SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium: Stronger Protection for High-Value Crops

Introduced to the market on 1 March 2026, SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium represents the next step in the evolution of one of Knittex’s most established agricultural netting solutions.

For more than 60 years, Knittex has been developing and manufacturing knitted synthetic fabrics for demanding agricultural applications. That experience has been channelled into the latest evolution of SpectraNet® Code 20—a premium product developed around the needs of modern fruit growers who demand greater consistency, durability and performance from the infrastructure protecting their crops.

The introduction of SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium is not simply the launch of another shade net. It is an improvement to a proven product platform, with the objective of delivering greater value to growers throughout the working life of the installation.

From a proven Code 20 to Code 20 Premium

Code 20 has an established history in South African agriculture and has been used extensively in applications where strength, flexibility and reliable crop protection are essential.

The new Premium specification builds on that foundation.

Rather than changing what growers already know and trust about Code 20, Knittex has focused on improving the product where it matters most: consistency, strength, durability, manufacturing quality and overall performance.

This is an important distinction.

SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium is not simply a higher-priced version of the previous product. It represents the next generation of the Code 20 specification, developed to provide growers with greater confidence in the product covering their high-value crops.

The result is a stronger, more durable protective fabric designed to meet the increasing demands placed on modern agricultural infrastructure.

Why the net matters

For a fruit grower, the net is part of the production system.

Once installed over an orchard, vineyard or berry operation, it becomes a long-term investment that must withstand sunlight, wind, storms, weather and the physical loads placed on the structure.

The value of that investment therefore cannot be judged simply by the purchase price per square metre.

The real consideration is what the net contributes to the hectare underneath it.

Quality agricultural netting can help create a more stable growing environment by influencing the amount and quality of light reaching the crop while providing a physical barrier against environmental stresses.

SpectraNet® has been developed around this principle. Its light-manipulating characteristics are intended to provide growers with more than a simple reduction in solar radiation.

Different colours and constructions can influence the quantity and quality of light available to plants, affecting important plant processes such as photosynthesis and photomorphogenesis.

For the grower, the objective is therefore not simply less light.

It is the right light for the crop and its growing environment.

What has improved with Code 20 Premium?

The introduction of Code 20 Premium reflects a deliberate focus on taking the previous Code 20 platform forward.

The improvements centre on five fundamental areas:

1. Improved product consistency

2. Enhanced mechanical strength

3. An advanced non-closing buggle tube design

4. Greater focus on long-term performance

5. Premium value rather than simply premium price

1. Improved product consistency

Consistency is critical when kilometres of netting are installed across a commercial farming operation.

The Premium specification is designed to provide greater consistency in the finished fabric, helping growers and installers work with a product manufactured according to a controlled and defined specification.

For large-scale installations, consistency is not a cosmetic benefit. It contributes to predictable installation, appearance and performance across the structure.

Code 20 Premium combines enhanced yarn construction with advanced manufacturing technology intended to deliver consistent premium quality.

Knittex uses gravimetric mixing technology to control the dosing of additives during production. This precision helps maintain material consistency across every roll and supports the enhanced UV performance required in demanding outdoor environments.

The result is greater confidence that the product installed across one section of a commercial structure will meet the same defined specification as the product installed across another.

2. Enhanced mechanical strength and durability

Agricultural netting can be exposed to considerable mechanical loads.

Wind, storms, hail and the tension created during installation all place demands on the fabric. Code 20 has historically been valued for its strength-to-weight characteristics, and the Premium development builds on that foundation.

Code 20 Premium features:

• Increased mechanical strength

• Enhanced yarn construction

• Higher burst strength

• Improved warp breaking strain

• Improved weft breaking strain

• A stronger and more durable construction for demanding installations and environmental conditions

The knitted construction is particularly important because the fabric does not behave like a conventional woven sheet when damaged.

Its lock-stitch construction helps contain damage rather than allowing a tear to run freely through the material. This can make repairs easier and help extend the useful functionality of an installation.

Knittex has demonstrated the strength of its Code 20 fabric in heavily loaded agricultural structures, including practical demonstrations at NAMPO.

Measurable improvements over the previous Code 20

Comparative product testing demonstrates the measurable performance improvements introduced with SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium White.

Compared with the previous Code 20 White specification:

• Warp breaking strength increased from 40 kg to 53 kg.

• Warp elongation increased from 27% to 34%.

• Weft breaking strength increased from 38 kg to 46 kg.

• Weft elongation increased from 50% to 82%.

• Burst strength increased from 67 kPa to 90 kPa.

• Buggle tube strength increased from 42 kg to 50 kg.

• Buggle tube elongation increased from 53% to 55%.

• The burst-to-mass ratio improved from 1.21 to 1.40 kPa per GSM.

• Fabric mass increased from 55 GSM to 64 GSM.

• The measured shade factor increased from 8% to 10%.

• Courses per inch increased from 9.5 to between 9.5 and 10.

These results show that Code 20 Premium is not merely a repositioned product. It is a materially stronger and more robust development of the original Code 20 platform, engineered for demanding installations and harsh agricultural conditions.

Code 20 technical comparison

Testing was conducted on Code 20 Premium White and the previous Code 20 White. Tests used a 100 mm-wide sample with a crosshead speed of 500 mm per minute. For Knittex netting of 100 GSM or less, the specified burst-to-mass ratio is at least 1 kPa per GSM.

3. An advanced non-closing buggle tube design

One of the most practical improvements in Code 20 Premium is its redesigned buggle tube and attachment pattern.

The stronger buggle tube construction and secure attachment are designed to maintain structural integrity during heavy storms, high winds and other high-load conditions. Reinforced buggle tubes also help reduce and limit wind-related damage.

