wire rope diameter and capacity for sale

The 6X25 galvanized industrial wire rope is made of six strands of 25 wires, making it an exceptionally strong and durable choice for heavy-duty applications.

It features a drawn strand surface, which minimizes abrasions and friction. Drawn galvanized ropes have the same breaking strength as bright wire rope, with additional wear protection on the exterior.

The galvanized wire rope features an independent wire rope core (IWRC) for additional internal support that helps to increase the strength and longevity of the rope for heavy-duty applications.

Wire Rope Material: The lifting slings are made from independent wire rope core (IWRC) offering less stretch and resistance to crushing while maintaining sling flexibility. Wire rope slings are fabricated from extra improved plow steel (EIPS).

A low quality wire rope sling can cause injury and damage. A look-alike wire rope sling often found at lower prices is also often advertised to conform to the same safety standards (if at all). Be aware that it may refer to safety ratings in effect decades ago. So for example under the same safety standard a decade ago, a wire rope sling may be rated to 100% without proof load testing while today it may be 300% with proof load testing. Be assured that we only sell the highest quality wire rope slings and our advertised safety standards conform to the current ASME standards.

Working load limits (capacity) of the wire rope lifting slings vary depending on the angle of use. The capacity is reduced as the angle of use declines. See drawing below how a 1,000 lbs sling capacity is reduced as the angle of use declines. The capacity of the sling is always highest at a 90 degree angle of use and smallest at an angle of 30 degrees (or less).

The chain sling has the advantage of being durable, very flexible and its length can be made adjustable. It will tolerate a wide range of temperatures; however, compared to other types, it is relatively expensive and, depending upon the grade of chain used, relatively heavy.

The wire rope sling is not quite as durable. The wire rope sling is not as flexible as chain but its greater stiffness can be an advantage if it has to be inserted through a small opening or beneath a load. However, when wrapped around a load, the wire rope sling often tends to deform permanently to the shape of the load. Wire rope suitable for slings comes in a variety of grades and constructions. In most cases looping back and securing the loop with a metal sleeve terminates the rope. This forms a loop or soft eye, the simplest form of sling end. Thimbles are used to support and protect the eye from abrasion. Wire rope is generally cheaper and lighter than chain which can be a plus, particularly for applications that require long sling lengths.

The nylon and polyester slings have the advantage of being lightweight in comparison to chain and wire rope slings. They are very flexible and relatively soft; therefore, they are suitable in applications were minimal damage to the load"s surface finish is important. The rope is made endless or terminated with an eye by means of a handmade splice. Similar to a wire rope sling, various terminal fittings are available. Without adequate protection, nylon and poly slings are susceptible to being severed when impinging on even a relatively moderate sharp edge.

Wire rope is often commonly referred to as cable; they are one in the same. Wire rope is composed of wires, strands, and a core. The basic unit is the wire, which is formed into strands. The strands are wound around the core. Various types of wire rope exist to meet a range of uses and operating conditions. These types are designated by the number of strands; the number, sizes and arrangement of the wires in each strand; and the way in which the wires and strands are wound, or laid, about each other.

Important characteristics of wire rope relate to the number and size of the outer wires. A small number of large outer wires result in better resistance to wear and corrosion. A large number of small wires result in better flexibility and resistance to fatigue.

The core acts as the axial member about which the strands are laid. Wire rope cores are made in two different forms. The one used most extensively is a wire rope of suitable size to serve as a core. It is called as independent wire rope core (IWRC). IWRC has increased tensile strength, offers less stretch, and is resistant to crushing; however, is less flexible. The other type is a wire strand core (WSC). This consists of a multiple-wire strand, and may be the same construction as the main rope strands.

Two grades of carbon steel wire are offered. The bulk of commercial wire rope lifting sling is made from improved plow steel (IPS) or extra improved plow steel (EIPS) which has a higher tensile strength.

Hand Splicing:Because no metal sleeve is required to secure the eye in the hand spliced sling, it exhibits more flexibility than mechanically splice slings of equal diameter. They have a more narrow profile and therefore can fit through tight spaces. Without benefit of a metal sleeve, lifts must be limited to applications where the wire rope sling is restrained from rotation and possible unlaying of the sling body.

