If you ask five riggers what type of sling they grab first, you’ll likely receive five different, and confident, answers. This is because chain slings and wire rope slings are not interchangeable, or one is not simply considered \u201cbetter.\u201d Each style is designed for different jobs, environments, and have different failure modes. Choosing the wrong sling for a job can not only negatively impact the efficiency of the job, but it can also impact safety.
Chain slings are often the best option for hostile and abrasive work environments. Typical chain slinging jobs are foundries, steel fabrication yards, scrap handling, and any other areas where loads have sharp edges or high surface temperatures. In these situations, a grade 80 or grade 100 sling will be able to handle any nicks or gouges that would instantly destroy a wire rope sling. Because chain is less likely to fail from shock loading or sudden jerks during lifting, it has a safety advantage over wire rope slings. In general, chain slings will be heavier and less flexible. They won’t drape around loads as neatly as rope slings, which can make rigging strange or awkwardly shaped items a bit more cumbersome.
Wire rope slings are the best option for general engineering, plant hire, and construction lifts where loads are less demanding, the work area is more controlled, and load flexibility is more important. If maintained properly, a wire rope sling remains lightweight while standing up to repeated lifting cycles. Wire rope slings do not tolerate the same level of abrasion or heat that chains do, and they are less forgiving of kinking. Once kinking occurs, the rope’s working load limit is compromised regardless of the rope’s appearance. Therefore, more rigorous inspections are required.
Regardless of the type of sling you choose, the selection process should begin with the load, not the sling itself. Calculate the Safe Working Load (SWL) needed for the lift with a safety margin included, consider the angle of the sling legs (wider angles will reduce the load each leg can carry), and estimate the number of lifts the sling will perform in a day. There is a large difference in specifications between a sling that is rated for occasional use in a clean warehouse and one that is expected to endure daily use on a construction site during winter.
Different inspection regimes apply, for instance, chain slings should be examined for stretch, twisted links, and wear at the bearing points, preferably using go/no-go gauges, not tape measures. Wire rope slings should be checked for broken wires, birdcaging, corrosion, crushing, and any sling with visible wire breaks above the allowable limits must be removed from service immediately, and certainly must not be kept for ‘light jobs’. As per LOLER, lifting accessories (slings) require thorough examinations every six months at the very least, and that examination should be conducted by a competent person and not the first person who happens to be available before the meeting.
The importance of storage is undervalued on most sites, for example, if wire rope slings are coiled tight in wet environments, inner corrosion will occur that is not visible from the outside. If chain slings are placed in contact with concrete or other chemicals, the surface degradation is and link weakening is invisible. A dedicated rigging store that is off the ground and away from moisture will increase the service life of your slings and reduce the number of expired slings that should be discarded.
If you’re speccing a new rigging setup or replacing worn-out slings, it’s worth getting a second opinion on the combination of sling type, capacity, and configuration before you buy. The wrong choice is an expensive mistake to make twice, and our team can recommend certified George Taylor chain or wire rope rigging suited to the specific job, not just whatever’s in stock.