Premium 80x100mm Gabion & Reno Mattresses | Durafence Kenya

When structural civil engineering works across East Africa demand robust, high-velocity erosion control over wide surfaces, standard 1 metre deep upright gabion boxes are often too rigid and resource-heavy. Durafence Gabion Mattresses (also known within the region as Reno Mattresses) offer a highly flexible, low-profile alternative engineered explicitly for riverbanks, channel linings, storm water paths, and slope stabilization structures across Kenya.

What is a Gabion Reno Mattress?

A Gabion Mattress is a flat, shallow, stone-filled wire mesh structure with a thickness ranging between 0.17 m and 0.3m. Unlike traditional cube gabion baskets, mattresses are wider and spread hydraulic weight evenly over expansive, loose surfaces to reduce velocity scour along vulnerable Kenyan waterways.

Why Choose the Durafence System?

At Durafence, we combine the structural strength of steel with the waterproofing and chemical resistance of Geomembranes (HDPE). We provide a total solution for water conservation and infrastructure protection.

Key Features (Engineered for Kenya)

• Flexibility: Adapts perfectly to uneven ground contours and natural soil settlement (especially on inland black cotton soils) without cracking—unlike rigid, brittle concrete linings.

• Permeability: Allows subgrade water to drain through freely, instantly relieving the destructive hydrostatic back-pressure that commonly triggers retaining wall failures.

• Durability: Formed from high-tensile double-twisted hexagonal woven mesh which guarantees that the structure will not unravel if an individual wire is cut or structurally compromised.

• Eco-Friendly Integration: Promotes natural silt deposit retention, enabling native vegetation to grow through the rocks and blend the system directly into the local environment.

The Durafence Advantage: We pair these mattresses with HDPE Liners to prevent water seepage where retention is required, offering a 50+ year service life.

Technical Specifications (80mm x 100mm System)

Our production lines are calibrated to meet KS 261:2013 standards locally, alongside international engineering benchmarks (ASTM A975, BS 443, and SANS 1580).

The Durafence Composite Solution

What sets us apart from standard suppliers is our ability to supply a Composite Lining System:

1. The Mattress (Steel): Provides heavy-duty, monolithic structural slope protection against hydraulic shear stresses.

2. The Geotextile: Acts as a filtration layer between the soil and the rock fill, preventing fine soil particles from washing out.

3. The HDPE Liner (Durafence Core Product): If the project requires water retention (e.g., lined canals, reservoirs behind weirs), we place a Durafence HDPE Geomembrane under the mattress to stop seepage.

Strategic Infrastructure Applications in Kenya

• River Training & Flood Control: Protecting highly vulnerable riverbanks across the Tana River, Athi River, Mara River, Ewaso Ng’iro, and Lake Victoria drainage basins.

• Road & Bridge Protection: Scour protection for large culvert discharges and bridge abutments deployed on KeNHA, KeRRA, and KURA civil road networks.

• Slope Stability: Landslide prevention and retaining support on cut/fill slopes throughout the Rift Valley and Central Highlands (e.g., Murang’a, Kericho, and Nandi Hills).

• Channel Linings: Large-scale agricultural irrigation canals (e.g., Mwea, Bura, and Perkerra schemes) utilizing our combined steel and HDPE system for near-zero water conservation losses.

• Water Conservancy: Protecting dam embankments, raw water reservoirs, and emergency overflow spillways.

Advantages Over Traditional Methods

• Cost-Effective: Shipped completely flat-packed in high-density, compact bundles, drastically lowering transport and freight costs from Nairobi or Mombasa to remote job sites.

• Speed: Quick assembly on-site using standard lacing wire without requiring heavy machinery, complex wood formwork, concrete curing times, or highly specialized masonry crews.

• Strength: Engineered to withstand high-velocity flows, extreme hydraulic stresses, and intense scouring without lifting or undermining.

Durafence Assurance: We guarantee the wire coating against corrosion and provide dedicated technical field support for installation.

Step-by-Step Installation Overview

To preserve absolute structural integrity under extreme hydraulic velocity rates, your field teams must execute the following sequence:

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the difference between a Gabion Box and a Gabion Mattress?

A Gabion Box is taller (typically 0.5m to 1.0m high) and used for retaining walls—holding back earth vertically. A Gabion Mattress (or Reno Mattress) is much thinner (0.17m to 0.30m high) and used for lining surfaces—like riverbeds, channels, and slopes to prevent erosion. Think of boxes as walls and mattresses as carpets of protection.

