Short answer: Used lifting gear from ship recycling must be examined and tested by a competent person before it is used to lift anything. Buy only pieces with a legible safe working load (SWL) or working load limit (WLL) marking, and reject anything cracked, bent, stretched, twisted or badly worn. In a factory in India, the Factories Act 1948 requires lifting tackle to be marked with its safe working load and thoroughly examined by a competent person at least once every 12 months.
Ships carry a lot of lifting gear: chain pulley blocks, shackles, hooks, chain and wire rope slings. When a ship is recycled, this gear is sold second-hand. It can be good value, but you do not know how it was used, overloaded or stored. This guide explains what to check before you buy, and what you must do before you use it. For wire rope and wire rope slings, see how to check used ship wire rope before reuse.
Does used lifting gear need testing before use?
This is the most important point in this guide. A used shackle, hook, chain or chain block is not safe to use just because it looks fine. Before the gear goes into service:
- A competent person must examine it thoroughly.
- It must be proof-load tested where the examiner or the rules require it.
- You must get a written test and examination certificate that gives the safe working load.
The seller's inspection, and your own, is only a first screen that decides what is worth sending for testing.
What does Indian law say about lifting tackle?
Section 29 of the Factories Act, 1948 covers "lifting machines, chains, ropes and lifting tackles". It says:
- All parts must be "of good construction, sound material and adequate strength and free from defects", properly maintained, and "thoroughly examined by a competent person at least once in every period of twelve months" (s.29(1)(a)).
- Nothing may be loaded beyond its safe working load, which must be "plainly marked thereon together with an identification mark" (s.29(1)(b)).
- A "thorough examination" means "a visual examination supplemented, if necessary, by other means and by the dismantling of parts" (s.29(3)).
- "Lifting tackle" includes slings, hooks, shackles and similar gear (Explanation to s.29).
- State governments may add further requirements by rules (s.29(2)).
In Gujarat, the Directorate of Industrial Safety and Health (DISH) lists the records a factory must keep: "Testing Reports of lifting tools & tackles (Form 9), lifting appliances (Form 10) … carried out by competent person approved under the Act" (DISH e-citizen FAQ). DISH also publishes the list of approved competent persons. If you are in another state, check your state's Factories Rules and the Chief Inspector of Factories.
For comparison, UK rules require lifting accessories to be thoroughly examined every 6 months, and other lifting equipment every 12 months (HSE, LOLER).
What SWL or WLL marking should a chain block or shackle carry?
Indian standards require new lifting gear to be marked after it passes its proof test.
| Item | Standard | Marking required |
|---|---|---|
| Hand chain pulley block | IS 3832:2005 | Distinguishing mark, safe working load, grade of load chain, range of lift, maker's name or mark |
| Forged shackle (dee and bow) | IS/ISO 2415:2004 | Maker's mark, grade (4, 6 or 8), working load limit in tonnes (e.g. "WLL 10 t"), traceability code; pins of 13 mm and over marked with grade and maker's symbol |
| Point hook | IS 15560:2005 | Grade letter, safe working load, maker's mark |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
What to do:
- Photograph the marking on every piece before you agree a price.
- If the SWL/WLL is ground off, painted over or unreadable, treat the piece as unrated. Do not guess its capacity from its size.
- Check that the shackle pin matches the body (same maker and grade). In a mixed lot, pins and bodies can get separated.
What should you check before buying used chain blocks, shackles and hooks?
Use this checklist when you look at a lot. Reject a piece if any of these is true.
Hooks
- Cracks, nicks or gouges
- Throat opened out. US OSHA rules remove hooks "opened more than 15 percent of the normal throat opening" or "twisted more than 10 degrees from the plane of the unbent hook" (OSHA 1910.184, OSHA 1910.179)
- Safety latch missing, bent or not closing
- Hook does not swivel freely, where it is meant to
Shackles
- Body bent, twisted or opened out
- Pin bent, thread damaged, or pin does not screw fully home by hand
- Excessive wear at the crown or on the pin
- Weld spatter, heat discolouration or signs of welding repairs
- Unreadable marking
Chain (slings and load chain)
- Links stretched, bent, twisted or not moving freely against each other
- Wear at the link ends. OSHA removes alloy chain when the link size is below the minimum in its table (OSHA 1910.184(e)(8)).
