IS 2266 : 2019Steel Wire Ropes for General Engineering Purposes

IS 2266 is the specification for steel wire ropes for general engineering purposes — covers the manufacture, properties, testing, and acceptance of stranded steel wire ropes used in cranes, hoists, lifts, derricks, winches, mooring lines, suspension bridges (suspender + main cable types), and other engineering applications.

Use IS 2266 wire ropes when designing or specifying: - Crane wire ropes — tower crane main hoist, mobile crane boom rope, gantry crane - Lift / elevator ropes — main hoist, governor, balance - Mining hoists — shaft skip, cage rope - Derricks + jib cranes - Suspension bridges — main cable + suspender ropes (per IRC code series) - Marine mooring + towing - Pre-stressed concrete (separate code IS 14268 for low-relaxation strand) - Cable car / aerial ropeway (special requirements) - Construction / site rigging (jib slings, lift slings)

IS 2266:2019 is the latest revision; aligns with international ISO 2408 / EN 12385 standards for stranded steel wire rope.

Wire rope construction nomenclature: - 6 × 19 = 6 strands × 19 wires per strand (standard general purpose) - 6 × 36 = 6 × 36 wires (more flexible, finer strand pattern) - 8 × 19 = 8-strand version (more flexibility, more strands) - 6 × 7 = 6 × 7 wires (heavier, less flexible — guy ropes, structural) - IWRC (Independent Wire Rope Core) = central core of wire rope, instead of fibre core - FC (Fibre Core) = central core of natural / synthetic fibre (more flexible, less load capacity)

Common rope construction (per IS 2266):

| Construction | Tensile strength (MPa) | Use | |---|---|---| | 6 × 7 (Fibre Core) | 1570-1960 | Guy ropes, simple lift, elevator counterbalance | | 6 × 19 (FC) | 1770-1960 | General purpose, light cranes | | 6 × 19 (IWRC) | 1770-1960 | Standard crane, general lifting | | 6 × 36 (IWRC) | 1770-1960 | Higher-flexibility crane, mooring | | 8 × 19 (FC / IWRC) | 1570-1770 | Lift / elevator main hoist (high flexibility) | | 8 × 36 (IWRC) | 1770 | High-quality lift | | 6 × 19 Seale (S) | higher tensile | Heavy crane | | 6 × 26 Warrington-Seale (WS) | higher tensile, higher abrasion | Mining hoist |

Tensile grades (Clause 5): - Grade 1570 N/mm²: legacy / lower spec - Grade 1770 N/mm²: most common general engineering - Grade 1960 N/mm²: high-strength applications - Grade 2160 N/mm²: ultra-high-strength (special applications)

Standard wire rope sizes: - 6 mm to 100 mm diameter (most common: 8, 10, 12, 16, 20, 26, 32, 40 mm) - Mass per metre: per construction + diameter (e.g., 6×19 IWRC at 16 mm = ~1.4 kg/m)

Minimum breaking force (MBF): - MBF (kN) = tensile grade × wire-area total × construction factor - For 6×19 IWRC at 16 mm, Grade 1770: MBF ~ 165 kN - For 6×36 WS at 32 mm, Grade 1770: MBF ~ 690 kN - Tabulated in IS 2266 for each construction × diameter × grade combination

Design / working load: - Working Load Limit (WLL) = MBF / Safety Factor - Safety factors: - Lifting machines (cranes, hoists): 5 (general), 8 (passenger lifts) - Mooring: 4-6 - Suspension bridges: 2.5-3 (under design) - Slings (construction): 5

Testing (per IS 2266 Clause 9): - Tensile test on individual wires + on whole rope - Bend test on wires (around mandrels) - Twist test on wires - Galvanising thickness (for galvanised ropes) - Lubrication content (50-100 g per kg of rope typically)

Surface protection: - Bright — no protection; for indoor / dry use - Galvanised (zinc-coated) — Class A (heavy), Class B (medium), Class C (light); for outdoor / marine - Painted / coated — additional weatherproofing; rare

End fittings: - Spelter socket (cast) — strongest, used for permanent end - Wedge socket — adjustable, used for hoist drum end - Loop + sleeve (Flemish eye) — for slings - Hand-spliced eye — older / smaller ropes

