Canada Cordage Inc.

Profile
Canada Cordage is Canada's largest manufacturer of both synthetic and natural fiber rope and cordage
products. The company was established in 1856. C.C.I. entered into a joint venture with Canada Western
Cordage Co. Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C. in 1979, bringing together some 190 years of cordage marketing and
manufacturing experience.
Canada Cordage believes ropemaking is an art, requiring the attention of dedicated professionals during
every stage of the manufacturing process. Quality is held in the highest regard by all C.C.I. employees.
There are may steps involved in cordage manufacturing to meet the rigid specifications of our customers,
and C.C.I. strives to meet these needs on time.
The earliest known ropes produced were simply strips of hide or vines knotted together in a very primitive
manner. Today ropemaking involves many operations. Natural fiber cordage is produced by taking the
natural fiber "silver" or "roping" and twisting from left to right to spin the yarn. A number of yarns are then
twisted from right to left to "form" the "strand". Three "strands" are then twisted from left to right to "lay"
the rope. It is the opposite twisting that balances the rope. Maintaining these twists is the key to keeping the
rope in a safe and useable condition. Man made fiber ropes (extruded plastics, polyesters & nylons) are
manufactured using many of the same techniques.
Experience, plus a dedication to product developement, quality and service has made Canada Cordage Inc.
a leader in the North American cordage industry C.C.I. serves it's customers from a manufacturing plant at
Kitchener, Ontario, and from distribution facilities at Richmond, British Columbia and Montreal, Quebec.

Canada Cordage Inc.

Glossary
Abrasion

The wearing away of a rope due to rubbing

After-Turn

In a rope the twist in the strands (generally left) is called "fore-turn", and the twist in the
rope always in the opposite direction to the strand twist, is called "after-turn."

Braid

A rope produced by intertwining yarns according to a definite pattern.

Cord

Two or more plied yarns twisted together.

Eye

A spliced, seized or knotted loop.

Fid

A tapered pin used for opening the strands of a rope to be spliced.

Hockle

The result of taking twist out of a rope.

Kink

The result of continually adding twist to a rope.

Knot

The tying of the ends of ropes, twines, or yarns so they will not come apart. The strength
efficiency of knots in general use is approximately 50%.

Lay

The amount of twist put into a rope, usually expressed as hard, regular or soft lay. Also, the
direction of twist in the finished rope, normally right (Z).

Rope

Cordage over 3/16" or 4mm diameter, with twist balanced, holding the strands together.

Sling

A rope used for hoisting.

Splice

To unite two ropes (or two ends of the same rope as in the case of a sling) without knots by
interweaving the ends of the strands. Splices may be long or short.

Strand

Two or more yarns twisted together, normally opposite to that of the yarns and the finished
rope.

Thimble

A metal insert, either round or heart-shaped, spliced into the end of a rope for taking a hook
or shackle.

Twine

Usually two or more yarns twisted together and used for tying or binding.

Whipping

The binding of the end of a rope with several turns of twine to prevent unlaying.

Yarn

A continous strand of textile fibers.

Lea

Method of describing jute or flax indicating their yardage per lb.

Canada Cordage Inc.

Type of Rope

Specialty Products

Properties

Uses

Strongest rope available. Will absorb

greater shock load than any other and
outlasts all natural fiber by a wide
margin. Nylon is flexible, has high
abrasion resistance, can be stored wet,
resists most acids, alkalis and organic
solvents. It will not rot.

Nylon rope is ideal for anchor lines,

couplers, hawsers, tie-up lines, safety
and specialty rope applications. It is
also widely used in commercial fishing.

Not quite as strong as Nylon. Has twice

the strength of Manila. It stretches far
less than Nylon but slightly more than
Manila. Has excellent resistance to
abrasion, chemicals and weathering.

Polyester ropes are recommended

wherever minimum stretch, high
strength and durability are needed.

Monofilament polypropylene is the

lightest, most widely used, most
economical rope on the market. Strength
is far greater than Manila. Other
characteristics are long life, ease of
handling, flexibility in cold
temperatures, excellent resistance to
most acids and alkalis and very good
impact loading. And it floats!

Polypropylene is suitable for a wide

variety of marine, farm and general
purpose applications including
commercial fishing lines, towing and
mooring lines, electrical line stringing,
utility and scaffolding rope.

Made from the finest Philippine natural

fibers, lubricated to increase resistance
to abrasion and wear, and to retard water
absorption which is a major cause of rot
and mildew. Manila has less stretch than
synthetic ropes.

