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Terminology Guide
Below you will find a list of words that are often used in the rope industry. In order to help you understand what these words mean in the real world please take a look at the table below. The words in the table appear in alphabetical order.
| Term | Explanation |
| Abrasion Resistance | The ability of an object or substance to resist surface wear caused by friction, rubbing, or contact with other objects. |
| Braid |
A noun to describe the structure of a textile formed by the process of braiding. Or A verb describing the process of intertwining strands in a to produce a tubular rope structure. |
| Breaking or Tensile Strength | The measured load that would be required to break a tense rope. |
| Blend |
A combination of rope mix of different synthetic fibers to form one rope. A rope consisting of a mix of a number of different synthetic fibers to create one rope. |
| Creep | Also known as the ‘taffy effect’, describing the slow flow of synthetic materials when exposed to high temperatures or a large amount of pressure. |
| Crimp | The action of bending, kinking, curling, or waving a fiber, giving it greater loft. |
| Degradation | The loss and limiting of physical properties by a material as a result of damage caused by natural or chemical phenomena, actions, processes, or reactions. |
| Elongation | The deformation of the direction of load as a result of tensile load, usually measured in standard units or as a percentage of the initial length. |
| Extrusion | The process of producing polymer filaments by forcing the material through a die. |
| Fatigue | Degradation of a rope or material caused by fluctuating loads over an extended period of repeated use. |
| Fathom | Unit of measurement equal to approximately six feet. |
| Fiber | A filament, either natural or synthetic, that can be spun into yarn. |
| Hydrolysis | A reaction that can lead to the decomposition of rope materials, involving the attack of water ions on polymeric molecules, leading to a loss of physical properties. |
| Finish | An oil, emulsion, or lubricant that is applied to fibers to prevent damage during the processing of textiles, or to improve the durability of the product during use. |
| Monofilament | A term referring to a synthetic thread or yarn composed of a single strand rather than twisted fibers. |
| Multifilament | A term referring to a synthetic thread or yarn composed of many fine, continuous filaments, produced by the spinning of polymeric material. |
| Polyester | A synthetic fiber notable for its strength and its resistance to UV deterioration. As a result of being less stretchy and elastic than nylon it often lasts longer. |
| Polyethylene | A fiber similar to polypropylene, but heavier and not as strong. |
| Polypropylene | The most economical rope for most requirements which is lightweight, strong, and versatile, being useful for a range of purposes. It is also waterproof, resistant to rot, and it floats. |
| Polymer | A long chain molecule which is used to create synthetic fibers. A polymer is produced when monomers are linked. |
| Rope | A length of thick, strong cord manufactured by twisting strands of natural or synthetic materials. |
| Fiber Rope | A length of thick, strong cord manufactured from strands of fiber that have been braided or twisted. |
| Splice | A term describing the joining of two ropes by inter-weaving strands or braids. |
| Strand | A strand is a collection of yarns twisted together. When strands are twisted or plaited together to form a rope. |
| Torque | One or more force that can produce a twisting or rotating movement. |
| Twist | A term applied to a fiber, yarn, strand, or rope to describe the number of turns around an axis to combine the individual parts in to a larger object or structure. |
| Working Load or Working Strength | The weight, measured in pounds, recommended for safe working conditions. |
| Yarn | A general term used to describe a continuous strand of fibers, filaments, or materials of textile which are suitable for forming a structure via any process. |