Steel Cable - An In-Depth Guide to Types, Uses, and More

What Is Steel Cable?

Steel cable is cable made from stranded steel wires. While the terminology changes, depending upon the diameter of the cable, steel wires helically stranded together can be known as wire rope, mechanical cable, miniature cable, and even ultrafine cable.

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But before discussing what types of steel comprise steel cable, and there are many, it is important to understand that steel cables are not always considered &#;cable.&#; Depending upon the size of the steel cable, even what it&#;s called changes.

To highlight the distinctions in cable terms, have a look at the table below. Note that the term &#;wire rope,&#; which is the most commonly used idiom for steel cable, represents cable that is at least 3/8&#; in diameter. Conversely, cable dubbed, &#;ultrafine&#; represents cable that uses wires ranging from 1/32nd - 1/16th of an inch. Even more interesting is that in the ultrafine cable category, silk spun by a spider is as small as 1/64th of an inch, making this smallest of cable variety&#;s wires comparable in diameter to among the finest fibers on earth.

Steel Cable Terminology Table

Cable Type Metric Range (mm) Empirical Range (in) Wire Rope 0.95+ 3&#;8+ Mechanical Cable 0.32 - 0.95 1&#;8 - 3&#;8 Miniature Cable 0.16 - 0.32 1&#;16 - 1&#;8 Ultrafine Cable 0.04 - 0.16 1&#;32 - 1&#;16

Types of Steel Cable

Steel cable can be made from a variety of steels, with the most common being stainless steel in 302, 304, and 316 varieties. Additionally, carbon steel is used to produce galvanized steel cable, but we&#;ll discuss this type of steel cable later in the article. 

302 and 304 stainless steel cable are comparable in chemical composition (see chart below), and both perform well in outdoor and indoor applications. However, 304 offers more resistance to corrosive elements, like seawater, in part due to a lesser presence of carbon. By comparison, 302 stainless steel&#;s higher carbon count makes it more susceptible to such environmental concerns. The atoms found in carbon can form carbides, which are microscopic particles that can weaken steel. As mentioned, 302 possesses more carbon than 304 stainless steel, making it a harder kind of steel cable, which may be an advantage in certain applications, but it&#;ll come at the sacrifice of its quotient of corrosion resistance.

Stainless Steel Cable Chemical Composition Chart

Steel Grade Carbon Chromium Nickel Molybdenum Most Common Use 302 0.15% 17% 8% - Marine and general-purpose applications 304 0.08% 18% 10% - Construction, food processing, and chemical processing industries 316 0.08% 16-18% 10-12% 2-3% Marine, chemical processing, and oil and gas industries

Also due to its lower carbon count, 304 stainless steel cable is less expensive than 302. Carbon hardens steel and therefore 302, is more difficult to work with and form into wire. This more challenging stainless steel cable material makes 304 a more cost-effective solution as well because 304 is simply softer due to its lower carbon content.

Lending 304 stainless steel cable&#;s exceptional corrosion resistance is that it contains more chromium than its 302 counterparts. Chromium adds a protective layer of material to the stainless steel cable, making it more forgiving in harsh environments than other steel cable options. Nonetheless, 302 stainless steel cable is less likely to suffer what is known as pitting, which is corrosion caused by the emergence of small pits on the surface of the steel wires in the cable. Pitting can weaken cable over time, thus giving some advantage to 302 stainless steel cable, assuming the ideal environmental circumstances are present as well.

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19x37 Stainless Steel Cable (703 Wires)

316 stainless steel cable comprises more corrosion resistance than 304, however.

Although it shares the same carbon quantity as 304 stainless steel cable, 316 stainless steel wire contains molybdenum. Molybdenum known as a passive film applied to a stainless steel cable adds an extra layer of protection from harmful environmental particles like condensation, or worse, seawater. Because even salt vapors, microscopic to human eyes, are aggressively harmful to many metals, 316 stainless steel cable&#;s molybdenum content prolongs the life of the cable in even the harshest of conditions.

Keep in mind however that 316 stainless steel cable, particularly in the USA, can be slightly more expensive than a 304 alternative for a couple of reasons. For one, 316 stainless steel cable&#;s molybdenum content means it takes more steps, effort, and time to produce. Secondly, Europe possesses a larger 316 stainless steel cable industry. Combined with lower labor costs and lower costs of raw material used to produce it, 316 stainless steel cable is a bit pricier to USA buyers than in other parts of the world, most notably, Europe.