The unique non-closing lock-stitch pattern prevents the tube from collapsing or closing. This makes it easier to thread the securing wire and improves handling while the net is being fitted.

For installers, the improved design can provide:

• Easier threading of the securing wire

• Faster installation

• Improved handling during fitting

• Less frustration on site

• Greater tube strength under load

• Better resistance to wind-related damage

These may appear to be small construction details, but across a large commercial installation they can significantly influence installation efficiency, structural reliability and long-term maintenance requirements.

4. Greater focus on long-term performance

A premium agricultural fabric must be considered over its entire service life.

The use of quality polyethylene, pigments and UV stabilisation, combined with controlled manufacturing and testing, forms part of Knittex’s approach to producing fabrics for demanding outdoor applications.

Knittex states that its products undergo rigorous burst, tear and shade testing and are manufactured according to defined specifications.

Code 20 Premium continues that philosophy through:

• Enhanced UV performance

• A longer expected service life

• Consistent premium quality

• Precise additive dosing

• Improved strength and durability

• Advanced manufacturing technology

The objective is straightforward:

A grower should have confidence that the product purchased today is designed to perform over the long term.

5. Premium value rather than simply premium price

The most important improvement may ultimately be the way the product should be evaluated.

Code 20 Premium should not be compared simply on rand per square metre. It should be evaluated against the value of the crop being protected.

When a hectare of citrus, grapes or berries represents a significant capital and production investment, the cost of the net is relatively small compared with the value of the crop and infrastructure beneath it.

That changes the conversation.

The question becomes:

What is the cost of protecting the crop compared with the cost of losing crop quality?

Protecting what the grower sells

A farmer does not simply sell tonnes of fruit.

The farmer sells marketable fruit.

Pack-out, appearance, size, colour, firmness and consistency can all influence the value ultimately achieved from the crop.

Environmental stresses such as excessive heat, sun exposure, wind and hail can negatively affect fruit quality and reduce its commercial value.

Knittex’s agricultural netting research and published trials identify potential benefits including:

• Reduced heat stress

• Reduced sunburn

• Improved light diffusion

• Improved water-use efficiency

• Reduced environmental damage

• A more stable crop-production environment

SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium is designed to form part of this protection strategy.

The objective is not to promise that netting will eliminate every production risk. No net can do that.

The objective is to reduce the crop’s exposure to avoidable environmental stresses and give growers greater control over the production environment.

Water: extracting more value from every litre

Water efficiency is becoming increasingly important to South African agriculture.

For growers in water-constrained regions such as the Western Cape, irrigation efficiency is directly connected to production economics.

By modifying the growing environment and reducing some of the effects of excessive heat and drying conditions, agricultural netting can contribute to improved water-use efficiency.

Knittex has reported reduced soil-water deficiency and improved water-use efficiency among the benefits observed in trials of its shade-netting systems.

The objective is not simply to use less water.

It is to produce more value from every litre applied to the crop.

Built for the demands of commercial agriculture

SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium is manufactured using knitted HDPE technology.

The knitted structure provides a combination of flexibility, strength and resilience, while the lock-stitch construction helps prevent localised damage from developing into uncontrolled runs through the fabric.

This becomes particularly important in commercial installations where repairs, maintenance and downtime can be costly.

Knittex’s experience in agricultural netting stretches back decades, and the company’s products are used in South Africa and international markets.

SpectraNet® has been developed specifically around climate control, light manipulation and crop protection.

That experience matters because agricultural netting is not a short-term consumable.

It is infrastructure.

Don’t compare shade percentage. Compare performance.

One of the most important decisions a grower makes is selecting the correct net for the crop and location.

There is no universal shade net that is right for every crop.

The required light environment, climate, temperature, wind exposure, crop physiology, structure and production objectives all need to be considered.

This is why SpectraNet® is based on the principle of light-spectrum management rather than shade percentage alone.

The right product is the one that helps create the appropriate growing environment for the specific crop.

Knittex’s investment in research into light-spectrum behaviour, including work undertaken with the CSIR, reinforces this approach.

For growers, this means moving the conversation away from:

“How much shade does the net provide?”

And towards:

“What growing environment does the net help me create?”

The economics of quality

Agricultural input costs continue to rise while market specifications become increasingly demanding.

Every production decision therefore needs to be evaluated according to its contribution to the overall return on investment.

The cheapest net may provide the lowest initial capital cost, but the lowest purchase price does not necessarily represent the lowest cost over the life of the installation.

Growers should consider:

• Product consistency

• Mechanical strength

• Durability

• Crop protection

• Fruit quality

• Marketable yield

• Water-use efficiency

• Installation efficiency

• Maintenance and repair requirements

• Expected service life

• Technical support

• Total return on investment

This is where the Premium proposition becomes relevant.

Code 20 Premium is an investment in performance—not simply an investment in fabric.

Protect the hectare. Protect the investment.

The crop underneath the net is worth considerably more than the net itself.

That is why the decision to install agricultural netting should be based on the value it can contribute to the entire production system.

SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium represents the next chapter in the development of Code 20. It combines experience gained through years of agricultural application with measurable improvements aimed at delivering a stronger, more consistent, durable and premium-quality product.

For growers investing in the future of their orchards, vineyards and berry operations, that distinction matters.

When the crop is worth millions, the question is not whether quality netting costs more.

The question is whether the grower can afford not to invest in quality.

DON’T BUY SHADE. BUY PERFORMANCE.

DON’T COMPARE PRICE PER SQUARE METRE. COMPARE VALUE PER HECTARE.

SpectraNet® Code 20 Premium

Stronger. Longer lasting. Built for harsh conditions.

The next generation of Code 20.

Knittex—Delivering on Promises Since 1964.