Manila rope enjoys wide acceptance in

industrial and marine applications
where low stretch is a plus and the
handling qualities of natural fibre are
preferred. Applications include oilfield
spinning lines, transmission rope and
car puller rope.

An excellent low cost general purpose

rope.

Commonly used for truck tarp tiedowns, tarpaulins, tent ropes and
general farm, home and industrial
requirements.

Canada Cordage also produces the following specialties:

Manila High Rigger Rope

Manila 4 Strand Transmission Rope

Wire Rope Centers

Safety Lanyard Ropes

Ski Tow Rope

Canada Cordage Inc.

Weight and Strength
Tables for 3 Strand Regular Lay Rope
Sea-Worthy Best
Pure Manila

Lbs./100' Feet/lb.

707 Nylon

Monofilament
Polypropylene

Polyester

Breaking
Breaking
Breaking
Lbs./100' Feet/lb.
Lbs./100' Feet/lb.
Lbs/100' Feet/lb.
Strength
Strength
Strength

Breaking
Strength

Dia.

Circ

3/16"

5/8"

1.5

66.6

450

1.25

80.0

1,100

1.41

70.9

1050

.75

133.3

720

1/4"

3/4"

2.0

50

600

1.90

52.6

1,700

2.08

48.1

1500

1.1

90.9

1,050

5/16"

1"

2.9

34.5

1,000

3.08

32.5

2,700

3.67

27.2

2600

1.8

55.6

1,700

3/8"

1-1/8"

4.1

24.4

1,350

4.00

25.0

3,500

4.50

22.2

3300

2.9

34.5

2,450

7/16"

1-1/4"

5.3

19.0

1,750

5.00

20.0

4,300

5.58

17.9

3800

3.8

26.3

3,150

1/2"

1-1/2"

7.5

13.1

2,650

7.00

14.3

5,950

8.00

12.5

5450

4.5

22.2

3,600

9/16"

1-3/4"

10.4

9.6

3,450

9.33

10.7

7,900

10.7

9.3

7250

5.9

16.9

4,400

5/8"

2"

13.3

7.5

4,400

10.5

9.5

8,800

14.0

7.1

8700

7.5

13.3

5,500

3/4"

2-1/4"

16.7

6.0

5,400

15.4

6.5

12,700

17.8

5.6

11,400

11.4

8.8

8,000

13/16"

2-1/2"

19.5

5.1

6,500

19.2

5.2

15,700

21.9

4.6

14,000

12.7

7.9

8,900

7/8"

2-3/4"

22.5

4.4

7,700

23.1

4.3

18,000

25.0

4.0

15,950

15.0

6.7

10,400

1"

3"

27.0

3.7

9,000

27.5

3.6

22,000

31.0

3.2

19,600

17.7

5.6

12,250

1-1/16" 3-1/4"

31.3

3.2

10,500

31.9

3.1

25,300

37.1

2.7

23,450

21.0

4.8

14,800

1-1/8"

3-1/2"

36.0

2.8

12,000

37.4

2.7

29,600

43.1

2.3

*27,250

25.4

3.9

17,300

1-1/4"

3-3/4"

41.8

2.4

13,500

43.0

2.3

33,700

49.3

2.0

31,350

30.0

3.3

20,375

1-5/16"

4"

48.0

2.1

15,000

49.0

2.0

38,200

56.1

1.8

35,650

34.0

2.9

23,100

1-1/2"

4-1/2"

60.0

1.7

18,500

62.0

1.6

47,700

71.1

1.4

45,150

42.5

2.4

28,850

1-5/8"

5"

74.4

1.3

22,500

76.0

1.3

58,000

87.7

1.1

55,650

53.3

1.9

36,200

1-3/4"

5-1/2"

89.5

1.1

26,500

92.4

1.1

70,000

106.2

.94

67,600

57.0

1.8

38,700

2"

6"

108.0

.93

31,000

108.5

.92

81,400

126.3

.79

80,000

69.0

1.4

45,800

2-1/4"

7"

146.0

.68

41,000

149.5

.67

110,000

172.0

.58

103,650

96.5

1.0

64,100

2-1/2"

7-1/2"

167.0

.60

46,500

172.0

.58

125,500

197.5

.51

119,000

108.0

.93

71,750

2-5/8"

8"

191.0

.52

52,000

196.0

.51

142,000

224.5

.45

135,000

120.0

.83

79,700

3"

9"

242.0

.41

64,000

247.5

.40

177,700

284.3

.35

171,000

155.0

.65

99,400

3-1/4"

