Catalytic wire gauzes were used for years for ammonia oxidation. At present. various gauzes with a catalyst deposited on them have been receiving a great deal of attention as reactors fillers used for oxidation other than ammonia compounds. The flow and transfer properties of staked gauzes have been Sufficiently examined yet. The study presents an experimental programme of pressure drop for stacked wire gauzes (woven and knitted) which allowed to generate a representative database. The theoretically derived mathematical model of flow through wire gauzes basing on Ergun's approach has been forward and tested on the collected database. The model does not include any empirical constants based on experimental data. The model prediction reasonably agree with the experimental results. The model provides a tool for the approximate classification of wire gauzes for the application as reactor fillers. (c) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.