304 vs. 316 Stainless Steel Cable Chart

Property 304 Stainless Steel 316 Stainless Steel Cost Less Expensive More Expensive Carbon Content 0.08% 0.08% Molybdenum Content - 2-3% Corrosion Resistance Good Excellent Other Properties Stronger, Greater Ductility Superior Corrosion-Resistant

Galvanized Steel Cable

Galvanized steel cable, unlike stainless steel cable, is produced using carbon steel. Because carbon steel is highly susceptible to corrosion, especially in wet environments, the carbon steel used to produce galvanized steel cable needs a way to protect itself from hostile environments. To achieve a level of corrosion resistance, carbon steel used to produce cable is treated with a zinc coating, which is how this material earns the name, galvanized steel cable.

Starting with the cleaning of the carbon steel wire, oils, dirt, dust, and other particulates are removed from the wire. From there, a fluxing operation is executed. This operation prepares the wire to receive the zinc coating. The fluxing process ensures the zinc material adheres to the steel soundly and thoroughly. Once the steel wire has been properly cleaned and the surface fluxed, the galvanization process is begun. Dipped in a bath of molten zinc, the steel wires are completely immersed in the material and then cooled. After quality inspectors have verified the condition of the galvanization process, galvanized steel wire is the result. 

It is at this stage that the galvanized steel wire is fed into a strander, and wire rope is produced. Because galvanized steel cable is seldom produced at miniature and ultrafine diameters, this type of mechanical cable is most often known as wire rope, again, due to its finished diameter. Galvanized steel cable is not as strong as stainless steel cable, and therefore larger diameter wires are required to achieve the full-rated breaking strength of this type of cable. What&#;s more, the zinc coating applied during galvanization may add up to 10% more weight to the finished wire. Lastly, because the zinc coating can easily become damaged by mating components or other outside variables, galvanized steel cable is more vulnerable than its stainless steel counterparts. For these reasons, the miniature and ultrafine mechanical cable is typically produced using stainless steel.

Nevertheless, galvanized steel cable enjoys a unique couple of advantages over stainless steel cable, but like any cable, trade-offs persist. For instance, galvanized steel cable is less expensive than stainless steel cable. But it also depends upon the manufacturing operation of adding zinc to the wire, to ensure its corrosion resistance. Scratch away even the smallest amount of the zinc coating from a galvanized steel cable, and the wires are immediately exposed to the elements. Remember that absent the zinc layer applied to this brand of wire rope, the cable ceases being galvanized steel cable and becomes carbon steel cable, which will rust and corrode rapidly in harsh conditions.

Galvanized Steel Cable vs. Stainless Steel Cable Chart

Feature Galvanized Steel Cable Stainless Steel Cable Diameter Typically Larger Typically Smaller Strength Good Excellent Durability Good Excellent Corrosion resistance Moderate Excellent Cost Less expensive More expensive Applications Common in construction, agriculture, and manufacturing Common in food processing, medical, and marine industries

How is Steel Cable Made?

Steel wire is produced by drawing molten steel through a series of dies that reduce its size to the desired diameter and increase its strength. As the steel is drawn through the dies, the steel gets smaller and smaller by the hammering operation of the dies. The wire is then treated again with extreme heat to make it even stronger and slowly cooled. This wire drawing process causes the carbon contained in the steel to crystalize, which results in the wire meeting a defined factor of safety or break strength. From there, a surface treatment may be undertaken, which may include a galvanization process, whereby zinc is applied to the steel to make it corrosion-resistant. If not galvanized steel, other protective layers may be applied to the wire&#;s surface, such as chromium, in stainless steel cable examples, which provides the wire with a layer of added resistance to damaging oxidation. Once the steel wire&#;s strength and integrity have been thoroughly quality inspected and tested, the wire is ready for the stranding process.

Stranding Wire into Wire Rope & Cable

The newly drawn, treated, and inspected steel wire is fed into what is known as a strander that twists the individual wires in a helical geometry until wire rope, mechanical cable, miniature, or ultrafine cable is produced.

