A draw plate is a hardened steel plate pierced with one or more tapered holes, each smaller than the last, through which wire is pulled to reduce its diameter and make it thinner. A typical plate carries twenty to thirty holes of different sizes, so a length of wire can be drawn progressively through smaller and smaller holes until it reaches the diameter the metalworker needs, a technique used across blacksmithing, general metalworking and jewellery and silversmithing wherever wire of a controlled gauge is required.
Facts
Introduced When (Circa)Uncertain and ancient; the earliest known draw plates are now dated to Roman times, with clear written descriptions of wire-drawing appearing centuries later. 1 OriginWire-drawing's origins are uncertain; a possible early reference is Exodus 39:3, describing gold hammered into sheets and cut into wire, though the precise technique is unclear, and the earliest known physical draw plates are now dated to Roman times. 1 Introduced era (class) In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Draw Plate (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationDraw plate, History section
As of 2026, the earliest known draw plates dated to Roman times.
Draw plate, History section (Exodus 39:3 sentence)
The origins of wire-drawing are uncertain. One of the earliest known written references to wire-making is Exodus 39:3, which suggests that gold was hammered into sheets, cut into strips, and then these strips were made into gold wire, but the precise technique is not clear.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
How old is the technique of drawing wire through a draw plate?
Uncertain but ancient. The earliest known physical draw plates date to Roman times.
The origins of wire drawing are uncertain. A possible early reference is Exodus 39:3, describing gold hammered into sheets and cut into wire, though the precise technique described there is unclear. The earliest known physical draw plates are now dated to Roman times, with clear written descriptions of wire drawing appearing centuries later.
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