In this study, an experimental setup was established to measure the pressure drop of flow through woven metal screens. Four woven metal screens with different porosities of the plain-square type were tested in this study. The Reynolds number based on the equivalent spherical diameter of the metal screen ranged from low Re (Re = 85) to high Re (Re = 12000). The range of porosity was 0.834-0.919. Based on the measured pressure drops of the four woven metal screens, this study developed an empirical equation of friction characteristic of plain-square-type woven metal screens. All experimental data for the plain-square-type screens lie within +/- 30% of the empirical equation. Based on the fact that the measured pressure drops of single-layer and multiple-layer woven metal screens can all be fit into a single equation, it is noted that the velocity developing region is very short for woven metal screens. In order to obtain good agreement between the fitted empirical equation and measured data, this study noted that an empirical equation should be developed for each type of the woven metal screen. This study developed five empirical equations respectively for the five types of metal screens, (plain square, plain dutch, fourdrinier, full twill, and twilled dutch types) of which experimental data were available in open literature and the present study. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.