Mechanical Splicing:Mechanically spliced eyes do not suffer the limitations of hand splicing, are economical, and offer the highest rated capacity of any spliced wire rope sling. This wire rope sling is fabricated by unlaying the rope body into two parts, one containing half the number of strands, the other having the remaining strands and core. The rope is unlayed far enough back to allow the eye to be formed by looping one part in one direction and the other part in the opposite direction and laying the rope back together. The strands are rolled back around the rope body and a metal sleeve is slipped over the ends and pressed (or swaged) to secure the ends to the body of the wire rope sling.

6x36 is a flexible general engineering wire rope readily available in galvanised, ungalvanised and marine grade stainless steel. The wire rope has an equal lay construction (warrington seale) and achieves a superior breaking load to the 6x19 construction range. The construction has been designed to give a flexible rope with a good fatigue life. A 6x36 wire rope is available with either FC (fibre core) or IWRC (independent wire rope core) and is used for a wide range of applications, examples of which are shown below:

Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brunei Darussalam, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Republic of, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, French Guiana, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guernsey, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jersey, Jordan, Korea, South, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Martinique, Mexico, Monaco, Montserrat, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Saint Kitts-Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States

Wire rope is the lifeline of your tow truck. We’ll help you understand the terminology, construction and ratings of wire rope. We’ll also give you advice on what type of rope to buy, how to attach it to a hook without losing towing capacity, how to inspect and maintain it, how to prevent damage, and how to tell when it’s time to replace it. We’ll also give the pros and cons of synthetic versus wire rope.

“Wire rope,” “line,” “rope” or “wire” are the only correct ways to refer to wire rope, but many tow operators refer to it as cable. Wire rope is not cable. Cable is only an acceptable term when referring to a piece of wire rope that is terminated on both ends. When that cable is connected to a power source, such as a winch, it’s no longer acceptable to call it cable.

The Egyptians were among the first to twist and braid strands of plant material together to form rope. Today’s rope is made of different materials and using different methods, but the basic principle remains the same: smaller diameter material is twisted to form strands, and then those strands are twisted to form the rope (or wire, if the rope is made from steel).

The pictures below show a 6 x 19 wire rope. The ‘19’ refers to the number of smaller diameter wires that are twisted together to form a single strand. The ‘6’ refers to the number of strands that are twisted together to make the wire. The middle of the rope, which isn’t included in either number, is referred to as “the core.”

You might have seen the term “lay” when a manufacturer specifies the type of wire to be used on a piece of their equipment. Lay refers to the direction of the twist of the wires in a strand (right or left) and to the direction that the strands are laid in the rope (regular or lang).

When you inspect a rope with regular lay, the wires appear to run straight down the length of the rope. With lang lay, the wires twist in the same direction as the strands, giving the appearance that the wires run across the rope. Regular lay rope is the most common wire sold today.

Just because your wire rope says it’s rated for an ultimate load (UL, or breaking strength) of 39,000 lbs doesn’t mean you can use that rope to tow 39,000 lbs. That’s because every wire rope has a working load limit (or WLL), which is the actual mass or force the product can support. It’s the working load limit you shouldn’t exceed, not the ultimate load limit.

So why don’t rope manufacturers make our lives easier by giving the WLL on their packaging instead of the UL? That’s because wire rope can handle different weights depending on how it’s being used. Different industries have different WLLs.

For example, standard 1/2” 6 x 19 wire rope has an ultimate load of 26,600 lbs. The working load limit for towing and recovery is 26,600 divided by 4, which is 6,650 lbs.

Synthetic rope is becoming a popular tool in the towing and recovery industry for many reasons. It has a significantly higher rating compared to standard wire, it is much lighter and, because it has no memory, there is less risk of damage caused by bird nesting.

Over the last few years, synthetic rope has also become more available to our industry. There are a wide range of distributors stocking the common sizes.

As with any synthetic product, synthetic rope is more susceptible to damage from sharp edges, but synthetic ropes made with Dyneema fiber is incredibly durable.

The three most common terminations used when attaching a hook to a wire rope are a Flemish eye with thimble splice, open swage socket, and wedge and socket (Becket). The most common of all the terminations is the Flemish eye with thimble splice.

In all cases except the open swage socket (pictured below), the rated capacity of wire rope is reduced when a termination is added to the end of the wire. When a Flemish eye with thimble splice is installed properly, it preserves 90 to 96% of the rope’s rated capacity.

