Steel Wire Rope Safety & Legal Requirements in South Africa

Steel wire rope is a safety-critical component. Under South Africa’s Driven Machinery Regulations, every chain or rope forming part of the load path of a lifting machine must have the safety factor required by the standard the machine was manufactured to. Where no specific standard applies, steel wire ropes must have a minimum safety factor of 5:1 for lifting machines. For lifting tackle such as slings, steel-wire ropes require a 6:1 safety factor, except certain double-part endless sling/grommet legs, which require 8:1.

What this means in simple terms

The rope must be much stronger than the load it is rated to lift. This does not mean you may overload the crane – it means the rope has a built-in safety margin to protect against wear, shock loading, bending fatigue, and working conditions.

What Rope Should Be Used?

The correct rope depends on the crane, hoist design, drum, sheaves, lifting height, duty cycle, and whether the rope is working in single-layer or multi-layer spooling.

Common crane rope options

6×19 / 8×19 construction
Good for general lifting where strength and reasonable flexibility are required.

6×36 construction
More flexible than 6×19 and often better where the rope bends repeatedly over sheaves.

IWRC – Independent Wire Rope Core
Best for heavier-duty crane and hoist applications where higher strength, better crush resistance, and improved durability are required.

Fibre Core (FC)
More flexible, but generally not as strong or crush-resistant as IWRC. Better suited to lighter-duty applications where flexibility is more important than heavy-duty performance.

Compacted / high-performance rope
Used for demanding hoist applications where longer life, improved drum contact, better fatigue resistance, and higher performance are needed.

Rotation-resistant rope
Used where load rotation must be reduced, especially in applications with higher lifting heights or single-line lifting arrangements.

What Rope Should NOT Be Used?

Do not use rope that is:

• Not certified for lifting applications
• The wrong diameter for the drum or sheaves
• The wrong construction for the hoist design
• Rusted, kinked, crushed, bird-caged, flattened, or heat damaged
• Showing broken wires beyond acceptable limits
• Previously overloaded or shock-loaded
• General-purpose cable not intended for crane or lifting use
• Reused without proper inspection, testing, and approval

Used rope should generally not be reused unless an undamaged specimen section is tested and found suitable, followed by proper inspection and testing.

What to Check Before Buying Steel Wire Rope

Before buying rope, always confirm:

• Correct rope diameter
• Correct rope construction
• Correct core type: IWRC or Fibre Core
• Correct lay direction
• Compatibility with drum and sheaves
• Required breaking load and safety factor
• Certification and traceability
• Suitability for lifting, not general pulling

Why the Correct Rope Matters

The wrong wire rope can cause:

• Rope guide failure
• Poor spooling on the drum
• Excessive sheave and drum wear
• Reduced lifting safety
• Premature rope failure
• Costly crane downtime

The right rope doesn’t just lift the load – it protects the hoist, the crane, and everyone working around it.