10"

299.0

.33

77,000

306.0

.33

219,000

327.1

.31

197,000

190.0

.53

123,400

NOTES: All "lbs./100" figures listed are average and maximum weights are 5% higher. The strength
figures shown apply to new rope.
.
Elongation (Stretch)
Resistance to Shock Load
Mildew Resistance
Acid Resistance
Alkali Resistance
Sunlight Resistance
Organic Solvent Resistance
Critical Temperature
Floatability

Sea-Worthy Best
Pure Manila
Least
Least
Poor
Poor
Poor
Fair
Good
300F
None

707 Nylon

Polyester

Most
Greatest
Excellent
Fair
Excellent
Good
Good
350F
None

Second Lowest
Good
Excellent
Good
Fair
Good
Good
350F
None

Monofilament
Polypropylene
Medium
Great
Excellent
Excellent
Excellent
Fair
Fair
250F
Floats Indefinitely

Canada Cordage Inc.

Recommended Safety Factors
Product
Manila, Sisal, Polyester, Polypropylene
Nylon

3/16" - 3/8"
10
12

7/16" - 1/2"
9
11

9/16" - 5/8"
8
10

3/4" & UP
7
9

To determine working load, divide breaking strength by Safety Factor.

CAUTION: Use of Safety Factors

Because of the wide range of rope use, rope condition, exposure to the several factors affecting rope
behavior, and the degree of risk to life and property involved, it is impossible to make blanket
recommendations as to working loads. However, to provide guidelines, Safety Factors are tabulated for
rope in good condition with appropriate splices in non-critical applications and under normal service
conditions,
Product
.
Sea-worthy Manila
Silver Sisal
Hardware Manila
Synthetics

.
Full coils
Half coils
Full coils
Half coils
Full coils
Half coils

Standard Lengths
3/16"
1/4" 5/16" 3/8"
2470 1700 1225
1235 850
610
2470 1700 1225
1235 850
610
* 1800 Nylon
1200 1200 1200
2400 Polypropylene Polyester
600

1/2" & UP
1200
600
1200
600
1200
600

Hardware Manila and Silver Sisal also available in cartons in the following length: 1/4"; 5/16" (Sisal only),
and 3/8" - 1000'; 1/2" 500'.

Canada Cordage Inc.

Rope in Service

Inspect the rope regularly. be sure the rope is in satisfactory condition and that you are using it in the
recommended manner. Be sure that the load weight is accurately estimated, and that the rope selected is
correct for that working load. If knots must be used for attachment or along the rope, or if the rope must be
used around sharp bends or small radii, you must reduce by 40 percent the acceptable working load on the
rope being used. You must determine if your application involves shock loading, long-term sustained
loading, or elevated temperatures. By Shock Loading we mean the increased force put on a rope whenever
a load is picked up, stopped, moved or swung. The more rapidly or suddenly such actions occur, the greater
this increase will be. In extreme cases, the force put on the rope may be two, three, or even more times the
normal load involved. Users should be aware that dynamic effects are greater on a low elongation rope such
as manila than on a high elongation rope such as nylon, and greater on a shorter rope than on a longer one.
When inspecting rope, look for the following:

1. Cuts, gouges, badly abraded spots.

2. Seriously worn surface yarns.
3. Considerable filament or fiber breakage along the line where adjacent strands meet. (Light fuzzing
is acceptable).

4. Particles of broken filaments or fibers inside the rope between the strands. (Check inside the rope).
5. Discoloration or harshness that may mean chemical damage or excessive exposure to sunlight.
Check filaments or fibers for weakness or brittleness.

6. Kinks or hockles.
If any of the above signs of possible damage appear, the rope may be unsafe.
Useful service life can be improved by following these rules:

1. Use eye splices at points of attachment. Avoid knots in rope.

2. Avoid running rope over sharp corners or edges, or around diameters less than eight times the
diameter of the rope.

3. Protect from damage such as cutting, wedging , and severe abrasion.

4. Store away from exposure to sun and rain, and avoid such exposure as much as possible.
5. Keep rope away from chemicals harmful to your specific type of rope. (With nylon rope, avoid
strong acids ; polyester rope: strong alkalis; polypropylene rope; hot petroleum-based oils and
solvents; manila rope: alkalis, detergents, and most other chemical agents).
New Products
We are constantly developing new and innovative products and improvements to meet specific custom
needs of our customers. Please contact us should you have any unusual cordage requirements.