6×19 Wire Rope Sling and 6×36 Wire Rope Sling: What’s the Difference?

Intro: 6×19 vs 6×36 Wire Rope Slings

— What’s the difference between these two slings? They look the same, right? This one’s made by 6×19 wire rope. This one’s made by 6×36 wire rope.

When do I need to use one over the other? When can they be treated as interchangeable?

In this video, we’re gonna walk you through your wire rope sling’s construction, what that means, and when you should be using one over the other.

My name is Ben, this is The Lifting Rigging Channel, and today I’m joined by Wire Ropes operation manager Matt Burk, and he is going to help us find out what the difference is between a 6×19 wire rope sling and a 6×36 wire rope length.

What Does 6×19 and 6×36 Mean?

So what does that mean? 6×19 and 6×36. How are these actually made?

— 6×19 and 6×36 are classifications for wire rope. When the rope’s made at the mill, six stands for the number of strands that make up the rope. 19 stands for the number of wires that make up the strands.

Same thing for 6×36. Number of strands 6, 36 wires.

6×19 vs 6×36: Which is Better for Your Need?

— How are they different with how they perform? Is one better than the other?

— They’re both pretty interchangeable. 6×19 is gonna be a little bit more stiff. It’s gonna be better for abrasion resistance. Tougher environments where the 6×36 is gonna have more flexibility and better, better bending radius around pins or shackles, anything you’re gonna be rigging with.

Both slings are gonna have the same working load limit. What you really wanna pay attention to is the type of lift that you’re making with the sling.

If you’re lifting in a environment that’s very rough and low duty cycles, 6×19 is a good sling to use for you. If you’re going around a a tight bending radius, if you’re gonna be using a basket hitch or choking around a pipe, 6×36 can give you the flexibility. It’s gonna have better fatigue resistance as well.

How To Differentiate 6×19 and 6×36 Slings?

— I’m looking at these and other than the fact that this one has a blue stripe, I can’t tell really the difference. How can you tell the difference between a 6×19 and a 6×36

— From the outside? You’re really not gonna be able to tell the difference. The wires in the 6×36 will be slightly smaller, but you’re really not gonna be able to tell unless you were to cut this sling in half, check the cross section, and count the wires inside the strands.

You can, you know, pick it up, bend it. This one’s a little bit stiffer ’cause this is the 6×19. Yeah, you can tell the difference on these larger diameter ropes.

This is a one inch, but when you’re using 3/8, half inch, you’re, you’re gonna have a harder time telling the difference just by bending it.

How Does Diameter Affect Wire Rope Choice?

— So how does the diameter of rope come into play when you’re choosing between these two ropes?

— So your diameter’s gonna come into play one for your working load limit. You definitely wanna make sure you’re using a sling that’s gonna meet the capacity you need to lift with.

What is D/d Ratio?

You also want to pay attention to your D/d ratio. So the D/d ratio, the uppercase D is the object that the sling is gonna be bending around, the diameter. Lowercase D is the diameter of the sling.

The 6×19 isn’t as flexible. So when you’re bending around that same diameter pin, you’re not gonna have the same type of bend in the 6×19 that you will with the 6×36.

The 6×36 is going to react better in the bend radius, giving you a better performance on that D/d ratio.

— So basically with a 6×19, if you’re going around a small diameter, you could deform your eye at some point and then you have to pull the sling from service where this is gonna be a little bit more durable, lasts a little bit longer because it’s got some give to it.

— Right

Is 6×19 or 6×36 ever required?

— Is there ever a time where you must use one or the other?

— There’s really no strict rule on if you must use 6×19 or 6×36 in a sling. It really depends on your lift application. Working low limit and your D/d ratio are the most important when it comes to making your decision on the sling.

— One works better than the other one for certain applications, but there’s no like, hey, never use this for this. If one’s gonna work for this, they’ll both work for this.

Cost Difference Between 6×19 and 6×36 slings?

Let’s talk about money. Is there a cost difference between the two? Is one more expensive than the other one?

— 6×36 generally is a little bit more expensive. It’s really not gonna scare you away from buying it. There’s just a little bit more processing and material that goes into 6×36 than 6×19.

Lead Time Difference Between 6×19 vs 6×36 slings?

— So what about lead times between these slings? Are we custom making all these? Do we have certain sizes stocked?

— We have a 1 1/8″ up to 1 1/2″ in stock and 6×36 for slings.

1/4″, say 2, 3, 4, and then every even size 6, 8, 10, and so on up to 20′. Those are gonna be in stock from 1/4″ up to 1″. And that’s gonna be 6×19 construction.

— So if you need a small 6×36, that’s a custom order. We’re gonna have to make that for you, right?

— More than likely, yes.

— And then if you need a really big 6×19, same thing, right?

— Correct.

Mistakes To Avoid When Ordering Wire Rope Slings

— And then what are some mistakes that people make when they’re ordering wire rope slings?

— A couple of the biggest mistakes when ordering wire rope slings is ordering just based on price alone. You really wanna make sure you’re ordering the correct sling for your application for your lift plan.

Not checking the D/d ratio. You always wanna check that. Also, the abrasion characteristics of the lift. You wanna keep that in mind as you’re choosing the sling for your job.

— So if I’m gonna be dragging it on the ground all over the place, pulling it out from under loads, probably the 6×19 is better, right?

— Yes.

— And then small D/d 6×36.

— Correct.

— So one of the things we see, which I guess isn’t really mistake is ordering the same thing because you’ve always done it that way.

— People are very repetitive in their purchasing. They always get the same thing. What they might be doing is setting themselves up for spending more money on a 6×36 when they could be getting away with a six by 19.

But that’s just the nature of people. We’re creatures of habit. So we just wanna make sure we’re providing the right amount of information for people to be educated on the slings they’re choosing for their jobs.

— Hopefully this video gave you the information you need to help you determine the construction of your wire rope sling.

A good rule of thumb to remember is 6×19 for durability, 6×36 for flexibility. But for the most part, they’re gonna be interchangeable, you can use either sling for the job that you’re gonna do.

What really matters is what you’re doing and what you’re lifting, how you’re lifting it, not what you’ve always ordered.

If you need wire rope slings, you can shop from mazzellacompanies.com or give us a call and we’ll help you determine the right sling for your application.

If you found this video useful, informative, entertaining, or you just feel like being friendly? Hit that like button so we can get this information out to everyone who needs it.

Remember, safe rigging is smart rigging. My name is Ben, stay safe out there.