How many rings are in a mail shirt?

A knee-length hauberk typically contains 20,000–30,000 rings, depending on ring size and coverage; a short byrnie or haubergeon rather fewer.

What is the difference between riveted and butted mail?

Butted rings are simply bent closed and spring open under stress — fine for costume. Riveted rings are pierced and closed with a rivet, the historically accurate and battle-worthy method.

What is the 4-in-1 weave?

The European 4-in-1 pattern is the standard medieval weave in which each ring passes through four neighbouring rings, producing a dense, flexible mesh.

Margrex

How Chainmail Was Made — Drawing, Winding and Riveting Mail by Hand

A step-by-step look at how medieval mail was really made: drawing wire, winding and cutting rings, and closing each link with a hand-set rivet in the 4-in-1 European weave.