The process of producing steel cable is one that involves determining how many wires a cable requires, in what finished diameter, and under what conditions the cable is expected to perform. Wire counts vary as often as cable diameter. For instance, some steel cables comprise merely two wires, whereas others, like those produced by Carl Stahl Sava Industries, can reach wire counts above 700. By comparison to Sava, some cable makers, like those that produce cable for massive suspension bridges, like The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, can use cables comprising wire counts in the tens of thousands, with cable diameters greater than 36".

The Golden Gate Bridge &#; San Francisco, California 

But cable wire count doesn&#;t only inform more obvious specifications, such as strength and cycle count. Wire count also informs flexibility too. Take, for instance, a 1x7 steel cable construction. This cable configuration comprises seven wires, six of which are helically twisted around what is known as the core wire. While not all cable configurations require a core or center wire, most do. In the case of a 1x7 cable construction, a core center wire is fed into the strander, while six additional wires are fed into surrounding holes in the strander known as guides. The strander possesses a barrel that spins at incredibly high speeds (typically between 1.1k &#; 5k RPMs). This spinning operation twists the wires together into their familiar helical geometry and hence, a 1x7 cable is produced.

In more complex cable constructions, such as a 3x7, the process is identical as in the 1x7 cable example, except that a completed 1x7 strand is now returned to the stranding machine, and seven more wires are counter-helically stranded around this newly produced center core. Once this second operation is completed, the process is repeated a third time, yielding the operator a 3x7 steel cable construction, which comprises 21 wires.

Stranding Machine Operating at 3,000 RPMs

Steel Cable Flexibility

As mentioned, cable wire counts can soar, depending upon the application&#;s requirements. Remember, that the higher the wire count, the more flexible the finished cable becomes. Think of the human shoulder. It is the existence of many soft tissues that help facilitate the fluid range of motion in one&#;s shoulder. Remove a key tendon or facia, perhaps even a minor rotator cuff tear and motion would be diminished considerably. Similarly, a 1x7 steel cable construction will possess a naturally more springy physical disposition than say a 3x7, because the 21 wires contained in the 3x7 cable offer more range of motion, than the stiff, 1x7 substitute.

Steel&#;s natural pliancy is what is being influenced by steel cable&#;s wire count. Adding wires to a steel cable&#;s construction means the finished cable is less likely to snap back into its natural orientation, making higher wire count steel cables more flexible around a system of pulleys or other bends. The 21 wires in a 3x7 cable construction mean the individual wires can move past one another more easily. Combined with thinner wires, let&#;s say ultrafine steel cables, which are more naturally pliable, translates into a more flexible completed steel cable.

Steel Cable Flexibility Chart: 1x7 vs. 3x7 Cable Constructions

Cable Construction Wire Counts Quotient of Flexibility Advantages Disadvantages 1x7 7 1

• More Durable
• Stronger
• Can support more weight
• Less likely to break
• More resistant to kinking and twisting

• Less Flexible
• More difficult to bend and twist

3x7 21 2.33

• More Flexible
• Easier to bend and twist
• More comfortable to use
• More resistant to wear and tear

• Less durable
• Not as strong
• Cannot support as much weight
• More likely to break
• More prone to kinking and twisting

Quotient of flexibility formula: Q = W / S, where the Quotient of flexibility is Wire count divided by the number of Strands.

Which is Best?

As always, talking to your cable production experts is the surest way to determine the steel cable material best suited to your application. Asking the engineers at Sava is therefore an essential step in your materials planning. For over 50 years now, Sava&#;s team of cable authorities has been producing the stainless steel and galvanized steel cable the whole world uses in surgical robots, endoscopes, military and aerospace systems, as well as countless industrial and consumer goods applications.

Let us know how we can help determine the best wire rope or mechanical cable material for you.

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Which Wire Rope is best for your Project?

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A number of different types of wire rope (also known as aircraft cables) are currently on the market, which might make it difficult for you to decide on the option that&#;s best for your construction project. Wire rope uses include its original applications in the aerospace industry to hoisting cranes. This has forced engineers to develop numerous sizes and styles, which in turn has helped to further over complicate things.

Fortunately, you&#;ll be in a better position to make the right choice once you know a few pieces of insider information. Perhaps the most important thing to know before making a purchasing decision is how to rate the various types of wire rope by their classification.

