Short answer: Used wire rope from ship recycling can be good value, but its load history is unknown. Before you buy, read the maker's marking on the reel, measure the diameter with a caliper, and reject rope with kinks, crushing, bird-caging, heavy corrosion, heat damage or clusters of broken wires. Before you use it to lift anything, have a competent person examine it and proof-load test it, and get a written test certificate with its safe working load. Rope that cannot be identified or tested should not be used for lifting.
Ships use steel wire rope for mooring, cargo handling, cranes and lashing. When a ship is recycled at Alang, this rope is sold second-hand as loose coils, reels and made-up slings. This guide explains what to look for.
How do you read the marking on a wire rope reel?
New rope made to IS 2266:2019, Steel wire ropes for general engineering purposes, must carry a tag on a coil, or a stencil on the reel, giving "the size, construction, rope grade, lay, core, coating and length of wire rope, reel/coil number" (IS 2266:2019, clause 12.1). Ropes made abroad to other standards carry similar information. Here is how to read it:
| Marking | What it tells you | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Size | Nominal diameter in mm | 24 mm |
| Construction | Strands × wires per strand, and the strand pattern | 6 × 19 M, 6 × 37 M, 6 × 26 SW |
| Rope grade | The strength grade of the wires; IS 2266 covers 1570, 1770 and 1960 | 1770 |
| Core | Fibre core (FC) or steel core (IWRC); IS 2266 writes these as CF and CWR | IWRC |
| Coating | Bright (ungalvanised) or galvanised; IS 2266 refers galvanising to IS 1835 | Galvanised |
| Lay | Right-hand (Z) or left-hand (S); ordinary (regular) lay or Lang's lay | Right-hand ordinary |
Swipe sideways to see the whole table.
Lay, in plain words. In ordinary lay, the wires in each strand twist the opposite way to the strands. In Lang's lay, they twist the same way. Ordinary lay is more stable and less likely to kink; Lang's lay resists abrasion better. If lay is not stated in an order, "it is customary to supply right-hand regular lay" (IS 3973:1984).
Why the marking matters. The minimum breaking force in the IS 2266 tables depends on the diameter, the construction, the rope grade and the core. Without a legible marking you cannot look up what the rope was rated for when it was new. That rating is only a ceiling: a used rope can be weaker.
How do you measure wire rope diameter?
Measure the diameter "over each pair of opposite strands at each of three places at least 1 m apart" with a rope caliper, and take care not to measure across two pairs of strands by mistake (IS 3973:1984, clause 3.1.1.2). New rope is usually slightly larger than its nominal diameter. Used rope that has worn or stretched is smaller.
When should a used wire rope be rejected?
Two standards set out when a wire rope must be taken out of service:
- ISO 4309:2017 gives the general principles "for the care and maintenance, and inspection and discard of steel wire ropes used on cranes and hoists" (ISO 4309:2017).
- IS 12735:1994 (identical to ISO 8792) sets safety criteria and inspection procedures for wire rope slings (IS 12735:1994).
IS 3973 lists the grounds for discarding a rope: wear, corrosion, fatigue, external deformation, heat, broken wires, abnormal stretching, surface embrittlement, core collapse and accidental damage (IS 3973:1984, clause 6.1).
For slings, IS 12735 gives clear limits (clause 5.4):
- Broken wires, spread out: if visible broken wires in any length of six rope diameters exceed 5% of the wires in the rope, withdraw the sling for examination.
- Broken wires, grouped: three or more broken wires close together means discard.
- Wear: if the measured diameter at any point is less than 90% of the nominal diameter, discard.
- Distortion: kinking, crushing, core collapse or knotting means discard.
- Heat damage: discoloured wires, loss of lubrication or arc pitting means withdraw for examination.
- Corrosion: loss of flexibility and roughness to the touch. Slight surface rust may not reduce strength, but it can hide internal corrosion.
- Fittings: cracked or opened hooks, damaged ferrules, pulled-out splices or broken wires near the ferrule.