- Cracked or deformed master links and coupling links
- Heavy pitting or corrosion
Chain pulley blocks
- Load chain twisted, or jumping on the sheave. IS 3832 says a load chain that "jumps, does not work smoothly or marks in use" is "probably out of pitch and should be replaced" (IS 3832:2005, Annex A-5).
- Top and bottom hooks: check them as hooks, above
- The brake holds the load; the hand chain runs smoothly
- The body is not cracked and the gear housing is not seized
- A replacement chain must be the same grade as the original, and blocks "shall be marked with the grade of chain" (Annex A-11)
How is used lifting gear proof-load tested before use?
New gear is proof-tested by the maker. The Indian standards give the proof loads:
| Item | Proof load in the standard |
|---|---|
| Chain pulley block | 1.5 × working load limit (IS 3832, clause 9.2) |
| Shackle | Manufacturing proof force of 2 × WLL (IS/ISO 2415) |
| Point hook up to 32 t | 2 × lifting capacity (IS 15560, clause 10) |
| Point hook 40–50 t | 1.7 × lifting capacity |
| Point hook 63–160 t | 1.25 × lifting capacity |
In each standard, a competent person examines the item after the proof test. Only then is it accepted and marked.
For used gear, the test history is lost. So:
- send the pieces you want to use to a competent person approved under the Factories Act (in Gujarat, see the DISH list);
- ask for a written certificate for each piece that gives the identification mark, the test load applied, the result and the safe working load;
- keep the certificate with the item and enter it in your register;
- put the item on your 12-month re-examination cycle under s.29.
Gear that fails, or that cannot be identified, should be sold as scrap and not used for lifting.
Which standards cover chain blocks, shackles and hooks?
- Indian (BIS): IS 3832 (hand chain pulley blocks), IS/ISO 2415 (forged shackles), IS 15560 (point hooks), IS 2760 (steel chain slings), IS 2762 (wire rope slings), IS 2266 (steel wire ropes). Full texts are available via Public.Resource.Org.
- US (ASME): the B30 series covers use and inspection. For example, ASME B30.26 Rigging Hardware covers shackles, links, rings, swivels, eyebolts and similar items.
- US workplace rules: OSHA 1910.184 (slings) and 1910.179 (overhead cranes, including hooks) give clear removal criteria.
- If a piece is marked to a standard you do not recognise, what matters for you is still a legible rating, a known maker, and a fresh test certificate.
At J.S. STEEL we sell used chain blocks, shackles and hooks from Alang as-is. We do not rate or test lifting gear; the only load rating is what is marked on the item. You can inspect it at our Bhavnagar yard before you buy. We send photos of the exact items before dispatch. Every sale is billed on a GST tax invoice (an e-invoice for GST-registered buyers), with an e-way bill when the consignment requires one.
Frequently asked questions
Is used lifting gear from ship recycling safe to use straight away?
No. A used shackle, hook, chain or chain block is not safe to use just because it looks fine. A competent person must examine it thoroughly, it must be proof-load tested where the examiner or the rules require it, and you must get a written test and examination certificate that gives the safe working load.
What if the SWL or WLL marking on a used shackle or chain block is unreadable?
Treat the piece as unrated and do not guess its capacity from its size. Gear that fails testing, or that cannot be identified, should be sold as scrap and not used for lifting.
How often must lifting tackle be examined in India?
Under section 29 of the Factories Act 1948, lifting tackle must be thoroughly examined by a competent person at least once in every period of twelve months, and its safe working load must be plainly marked on it.
Does J.S. STEEL test or rate the used chain blocks it sells?
No. We sell used chain blocks, shackles and hooks from Alang as-is, and the only load rating is what is marked on the item. You can inspect them at our Bhavnagar yard before you buy, and every piece must be examined and tested by a competent person before any lifting use.
Sources
- Factories Act 1948, section 29 (Indian Kanoon)
- DISH Gujarat: e-citizen FAQ
- IS 3832:2005, Hand-operated chain pulley blocks
- IS/ISO 2415:2004, Forged shackles for general lifting purposes
- IS 15560:2005, Point hooks with shank up to 160 tonne
- IS 2760:1980, Steel chain slings
- IS 2762:2009, Wire rope slings and sling legs
- IS 2266:2019, Steel wire ropes for general engineering purposes
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184, Slings
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.179, Overhead and gantry cranes
- ASME B30.26, Rigging Hardware
- HSE (UK): Thorough examinations of lifting equipment