• IS 2624 — fibre cores for wire ropes.
• IS 6594 — terminology for wire ropes.
• IS 14313 — selection, installation, and maintenance of steel wire ropes.
• IS 4521 — wire ropes for hoists and similar appliances.
• IS 14268 — uncoated stress-relieved low-relaxation 7-ply strand for pre-stressed concrete.
• IS 1785 Part 1 / 2 — high-tensile steel wire for pre-stressed concrete.
• IS 2750 — steel scaffold couplers (related rigging).
• IS 2062:2011 — structural steel (the wire rod source steel; chemistry).
• IS 4759 — galvanising of steel.
• ISO 2408 — steel wire ropes (international counterpart).
• EN 12385 (multi-part) — European wire rope standard.
• API 9A — petroleum industry wire rope standard.
• BS 302 — UK wire rope standard.
• Construction industry: lifting safety standards, e.g., LOLER (UK), OSHA (US), BIS / DGFASLI (India).
• For elevator ropes specifically: IS 14665 (Part 1-3) — code of practice for installation, maintenance of lifts.

1. Wrong construction for application. 6×7 used for crane (too stiff, fatigues fast). 6×19 for general crane; 6×36 for higher-flexibility lift. Match construction to bending cycles. 2. Wrong tensile grade. Grade 1770 for general; specifying 1960 unnecessarily inflates cost. Match to design load. 3. Inadequate safety factor. Crane SF should be 5; passenger lift 8; some specs use SF 4 mistakenly. Per IS 14313. 4. No periodic inspection. Wire ropes wear via abrasion + fatigue; broken wires accumulate; failure when un-noticed. Mandatory monthly visual + annual NDT (per IS 14313). 5. Wrong end fitting. Hand-spliced eye on heavy load = much lower capacity than spelter socket. Use rated end fittings. 6. Galvanising worn off in service. Internal corrosion proceeds undetected; sudden failure. Re-lubricate periodically; inspect for surface deterioration. 7. No lubrication maintenance. Rope dry → wire-on-wire abrasion → fatigue cracks. Lubricate per maintenance schedule. 8. Wrong drum / sheave diameter. D/d ratio (drum dia / rope dia) too small = high bending stress = fatigue failure. Per IS 14313 minimum D/d. 9. Bending around sharp edge. Concentrates stress, breaks wires. Use thimble or padded sheave. 10. Reverse bending without compensation. Continuous reversal of bend direction reduces fatigue life by 30-40 %. Avoid where possible; if unavoidable, derate. 11. No discard criteria followed. Old rope kept in service; broken-wire count exceeds discard limit; failure. IS 14313 specifies discard criteria (broken wires per lay length); enforce. 12. Rope handled with kinks. Permanent damage; strength reduction; replace if kinked. 13. Mis-identification at procurement. 6×19 IWRC ordered, supplier delivers 6×19 FC — different capacity. Verify construction marking on rope.

Wire rope selection cascade for a lifting application (e.g., tower crane):

1. Application analysis — load, bend cycles, environment (indoor/outdoor/marine), inspection access. 2. Construction selection: - High flexibility (lift, hoist): 6×36 or 8×19 - General purpose: 6×19 IWRC - Stiff structural: 6×7 with FC 3. Tensile grade: - Grade 1770 (most common) - Grade 1960 (high-strength) 4. Diameter sizing: - WLL = required working load - MBF = WLL × Safety Factor - Lookup IS 2266 table for diameter that meets MBF 5. End fittings: - Spelter socket for permanent end - Wedge socket for hoist drum - Thimble + clip for slings 6. Surface protection: - Bright for indoor - Galvanised for outdoor / marine 7. D/d ratio + sheave design: - Per IS 14313:1995 minimum D/d - Sheave groove geometry to support rope 8. Procurement — from BIS / IS 2266-licensed manufacturer with mill test certificate. 9. Installation — proper handling (no kinks); end fitting installed per supplier procedure. 10. Operations + maintenance — periodic lubrication, monthly visual inspection, annual NDT (per IS 14313). 11. Replacement criteria — broken wires, abrasion, corrosion, kink — per IS 14313 discard criteria. 12. Disposal — used rope sold as scrap; NOT to be re-used in lifting application.

Wire rope is one of the most critical components in lifting machinery; failure is sudden + catastrophic. IS 2266 quality + IS 14313 management + regular inspection together prevent failure.