US rules are similar. OSHA removes a wire rope sling for "ten randomly distributed broken wires in one rope lay, or five broken wires in one strand in one rope lay", for wear of one-third of the diameter of the outside wires, and for "kinking, crushing, bird caging or any other damage" (OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184(f)(5)).
Loose coils, reels or ready slings: which is easier to check?
- Reels with a marking: the easiest to assess, because you can identify the rope. Check the whole length you are buying, not just the outer turns.
- Loose coils: usually no marking. You can measure the diameter and count strands and wires, but not confirm the rope grade. Treat as unrated until tested.
- Ready slings: a sling made to IS 2762:2009 is marked with an identification number, its safe working load and the month and year of manufacture, and each leg is proof-tested to twice its safe working load (IS 2762:2009, clauses 9 and 10). On a used sling, check that the label is still legible, and apply the discard criteria above to the rope, the eyes and the ferrules.
When you unroll a coil, roll it along the ground so the rope lies straight. Improper unreeling and uncoiling puts twist into the rope and is one of the most common causes of kinks (IS 3973:1984, clause 4.3).
What can used ship wire rope be used for?
Not suitable, unless examined and tested: any lifting with a crane, hoist or sling. IS 12735 warns that a rope bent over its own diameter "can lose 50% of its original strength", so hidden damage matters.
Never suitable: lifting people, or any use where you cannot identify the rope and get a test certificate.
Lower-risk uses: non-lifting uses where a failure cannot injure anyone. Inspect the rope anyway, and do not use rope with protruding broken wires, which injure hands.
How should used wire rope be tested before lifting?
In a factory in India, lifting tackle, including ropes and slings, must have its safe working load "plainly marked" and be "thoroughly examined by a competent person at least once in every period of twelve months" (Factories Act 1948, section 29). For used rope:
- Have a competent person examine the rope, using the criteria above.
- For a sling, have it proof-load tested. IS 2762 proof-tests new slings at twice their safe working load and uses a coefficient of utilisation of 5 (IS 2762:2009).
- For rope from a coil, a sample can be broken on a test bed to find its actual breaking force, as IS 2266 does for new rope (clause 11).
- Get a written certificate that gives the identification, the test load, the date and the safe working load. Keep it with the rope and enter it in your register.
For more on used shackles, hooks and chain blocks, see our guide Buying used lifting gear from ship recycling.
Where to buy used ship wire rope in Bhavnagar
J.S. STEEL is a used wire rope supplier in Bhavnagar: our ship store sells ex-ship wire rope from Alang ship recycling, as-is, in loose coils, reels with the maker's marking and ready slings. We do not rate or test wire rope; 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 ship wire rope safe for lifting?
Not until a competent person has examined it, it has been proof-load tested and you hold a written certificate with its safe working load. Rope that cannot be identified or tested should not be used for lifting, and used rope should never be used to lift people.
How many broken wires mean a wire rope sling must be discarded?
Under IS 12735, if visible broken wires in any length of six rope diameters exceed 5% of the wires in the rope, withdraw the sling for examination. Three or more broken wires close together means discard.
How much diameter loss means a wire rope should be discarded?
Under IS 12735, discard the rope if the measured diameter at any point is less than 90% of the nominal diameter. Measure over each pair of opposite strands at three places at least 1 m apart, with a rope caliper.
Does J.S. STEEL test or rate the used wire rope it sells?
No. We sell used ship wire rope as-is, and the only load rating is what is marked on the item. You can inspect it at our Bhavnagar yard before you buy, and it must be examined and tested before any lifting use.
Sources
- IS 2266:2019, Steel wire ropes for general engineering purposes (BIS), full text via Public.Resource.Org
- IS 3973:1984, Code of practice for the selection, installation and maintenance of wire ropes
- IS 12735:1994 (ISO 8792:1986), Wire rope slings — Safety criteria and inspection procedures for use
- IS 2762:2009, Wire rope slings and sling legs
- ISO 4309:2017, Cranes — Wire ropes — Care and maintenance, inspection and discard
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.184, Slings
- Factories Act 1948, section 29 (Indian Kanoon)