Browse Our Selection of Wire Rope

Comparing 1×19, 7×7 & 7×19 Wire Rope Designs

Wire rope specifications usually classify a piece of cable by the number of wires in each strand as well as the number of strands in the whole rope. This has lead to a system where cables are identified by a pair of numbers, such as 7×19. The first number, 7 in this case, represents the total number of strands in the rope. If you unravel a 7×19 cable, then you&#;d be able to see 19 wires in each individual strand.

While the second number does technically represent the number of wires in each of these strands, it might be more accurate to say that it identifies a class or range of values and isn&#;t an exact measurement.

Even though this might sound confusing, there isn&#;t much you&#;ll have to remember when shopping for wire rope. All cables of the same size, grade and core offers the similar breaking strength characteristics. They also exhibit a similar weight per each foot of cable.

Three of the more common classifications you&#;re likely to come into contact with are 1×19, 7×7 and 7×19. A 1×19 construction gives engineers the freedom to design a stiff cable that won&#;t flex or bend, so you might find it anywhere you have to run ropes in a straight line such as when putting up guy wire. And go here if you want to know more about OTHER structural classifications.

Construction crews that have to deal with rigging or want to tow and maneu

ver heavy objects often turn to 7×7 cables. Heavy applications might call for 7×19 rope, which can handle a healthy amount of force before it breaks. Overall, 7×7 is used when flexible pieces are required and 7×19 is employed when an even greater level of flexibility is preferred. If you have to make slight bends, then 7×7 ropes may be preferred. Mechanical assemblies that call for sheaves and pulleys work well with 7×19 pieces. And please note that 7×19 is NOT like 19×7&#; which is explained here.

Construction & Stiffness & Stretch

Since stiffness is such an important consideration when selecting a piece of wire rope, technicians have developed more than one way of measuring it. In most cases, you&#;ll see people talk about axial and bending stiffness. Stretch is a whole different world &#; and if that is relevant to your project, please find an engineer.

Axial stiffness measures the elastic deformation of a piece of wire rope under load. It&#;s normally expressed as a ratio of load to deflection. Since the relationship between these two things aren&#;t linear, most manufacturers are only ever able to apply guidelines values. As a rule, though, tightly wound wires with many strands won&#;t experience as much axial gyration as weaker ropes.

Bending stiffness is perhaps more self-explanatory. This metric tracks how likely a particular type of wire rope is to start to sag when put under a load. In most strands that feature multiple layers of wires, the inner layers will start to support the outer layers once a load gets applied. This allows all of the wires to slide and adjust freely to provide additional support against these bending forces.

There&#;s a general rule of thumb that you might want to follow when trying to decide between different types of wire rope. Those that feature strands made up of a few large wires tend to be more resistant to abrasion but less resistant to fatigue. Pieces of wire rope that use strands made up of many smaller wires tend to suffer more from abrasion but stand up well against fatigue.

Wire Rope Cable Applications

Considering that different applications require different types of cable, you&#;ll want to think carefully about your company&#;s particular use case. While fly-by-wire technology has allowed many pilots to use electronic controls, smaller aircraft often still rely on good strong wire ropes.

Nautical uses for wire rope include securing cargo to the decks of ships and securing boats to their moorings. Sailboat rigging and lines going to and from fishing boats are often made from wire rope as well. Most maritime companies prefer to go with wire rope that won&#;t corrode when exposed to salt water. And here both Galvanised Wire Rope Grades and Stainless Steel Wire Rope Grades are important considertions.

Even if you&#;re used to seeing wire rope around the job site, there are a number of applications you might not have thought of. For instance, a majority of live theaters feature backdrops that move. Galvanized cable fits the bill in these cases. Recreational zip lines are generally made from wire rope as well, because it&#;s sturdy enough to handle the elements.

Pay close attention the next time you&#;re working out in the gym, because you&#;ll see wire ropes there too. They&#;re often used to rig weight machines. Some companies have even developed novel designs that use strong coated wire ropes to provide resistance for workout warriors.

Engineers are constantly looking for new solutions to problems, so you can expect to see additional wire rope uses in the future. Depending on how you intend to use them, though, you might need wire ropes made from a specific type of material.

