What is the load limit on steel cable?

14 Mar.,2024

 

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All Non Domestic Stainless Steel strand, cable and wire rope are manufactured to Federal Specs RR-W-410E.  Test certificates are available.   Non-domestic in origin.  Domestic stainless steel cable wire rope also available on request. 
Breaking strength load limits and working load limits are different.  The working load limit is less and generally considered for safety working load usage in applications.  Example, a 500 lbs breaking strength may only have a safe working load limit of 100 lbs.  This safety factor depends on the manufacturer.  Safe working load limits based on manufacturer are available upon request.  For Rigging Purposes uses the manufactures Safe Working Load Limits not the Breaking Strength.

Non Domestic

Domestic

1x19 7x7 7x19 6x19/36 7x7 7x19 6x19 6x36  

Non Domestic Stainless Steel Cable Wire Rope

Stainless Steel Aircraft Cable 1 x 19 Construction

     

Type 304

Type 316

Size

Construction

Wt/1000 Ft. (lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs)

1/16

1x19

8.5

100

500

96

480

3/32

1x19

20

240

1,200

214

1,070

1/8

1x19

35

420

2,100

378

1,890

5/32

1x19

55

660

3,300

600

3,000

3/16

1x19

77

940

4,700

854

4,270

7/32

1x19

102

1,260

6,300

1,146

5,730

1/4

1x19

135

1,640

8,200

1,492

7,460

 

Stainless Steel Aircraft Cable 7 x 7 Construction

     

Type 304

Type 316

Size

Construction

Wt/1000 Ft. (lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs) )

3/64

7x7

4.2

54

270

48

240

1/16

7x7

7.6

96

480

84

420

3/32

7x7

16

184

920

162

810

1/8

7x7

28

340

1,700

302

1,510

5/32

7x7

43

500

2,500

454

2,270

3/16

7x7

62

740

3,700

670

3,350

 

Stainless Steel Aircraft Cable 7 x 19 Construction

     

Type 304

Type 316

Size

Construction

Wt/1000 Ft. (lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs)

3/32

7x19

17

189

920

162

810

1/8

7x19

29

352

1,760

306

1,530

5/32

7x19

45

480

2,400

422

2,110

3/16

7x19

65

740

3,700

642

3,210

1/4

7x19

110

1,280

6,400

1,160

5,600

5/16

7x19

173

1,800

9,000

1,640

8,200

3/8

7x19

243

2,400

12,000

2,200

11,000

 

Stainless Steel Aircraft Cable 6x19/37 Constructions

     

Type 304

Type 316

Size

Construction

Wt/1000 Ft. (lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs)

Working
Load Limit
(lbs)

Breaking Strength
(lbs)

3/8

6x19/37

.24

2,400

12,000

2,160

10,800

7/16

6x19/37

.35

3,260

16,300

2,960

14,800

1/2

6x19/37

.46

4,560

22,800

4,100

20,500

9/16

6x19/37

.59

5,700

28,500

5,140

25,700

5/8

6x19/37

.72

7,000

35,000

6,300

31,500

3/4

6x19/37

.92

9,920

49,600

8,920

44,600

7/8

6x19/37

1.42

13,300

66,500

11,980

59,900

1

6x19/37

1.85

17,080

85,400

15,380

76,900

1-1/4

6x19/37

2.90

25,880

129,400

23,300

116,500

 

WIRE ROPE IS A MACHINE. UNDERSTAND AND RESPECT IT.

General Use Statement

Wire rope is a machine, like any machine, it needs proper care and maintenance for optimal safety and long service life. For a better understanding of wire rope, we highly recommend reading and understanding the Rope User's Manual by the Wire Rope Technical Board.

Refer to our General Warnings and Instructions page for general rigging information. The warnings and instructions below apply only to Wire Rope and Cable.

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Rated Capacity / Working Load Limit

Rated capacity is the load which a new wire rope may handle under given operating conditions and at an assumed design factor. A design factor of 5 is chosen most frequently for wire rope which equates to operating loads not exceeding 20% of the catalog Breaking Strength. Operating loads may have to be reduced when life, limb or valuable property are at risk or other than new rope is used. A design factor of 10 is usually chosen when wire rope is used to carry personnel which equates to operating loads not to exceeding 10% of catalog Breaking Strength.

See our General Warnings and Instructions guide for more information on:

  • Working Load Limit (WLL).
  • Design Factor
  • Breaking Strength

Responsibility for choosing a design factor rests with the user.

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Matching Attachment's Working Load Limit

Attachments must have at least the same Working Load Limit as the wire rope used. The rigging assembly can only be rated up to the weakest component minus any termination efficiencies.

Clips, sockets, thimbles, sleeves, hooks, links, shackles, sheaves, blocks, etc. must match in size, material and strength to provide adequate safety protection. Proper installation is crucial for maximum efficiency and safety.

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Inspect Wire Rope Regularly

Use inspection instructions as guidelines only. Two of the most important prerequisites for inspecting wire rope are technical knowledge and experience.

Check the general condition of the wire. Also, look for localized damage and wear, especially at wire rope attachments. Inspect all parts that come in contact with the wire rope. Poor performance of wire rope can often be traced back worn or wrong-sized sheaves, drums, rollers, etc. Look for kinks, broken wires, abrasions, lack of lubrication, rust damage, crushing, reduction of diameter, stretch or other obvious damage. If any of these conditions exist or if there is any other apparent damage to the wire rope, retire the wire rope.

When in doubt about the extent of the damage, retire the wire rope in question immediately. Without laboratory analysis, it is impossible to determine the strength of damaged or used wire. Thus, you will not be able to tell whether wire rope with any amount of damage is safe to use. Retire the wire rope that is damaged. For specific inspection procedures check various OSHA, WRTB, ANSI, and ASTM publications.

Inspection Full Guide

Inspection Fact Sheet

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Destroy, Rather than Discard, Wire Rope to be Retired

Wire rope that is not destroyed might be used again by someone not aware of the hazard associated with that use. Destroying wire rope is best done by cutting the eyes open, cutting any attachments, and cutting the body up into short unusable pieces.

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Measuring Wire Rope Diameter

Wire rope should be measured on the peaks of opposing strands and never on the valleys. Below is an illustration that displays the correct method to measure wire rope diameter.

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Wire Rope Diameter Tolerances

Wire Rope Diameter (in) Tolerance (in) Under Over 1/32 0 0.006 3/64 0 0.008 1/16 0 0.010 3/32 0 0.012 1/8 0 0.014 5/32 0 0.016 3/16 0 0.018 7/32 0 0.018 1/4 0 0.018 9/32 0 0.020 5/16 0 0.022 3/8 0 0.026

Tolerances specified in Federal Specification RR-W-410-H

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What is the load limit on steel cable?

Wire Rope & Cable Warnings and Instructions

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