of expertise — established 1770
Diameter Range & Spool Options
Our lead wire diameter range is one of the widest available from a single UK manufacturer — covering everything from fine precision wire to heavy-section rod.
Diameter Range
- 0.8mm – 3mm — fine wire for bearing clearance, electronics and fly tying
- 3mm – 10mm — general purpose for fishing weights, electroplating and cathodic protection
- 10mm – 25mm — heavier wire for industrial cathodic protection and radiation shielding fill
- 25mm – 100mm — heavy section “wire” approaching rod dimensions for specialist applications
- Custom diameters extruded to specification
Spool & Coil Options
- 500g spools — standard for fly tying, hobbyist and small-volume supply
- 1kg spools — common for trade angling and electroplating
- 5kg, 10kg and 20kg spools — for industrial process feeding and high-volume production
- Bespoke coil weights matched to customer reel and dispenser specifications
Lead Wire Applications
Lead wire is one of the most versatile products in our catalogue, with an unusually broad set of end-uses across industry, science and angling.
Bearing Clearance Measurement
Soft lead wire is the traditional and still most reliable method of measuring running clearance in plain bearings. A short length of fine lead wire is placed between bearing surfaces, the assembly is torqued to specification, and the resulting flattened wire thickness reveals the actual operating clearance. Used extensively in:
- Engine rebuild work — main bearings, big-end bearings, camshaft bearings
- Marine and industrial engine reconditioning
- Classic and historic vehicle restoration — see our lead products for automotive restoration
- Hydraulic and pneumatic equipment overhaul
- Precision machinery rebuilds
Bearing clearance lead wire is typically supplied in 0.8mm, 1mm, 1.5mm and 2mm diameters on small spools.
Cathodic Protection
Lead wire is used as a sacrificial anode material and reference electrode component in cathodic protection systems for buried pipelines, marine structures, harbour installations and storage tank protection. See our cathodic protection anodes for the related anode product range, and our lead products for marine and offshore engineering overview.
Chrome Plating & Electro-Finishing
Lead wire is used in chrome plating processes as flexible anode material for plating tanks where rigid anodes would be difficult to position — particularly for internal-bore plating, complex geometries and small-batch work. We also supply lead wire to electro-finishing, electro-polishing and surface treatment processes. See our related chrome plating anodes and tin plating anodes products, and our lead, chrome and tin electroplating anodes industry overview.
Radiation Shielding
For shielding applications where space is restricted or where a void must be filled around equipment, instrumentation or pipework, lead wire can be packed into the cavity to provide effective radiation attenuation. Used in medical imaging suites, radiotherapy installations, and nuclear and industrial radiography facilities. See our lead shielding bricks and rails for the standard shielding range, and our medical radiation shielding and nuclear applications overviews.
Commercial Fishing Weight Manufacture
Lead wire is the primary raw material for commercial sea fishing weight production, recreational angling weight manufacture and bespoke fishing tackle. We supply lead wire to fishing tackle manufacturers, retailers and small-batch producers, with diameters and spool weights matched to common fishing weight casting patterns.
Fly Tying & Angling Trade
Fine lead wire (typically 0.8mm to 2mm) is wrapped onto fly hooks to add weight, giving the fly the correct sink rate for the target depth and species. We supply the UK fly tying trade with fine lead wire on small spools, available wholesale to retailers and tackle distributors.
Other Specialist Uses
- Stained glass restoration and leadlight repair work
- Laboratory and research applications
- Acoustic damping in industrial machinery
- Counterweighting in scientific instruments and equipment
Bespoke Lead Wire
For applications outside our standard diameter and spool ranges, we manufacture bespoke lead wire at our Rotherham facility:
- Custom diameters extruded to specification for non-standard requirements
- Custom spool and coil weights to match production-line feeding systems
- Specific alloy compositions — antimonial lead, tin/lead alloys, custom blends
- Application-matched supply — diameter, spool weight and packaging configured to the customer’s process
How Bespoke Orders Work
- Send us your diameter, alloy and spool weight requirement
- We respond within 1 working day with availability, pricing and lead time
- On approval we extrude, spool and dispatch with documentation
Who We Supply
Our lead wire is used across UK industrial, engineering, plating, scientific and angling sectors:
- Engine reconditioning specialists using bearing clearance wire
- Classic and historic vehicle restoration workshops
- Electroplating houses running chrome, tin and lead plating tanks
- Cathodic protection contractors servicing pipelines and marine structures
- NHS Trusts and private healthcare for radiation shielding installations
- Nuclear maintenance and decommissioning specialists
- Fishing tackle manufacturers and trade retailers
- Fly tying suppliers and angling distributors
- University research laboratories
- Stained glass restoration specialists
- Industrial machinery rebuilders
Material Quality & Documentation
For sectors where lead wire provenance and composition matter — defence, nuclear, medical, food-adjacent industries — full documentation is supplied with every order:
- Manufactured at our UK extrusion facility from refined lead
- Pure lead composition (no recycled-alloy contamination) where specified
- Consistent diameter tolerance across each spool
- Supplied with certificates of conformity stating composition
- Documented for batch traceability
See our accreditations and compliance page for full details.
How to Order Lead Wire
All lead wire orders are processed on a quote-led basis to confirm exact diameter, alloy, spool weight and quantity:
- Submit a quote request with diameter, spool size, quantity and intended application
- We respond within 1 working day with availability, pricing and lead time
- Once approved, your order is extruded, spooled and dispatched with documentation
For trade accounts and ongoing supply arrangements with electroplaters, tackle manufacturers and engineering shops, contact our team directly to discuss credit terms, volume pricing and BACS payment.
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