Metal vapour-liquid contact plates are disposed in face-to-face contact with respective corrugations inclined to the horizontal across a notional plane. A perforated lamella may be disposed across the notional plane. The metal packing which may also be of slit or louvered construction is disposed within a vapour-liquid contact column for the purpose of bringing about mass and heat transfer between liquid and vapour passing in opposite directions therethrough. The body portion of each plate comprises metal that has been slit to provide both surfaces thereof with a very large number of apertures with little wasted material. The metal lands defining the apertures may be twisted and angulated. The apertures in the plates trap liquid and expose it to the vapour stream on both sides of the plates affording self-spreading of the liquid and turbulent vapour flow therethrough. In this manner, the assembly affords optimal pressure drop characteristics, surface to vapour passage area ration, and vapour-liquid distribution characteristics. The laminate plate formation may also afford select flow and turbulence characteristics through capillary action between offset laminate land areas of the sheets.