Vertical bone augmentation remains challenging because it requires stable space maintenance and predictable de novo bone formation beyond the skeletal envelope. Here, we fabricated biodegradable, dome-shaped zinc (Zn) mesh scaffolds with interconnected pores of 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 mm (Zn0.5, Zn1, Zn2, respectively) from pure Zn sheet, using a cost-effective CAD/CAM die-forming strategy that avoids the defects associated with Zn additive manufacturing. A commercially pure titanium mesh with 2.0-mm pores (Ti2) served as the benchmark. Smaller pores increased surface area and pore-edge length. This increased the compressive strength (from 0.325 ±0.01 MPa for Zn2 to 0.638 ±0.02 MPa for Zn0.5, compared with 0.835 ±0.04 MPa for Ti2), the corrosion rate in Hank's solution over 5 months (from 0.0086 to 0.0105 mm/year) and 28-day Zn2+release (from 4.35 to 6.88 μg/mL). Diluted extracts (10% and 50%) maintained the viability of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells near control levels, whereas undiluted Zn extracts were cytotoxic. In a rabbit extra- skeletal calvarial model, Zn2 and Ti2 scaffolds maintained the augmentation space and supported progressive bone formation over 12 weeks. At 12 weeks, the new bone area fraction was significantly higher under Zn2 (84.4 ±3.3%) and Ti2 (81.0 ±13.8%) than in untreated controls (36.0 ±2.1%; p <0.001). Collagen type I deposition was also significantly higher in both scaffold groups, and neither measure differed between Zn2 and Ti2. Osteopontin and VEGF expression did not differ among groups. Thus, biodegradable Zn2 meshes demon strated regenerative performance comparable to that of permanent Ti2 meshes, while offering the potential advantage of avoiding secondary removal surgery. Pore architecture emerges as a key design parameter for tuning the mechanical and degradation behaviour of biodegradable metallic implants.