Slings Technical Information

Basics of... Slings

Use this information below to help you determine the most appropriate type sling for your application

Sling Type vs. Issue	Chain	Polyester Roundsling	Polyester Webbing	Nylon Webbing	Wire Mesh	Wire Rope	Comments
Abrasion Resistance - Internal	9	8	6	6	8	8	Dirt accelerates internal abrasion of synthetic slings
Abrasion Resistance - External	10	5	4	4	9	7	Use wear pads for improved sling life
Fatigue Resistance	9	9	8	8	6	6	Wire Rope is susceptible to side bending fatigue
UV Resistance	10	7	3	3	10	10	Rate of web degradation will vary with sling type
Kink Resistance	8	10	10	10	5	1	Sharp bends will permanently damage wire rope
Crush Resistance	9	7	6	6	5	4	Block loads to protect slings from damage
Pulling at Side Angle	8	9	8	8	1	9	Wire Mesh must not be pulled at a side angle
Load Damage @ Contact Points	2	10	10	10	6	2	Loads can always be padded
Water Corrosion	3	10	10	10	4	2	Metal slings can be lubed to reduce corrosion
Ease of Inspection	7	10	6	10	6	5
Ease of Storage	6	10	8	10	4	2

The above values are based on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the best.

CAUTION

The above information is simply provided to assist customers in determining which sling types tend to perform better when they are subjected to the listed issue
This information was established based on the judgement of a number of experienced Lift-All personnel. However, it is not based on any studies or scientific data, and is therefore not to be used in any way to determine the expected life of any sling type.

Basic Hitches Used in Rigging

Most slings will have tags showing capacity ratings for the following three most common types of hitches.

Basket Hitch - Puts both sling ends on the crane or hoist hook(s) while the sling body cradles the load. This hitch must only be used on loads that are easily balanced and where both sling and load will not shift during lift.
Choker Hitch - Frequently used to lift bundles of materials (tubes, rods, etc.). One end connects to a crane or hoist hook while the other end goes around the load and connects to the body of the sling. This allows the sling to tighten around the load as itis lifted, providing greater load control. This hitch should be used when turning a load.
Vertical Hitch - Uses one connection point on the crane or hoist hook and one connection point on the load. Most appropriate when the load has designated lift points such as hoist rings, eye bolts or hooks. A ′′Vertical′′ hitch may be used at an angle if mulitple slings are used for the lift.

Sling Type vs. Issue	Chain	Polyester Roundsling	Polyester Webbing and Nylon Webbing	Wire Mesh	Wire Rope	Comments
Weight Reference 1 (Lbs.)>1	2.2	0.50	0.46	5.3	0.93	Sling Weight per foot of length for a 5 Ton V Sling Capacity
Weight Reference 2 (Lbs.)>1	10.4	2.4	2.6	27.1	5.1	Sling Weight per foot of length for a 25 Ton V Sling Capacity
Temperature Limit (°F)	600	200	200	550	400	Stainless Steel varieties available /w higher limits.
Elongation (%)	1	3	10	1	1	When loaded to the full Rated Capacity
Cut Resistant	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes	Synthetic slings must be protected from sharp edges
Length Adjustment	Yes	No	No	No	No
Rotation of wear points	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Based on endless style for the synthetic slings
Repairable	Yes	No	No	Yes	No

These values do not include the weight of the end hardware

Effect of Angle:

Did you know that when slings are used at an angle of less than 90° from horizontal, the sling's capacity rating must be reduced? How much it is reduced depends on the degree of the angle. You can determine whether a sling will be rated high enough if you know the angle between the sling leg and the horizontal. Once you know this angle, multiply the sling's rating by the appropriate factor in the table below. This will give you the sling's reduced rating.

Angle from Horizontal (degrees)	Sling Angle Factor
90	1.000
85	0.996
80	0.985
75	0.966
70	0.940
65	0.906
60	0.866
55	0.819
50	0.766
45	0.707
40	0.643
35	0.574
30	0.500

Angles of less than 30^° from the
horizontalare not recommended
and must be avoidedwherever
practicable

Determining the lifting capacity of a sling

- Determine the angle of lift
- Determine the angle factor for the angle of lift from the list shown
- Multiply the sling's rated capacity value by the angle factor
- This will yield the sling's effective lifting capacity for the angle of lift

Contact MSC today to arrange for an inspection at your facility by a trained sling representative

Do you know the OSHA requirements governing sling inspections?

The first basic requirement for sling inspections is that they need to be visually inspected before each use. Aside from this requirement, more thorough inspections should be made periodically, with the interval determined by you, based on how hard the slings are used, and the environment in which they will be used. Written records of inspections for alloy chain slings are required to be kept, at intervals determined, once again, based on their use, but not to exceed a period of one year. You can access the current Federal Inspection requirements for all slings (Regulation - OSHA, Labor, Code of Federal Regulation, Industrial Slings, Part 1910.184) via the internet, by going to://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9834

Caution: This equipment is intended for industrial use only and should NOT be used to lift, support, or otherwise transport people, or to suspend loads over people.