A structured cross-channel packing element for a column for mass transfer and/or heat exchange between a heavy and a light fluid phase, wherein the structured cross-channel packing element comprises at least two adjacent layers (32, 32') made of expanded metal sheets each comprising openings (40, 40', 40", 40′′′), which are surrounded and separated from each other by separating elements, wherein at least two of the at least two layers (32, 32') are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the packing element parallel and in touching contact with each other so that an open space extending from one end to the opposite end of the at least two layers (32, 32') is provided between them so that in use at least one of the heavy and the light fluid phase may flow through it, wherein the ratio between the average width (b) of at least 50% of the separating elements between adjacent openings (40, 40', 40", 40′′′) and the sheet material thickness (s) is at least 15 with the sheet material thickness being the thickness of the material, wherein the ratio between the maximum distance between at least two adjacent of the at least two layers (32, 32') measured in the plane being perpendicular of the longitudinal direction and the average width (b) of the separating elements is at least 4, and wherein the ratio between the distance (u 1) between two openings (40, 40′′′) being in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction of the expanded metal sheet adjacent to a separating element and the average width (b) of this separating element is for at least 50% of all separating elements 4 to 6, wherein the distance (u 1) is measured by determining the distance between the outermost point of one side of the edge of an opening in the direction perpendicular to the stretch direction of the expanded metal sheet and the outermost point of the same side of the edge of an adjacent opening in the same direction of the expanded metal sheet, wherein the longitudinal direction of the packing element is determined by placing the structured cross-channel packing element on a horizontal area so that the layers (32, 32') of the structured cross-channel packing element being arranged in parallel and in touching contact with each other extend in the vertical direction and so that the open spaces extending from one end to the opposite end of the layers (32, 32') extend from the top to the bottom of the structured cross-channel packing element, wherein the longitudinal direction is then the direction from the top to the bottom of the so arranged structured cross-channel packing element, wherein the stretch direction of the expanded metal sheet is the direction being perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the structured cross-channel packing element, and wherein the average width (b) of a separating element is determined by dividing up the separating element into individual sections i=1, 2, 3... n each having a section length di, wherein for each of the sections the shortest distance bi between the adjacent edges within the sections is measured and the sum of the products di·bi is divided by the sum of di to yield the average width b of the separating element, wherein n is 5 to 100.