2. How long will a Durafence Gabion Mattress last?

The lifespan depends entirely on the chosen wire coating:

• Heavily Galvanized (Class A): 25–40 years in normal freshwater conditions.

• Galvanized + PVC Coated: 50–60+ years, ideal for coastal areas (high salinity) or industrial zones (chemical exposure).

• With Durafence HDPE Liner underneath: The liner itself features a 50+ year lifespan for heavy-duty waterproofing.

3. Why should I buy from Durafence instead of a steel-only supplier?

Most suppliers sell only the steel mesh. You still need to source geotextile and liners elsewhere. Durafence offers a complete, integrated system: Steel mattress + Geotextile filter + (optional) HDPE liner.

This provides one supplier, one invoice, and one technical team. Our deep expertise in geosynthetics ensures the filter fabric is correctly specified for complex Kenyan soil types—preventing fine clogging and structural failure.

4. Can I install gabion mattresses myself?

Yes, installation is completely DIY-friendly for small-scale projects. We supply flat-packed bundles accompanied by clear assembly instructions. For large infrastructure assets (dams, major rivers), we highly recommend our technical team provides on-site supervision to ensure proper lacing, stone grading, and geotextile placement.

5. What stones should I use to fill the mattress?

Use hard, angular, un-weathered rock (e.g., granite, basalt, or durable limestone). The stone size should be 1.5 to 2 times the mesh opening—specifically 100mm to 250mm (4 to 10 inches) to complement our 80mm x 100mm opening. Avoid round river stones as they roll under water flow, and avoid soft rocks that disintegrate over time.

6. Do I need a geotextile under the mattress?

Yes, in 90% of cases. The geotextile acts as a crucial filter: it allows water to pass through safely but prevents fine soil particles from being washed out through the rock gaps. Without it, the subgrade soil underneath erodes, causing the mattress to sink and fail. Durafence supplies high-quality non-woven geotextile specifically for this purpose.

7. Can I use a gabion mattress with a Durafence HDPE liner?

Absolutely. This is our signature specialty composite system:

• Liner at the bottom: Prevents water seepage (for lined canals, reservoirs, or contaminated sites).

• Geotextile on top of liner: Protects the membrane from being punctured by sharp rocks.

• Mattress on top: Holds the system in place and stops surface erosion.

  This is the premium solution for nationwide water conservation projects.

8. What sizes do you offer?

Our standard engineered sizes include:

• 6m x 2m x 0.30m (most common for river training)

• 6m x 2m x 0.23m

• 6m x 2m x 0.17m

• 3m x 2m x 0.30m

We also offer custom lengths subject to minimum order quantity (MOQ). Contact us directly with your specific project dimensions.

9. Do you deliver outside Nairobi?

Yes. Durafence Kenya delivers nationwide to:

• Major cities & hubs: Mombasa, Kisumu, Nakuru, Eldoret, Nyeri, Thika.

• Remote project sites: Contact us for a freight quote to expansive counties like Turkana, Mandera, Wajir, or Lamu.

10. How do I get a quote?

Simply contact us with the following information:

• Project location (town/county).
• Estimated area to cover (length x width in meters).
• Mattress thickness required (0.17m, 0.23m, or 0.30m).
• Coating preference (galvanized only or PVC coated).
• Whether you require geotextile fabric and/or HDPE liners.
• We will respond within 24 hours with a competitive price structure and lead time.

11. Are Durafence gabion mattresses compliant with Kenyan standards?

Yes. Our materials meet or exceed BS 1052:1980 (wire tensile strength), BS 443:1982 (zinc coating weights), and ASTM A975 (standard mesh specifications). We provide full quality testing certificates upon request.

12. What happens if the wire rusts?

Galvanized wire is designed to develop a harmless patina of zinc carbonate (often seen as white rust) that actually shields the core and stops further oxidation. This is normal. Red rust indicates coating failure. With our premium PVC-coated option, the raw steel is completely sealed from water and ambient air, virtually eliminating rust for decades.

Request a Quote

Contact the Durafence Kenya technical team to discuss your erosion control project. We offer free technical design consultations, complete turnkey package supply, and rapid nationwide delivery.

📞 Call or WhatsApp: 0713147147

📧 Email: sales@durafence.co.ke

📍 Visit us: Embakasi

“Stop erosion. Protect your water. Choose Durafence.”