The wedge and socket (pictured below) is the least recommended termination and should only be used to repair a wire that has been damaged in the field. The termination efficiency for the wedge and socket is 80% of the wire’s rated capacity. That means if we install a wedge and socket on the standard 1/2” 6 x 19, our working load limit is reduced to 5,320 lbs (WLL of 6,650 lbs x 0.8 = 5,320 lbs).

We don’t recommend using wire rope clips to terminate a hook on wire rope. Many times these clips are not installed correctly, which significantly reduces the termination efficiency.

Grade of steel. Wire rope is constructed with different grades of steel the same way that chain is manufactured. The most common wire rope grade is extra improved plow steel (EIPS) but you can also select extra extra improved plow steel (EEIPS) that is 10% stronger.

Steel core vs fiber core. When wire rope is constructed, the strands and wires are wrapped around a center core made of either independent wire rope core (IWRC) or fiber core (FC). IWRC, which is made of steel, provides additional strength. Fiber core cushions the strands by accepting lubricant more effectively. For the towing industry, we feel that the benefit of increasing our single line rating with steel core wire outweighs the benefits that fiber core offers.

Strength of rope. When it comes to wire rope, as with many things in life, you get what you pay for. A 1/2” standard 6 x 19 steel core wire rope has a working load limit of 6,650 lbs. If you go for a ½” Python COMPAC 6 steel core rope, your WLL increases to 7,550 (14% increase). Opt for a ½” Python COMPAC 35 steel core rope and your WLL increases to 9,100 (a 37% increase over then standard wire). The COMPAC 35 rope will cost you three times the price of the standard 6-strand wire, though.

Lang lay or regular lay. There are advantages and disadvantages to both lang and regular lay wire rope, depending on the application. Most manufacturers specify the types and lays of wire rope to be used on their piece of equipment. Be sure to consult the operator’s manual for proper application.

Quality of manufacturer. Talk to your wire rope supplier about the rope manufacturer. Imported wire rope is very common in today’s marketplace and many of these suppliers are quality manufacturers. The only way you can tell the quality is by asking questions about the product you’re buying.

It’s important to regularly inspect your wire rope for damage. The most common signs of damage are broken strands, kinks, and flat spots from improper wrapping on the winch drum. Constantly inspect your wire during a recovery to ensure that the winch is gathering wire properly on the winch drum and the wire is properly layered on the winch. If you want to prolong the life of your rope, take the time to unwind and rewind your wire at the first sign of overlapping or bird nesting and always stay within the working load limit.

Depending on the amount of wear and tear your wire is exposed to, you may need to replace it more often. In order to determine when you need to replace your wire, you must unwind it from the winch drum and inspect each foot of wire to determine if it needs attention. This is also a perfect time to lubricate your wire when you wind it back onto the winch. We recommend replacing your wire rope at the first sign of overloading.

It’s important to remember that most wire ropes fail from the inside out. Wire rope lubricant prolongs the life of your wire by protecting it from rust and corrosion while at the same time keeping it flexible. The best lubricant is one that was specifically designed for wire rope. Select a lubricant that doesn’t contain acids or alkalis. We recommend a moly or asphalt-based lubricant. Don’t apply used oils.

In order to protect ourselves and others from injury we must have the confidence in the equipment we are using. You can now speak to your rope supplier with confidence. Ask questions about the product you are about to buy. You never know if it is a quality manufactured piece of equipment.

P&H® is a registered trademark of Harnischfeger Technologies Inc. and is used by Morris Material Handling, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Konecranes, Inc.) under license.

Galvanized wire rope is categorized by number of strands in its construction. We supply most of them but we concentrate on the two major categories of galvanized (and ungalvanized or bright) wire rope. These “classes” are referred to as 6x19 and 6x36. Within each category of galvanized wire rope there are different “constructions” illustrated in the tables below.

Wire rope, galvanized and ungalvanized is used for many kinds of projects and applications. No matter the application galvanized wire rope must be used properly to insure the safest working conditions. All of our galvanized wire rope is manufactured to meet or exceed Federal Specification RRW-410 and is mill certified.

All of these general purpose wire ropes are available in full reels, custom cut sizes or as part of a custom made wire rope sling. Contact us today for more information.

Galvanized wire rope also comes in different strength categories (IPS and EIPS) and different cores (FC or fiber core and IWRC or independent wire rope core). Relevant data for each is listed in the table below.