 

Galvanized vs. Stainless Steel Wire Rope

Many wire rope applications expose the metal to harsh conditions. Galvanized steel wire rope features a layer of compressed zinc to help reduce the risk of corrosion. While they&#;re still not suitable for marine use, they should stand up to quite a bit of abuse. Choosing a higer grade increases both strength and reistance to corrosion &#; in fact G is considered Marine Grade Galvanised Wire Rope

If you plan to install cable anywhere that it could be exposed to salt water spray or other forms of moisture, then you&#;ll want to go with stainless steel wire ropes, such as these. While they cost more, they&#;re made of genuine 304  or 316 steel. This helps them stand up against the corrosive influence of seawater.

Nylon, Vinyl & Bare Wire Ropes

Nylon coated ropes can hold up well in high-friction applications that generate a fair amount of heat. Since the exterior coating protects the inner cable from fraying, these designs are perfect for conveyor belts and push-push control actuators. Smaller diameter nylon ropes are often used on exercise machines for this reason.

Vinyl (PVC) coatings are often applied in the form of a poly vinyl chloride sheath. PVC-coated cables are more resilient to the kind of damage done by sunlight and water. Construction sites and mines often opt for bright vinyl coatings to increase visibility for safety reasons &#; like our Red Coated Galvanised Wire Rope.

Some wire rope applications don&#;t require anything special on the exterior. Cost-conscious technicians often specify bare aircraft cable whenever it&#;s safe to do so in order to save a little cash. You can find a nice selection of quality coated and uncoated wire rope  here.

Strengths, Loads & Capacities of Wire Rope

 

You&#;ll likely see two different ways to measure the breaking strength of wire rope. Minimum breaking strength (MBS) refers to the smallest load that will pull a piece of wire rope apart. Aggregate strength refers to the collective breaking strength of all of the wires in a single cable when a manufacturer tests them individually.

An overwhelming majority of suppliers define tensile failures a bit differently than users might. When suppliers run wire rope capacity tests, they consider the slightest problem to be a failure and thus will rate the rope for whatever value they found caused the issue. On a work site, technicians might not normally consider a small problem to constitute failure.

That being said, don&#;t test your luck and don&#;t overload your cables. Hardware vendors are cautious for a reason. You must always stay within the working load limit. It&#;s easy to calculate wire rope capacity, so you&#;ll never be without guidelines.

Safe Working Load is related to the Working Load Limit (WLL) This should be determined by an Engineer based on the risk profile of the application &#; however if in doubt, then divide the tensile strength by 5 (or more). This is the design safety factor (typically 5, but determined the engineer designing the use of the wire rope).

The number you get is the maximum working load or Working Load Limit WLL.  This is the load that you can apply without risking tensile failure or metal fatigue. This value is often expressed in kgf (Kilograms Force) or kN (kilo Newtons).

While wire rope is noted for its high tensile strength, you don&#;t want to continuously load a piece close to capacity. As a general rule, you shouldn&#;t ever exceed the working load limit (WLL) you have calculated for your wire on your project. Regardless, over time this will eventually wear it out even if you&#;re not exceeding any of the manufacturer&#;s printed limitations. A simple wire rope strength chart can help you keep a close eye on wire rope strengths if find this to be an issue:

All ropes of the same size, grade and core offer somewhat similar minimum breaking force characteristics and weight per foot, though they do differ depending on the construction type and materials used. That makes a wire rope guide useful even if you only know the diameter of the aircraft cable you&#;re working with.

Consulting a Wire Rope Guide

Finding the maximum /achievable safe load for  slings of all sorts in certain esoteric applications or configurations is extremely important, which is why you&#;ll find specific guides made just for this reason. Riggers use them all the time and its a fast way to access &#;answers&#; that would otherwise require exercising your High School Triginometry. Consider the following wire rope capacity chart if you find yourself dealing with any installation that&#;s perhaps a little unusual:

 

Choosing the Right Wire Cable for Your Job Site

Wire rope is a complex piece of device. Few people ever stop to consider how each piece of wire rope is a machine unto itself. Remember to think about how strong and flexible you need your new cable to be and consider whether it&#;ll get exposed to harsh conditions or have to weather the elements. You&#;ll be rewarded by your research with a piece of cable that works as hard as you do.

At Low Cost Wire Pty Ltd we offer many different kinds of wire rope. All our products are known for their high quality and very competitive prices. With decades of experience, we&#;re trusted for dependability, safeness, innovation, and unmatched customer support.

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