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Rope

Use our Rope Strength Guide, Rope Fiber Guide, Rope Construction Guide, Rope Comparison Chart, and Rope Tolerance Guide to choose the right rope for your needs.

For all your industrial and marine rope needs, look no further. E-Rigging.com has the most common types of marine and industrial ropes in a variety of sizes up to – and including – bulk reels of 1200 feet. We specialize in providing all types of rope and rope accessories including twisted nylon rope, polypropylene rope, manila rope, and several other options in any size. If you have any questions or inquiries about our soft rope or rope accessories, please feel free to contact our sales team. We look forward to helping you find the perfect solution for your next job!

Rope Strength Guide

NOTE: These are the listed Breaking Strengths of each rope type and size. It is recommended not to exceed 1/3 (3:1 Design Factor) of the rope's strength to maintain a useful service life.

Type / Size 1/8" 3/16" 1/4" 5/16" 3/8" 1/2" 5/8" 3/4" 7/8" 1"
3-Strand Twisted Manila Rope     540 lbs   1215 lbs 2385 lbs 3960 lbs 4860 lbs 6930 lbs 8100 lbs
3-Strand Twisted Nylon Rope     1485 lbs 2295 lbs 3240 lbs 5670 lbs 8910 lbs 12780 lbs   22230 lbs
Solid Braid Nylon Rope 575 lbs 825 lbs 1325 lbs 1925 lbs 2800 lbs 4200 lbs        
Double Braided Nylon Rope     2000 lbs   4400 lbs 7800 lbs 12200 lbs 17350 lbs    
3-Strand Twisted Yellow Polypropylene Rope     1125 lbs 1710 lbs 2430 lbs 3780 lbs 5580 lbs 7650 lbs   12825 lbs
Hollow Braid Polypropylene Rope     440 lbs   1850 lbs          
Double Braided Polyester Rope     1035 lbs   4275 lbs 7425 lbs 11250 lbs 16000 lbs    
Cotton Cord   750 lbs 600 lbs
(100' / 1200')		 1800 lbs
(100' / 600')		 2200 lbs
(100' / 600')		 3700 lbs        
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Rope Fiber Guide

Manila Rope

Manila Rope

Manila rope was once the preferred choice in ropes before synthetic fibers were developed. Manila ropes still maintain some advantages to synthetic fibers. It is not affected by heat, and has an excellent resistance to the sun's UV (Ultraviolet) rays. Manila rope has low stretch and good abrasion resistance, but poor chemical resistance, subject to rot.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of 3-Strand Twisted Manila Rope in lengths up to and including 1200 feet.

Nylon Rope

Nylon Rope

Nylon Rope is known for its elasticity and tremendous shock absorbing qualities. It has good abrasion resistance, is rot proof, resists oil, gasoline, and most chemicals. It has good resistance to UV rays. Nylon will last 4-5 times longer than natural fibers.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of 3-Strand Twisted Nylon Rope, Solid Braid Nylon Rope, and Double Braided Nylon Rope in lengths up to and including 1000 feet.

Polypropylene Rope

Polypropylene Rope

Polypropylene rope will float, has excellent resistance to most common chemicals. It is also resistant to rot, mildew and deterioration. It has good abrasion and UV resistance, good strength, and moderate stretch. It is a perfect economical choice as a general purpose rope.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of 3-Strand Twisted Yellow Polypropylene Rope and Hollow Braid Polypropylene Rope in lengths up to and including 600 feet.

Polyester Rope

Polyester Rope

Polyester rope is high strength, low stretch, torque free, excellent wet/dry abrasion resistant and wet/dry strength. Good resistance to ultraviolet rays and common chemicals. Obtains the best weathering characteristics of all popular fibers. Polyester stretches less than nylon, so it does not have the elasticity of shock absorbing qualities that nylon does. It is very popular as a marine or industrial rope where stretch is not desired.

E-Rigging.com has a selection of Double Braided Polyester Rope in lengths up to and including 600 feet.

Cotton Rope

Cotton Rope

Cotton rope is naturally soft, easy to work with, braids well and is very popular in the livestock industry. It is commonly used for halter and lead ropes. Cotton rope will not induce a rope burn as quickly as nylon and polypropylene rope. Cotton is a natural fiber, typically white in color.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of Braided Cotton Cord in lengths up to and including 1200 feet.

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Rope Construction Guide

3-Strand Twisted Rope Cross Section

Twisted Rope

Laid rope, also called twisted rope, is historically the prevalent form of rope. Most twisted rope consists of three strands and is normally right-laid, or given a right-handed twist, with 2 and 4 strand ropes being constructed similarly. One of the drawbacks of this construction is that every fiber is exposed to abrasion numerous times along the length of the rope. This means that the rope can degrade to numerous inch-long fiber fragments, which is not easily detected visually. However, twisted rope is usually stronger than braided cord of the same size because its fibers are parallel to each other at all times.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of 3-strand twisted rope in nylon, yellow polypropylene, and manila.

Double braided Roep Cross Section

Double Braided Rope

Double braided rope is simply a diamond braided rope with another diamond braided rope braided over it. The overbraid may be made of the same or different fiber as the diamond braided rope core.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of double braided rope in nylon and polyester.

Solid Braided Rope Cross Section

Solid Braided Rope

In solid braided rope, the strands all travel the same direction, clockwise or counter clockwise, and alternate between forming the outside of the rope and the interior of the rope. This construction is popular for general purpose utility rope but rare in specialized high performance line. As a locked stitch constructed rope with a smooth appearance and small vertical picks, it is extremely strong and cannot be unraveled, even when cut. It is one of the sturdiest types of rope, but cannot be spliced.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of solid braided rope in nylon.

Hollow Braid Rope Cross Section

Hollow Braided Rope

Hollow braid rope is an easily spliced cord of a diamond braid construction; most common in nylon or polypropylene. Constructed of 8, 12 or 16 strands, hollow braided rope is the same as the diamond braided rope on the surface, but is coreless. Because it does not have a core, it makes it easy to splice. Hollow braided rope is braided into a circular pattern with half of the strands going clockwise and the other half going counter clockwise. The strands can interlock with either twill or plain weave.

E-Rigging.com has a large selection of polypropylene hollow braided rope.

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Rope Comparison Chart

NYLON POLYESTER POLYPROPYLENE MANILA COTTON
Physical Properties
Strength 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 2/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Strength When Wet -15% No Change No Change +15% +15%
Shock Load Ability 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 4/5 Stars 2/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Elongation at Break 20-34% 15%-20% 15%-20% 10%-15% 5%-10%
Flexing Endurance 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 2/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Specific Gravity 1.14 1.38 0.9 1.38 1.54
Floats or Sinks in Water Sinks Sinks Floats Sinks Sinks
Water Absorption 6% 0% 0% 100% 100%
Melting or Charring Point Melts - 480° F Melts - 500° F Melts - 330° F Chars - 350° F Chars - 350° F
Storage Requirements Wet or Dry Wet or Dry Wet or Dry Dry Only Dry Only
Degradation Resistance
Abrasion 4/5 Stars 5/5 Stars 2/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Sunlight / UV 3/5 Stars 5/5 Stars 1/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Rot 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Acids 1/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Alkalies 3/5 Stars 1/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Oil, Gas, & Petroleum Based Liquids 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Electrical Conductivity Resistance 1/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Best =5/5 Stars | Worst =1/5 Stars
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