What is the conductive fabric gasket and when would I use it instead of a metal spring gasket?

The conductive fabric gasket is an EMI shielding gasket made from a fabric (typically nylon or polyester) knitted or woven with conductive fibers (silver-plated copper, nickel-plated copper, or stainless steel), providing a compliant, conductive seal between mating surfaces of a shielded enclosure. The fabric gasket fills gaps between enclosure panels, doors, and access covers, blocking electromagnetic energy from leaking through the seams. When to use a conductive fabric gasket instead of a metal spring gasket: high compression range (fabric gaskets compress 30-70% of their free height, accommodating large and variable gaps between mating surfaces; metal spring gaskets (BeCu finger stock) typically compress only 10-30%), large gap tolerance (fabric gaskets fill uneven gaps and surface irregularities that would leave openings with rigid metal gaskets), environmental sealing (the dense fabric provides moderate dust and moisture sealing in addition to EMI shielding; metal springs do not provide environmental sealing), low closure force (fabric gaskets require less compression force than metal springs, making them suitable for lightweight enclosures and hinged doors with light latches), and cost (fabric gaskets are less expensive than BeCu finger stock for many applications). When to use a metal spring gasket instead: higher shielding effectiveness (BeCu finger stock provides 60-100 dB SE vs. 40-70 dB for fabric gaskets), very high frequency (metal springs maintain better performance above 10 GHz), corrosive environments (BeCu is more resistant to galvanic corrosion than silver-plated fabric), and high cycle life (BeCu springs maintain performance over 100,000+ cycles; fabric gaskets may degrade after 5,000-10,000 cycles).