To obtain reasonable life from your rope, you must choose the proper diameter rope for your application. In general, the larger the size of the drum or pulley with respect to the wire diameter, the longer the service life.
The tables below provide the minimum recommended pulley diameter. The bend radius of the rope is approximately half of the minimum recommended pulley tread diameter. We do not publish the bend radius for 1×7 or 1×19 constructions as they are most often used in push-pull applications instead of being used just for pulling, as the constructions below are.
3x7, 6x7, 6x42, 7x3 and 7x7
| Rope Diameter | Minimum Recommended Pulley Tread Diameter | Approximate Bend Radius |
|---|---|---|
| 0.009″ | 3/8″ | 3/16″ |
| 0.014″ | 5/8″ | 5/16″ |
| 0.018″ | 13/16″ | 13/32″ |
| 0.024″ | 1″ | 1/2″ |
| 0.027″ | 1 5/32″ | 37/64″ |
| 0.030″ | 1 9/32″ | 41/64″ |
| 0.031″ | 1 5/16″ | 21/32″ |
| 0.032″ | 1 11/32″ | 43/64″ |
| 0.035″ | 1 1/2″ | 3/4″ |
| 0.036″ | 1 17/32″ | 49/64″ |
| 0.047″ | 2″ | 1″ |
| 0.063″ | 2 5/8″ | 1 5/16″ |
| 0.075″ | 3 9/32″ | 1 41/64″ |
| 0.094″ | 3 15/16″ | 1 31/32″ |
| 0.125″ | 5 1/4″ | 2 5/8″ |
| 0.156″ | 6 9/16″ | 3 9/32″ |
| 0.188″ | 7 7/8″ | 3 15/16″ |
| 0.250″ | 10 1/2″ | 5 1/4″ |
| 0.313″ | 13 1/8″ | 6 9/16″ |
| 0.375″ | 15 3/4″ | 7 7/8″ |
6x19, 7x19 and 19x7
| Rope Diameter | Minimum Recommended Pulley Tread Diameter | Approximate Bend Radius |
|---|---|---|
| 0.024″ | 19/32″ | 19/64″ |
| 0.027″ | 21/32″ | 21/64″ |
| 0.032″ | 25/32″ | 25/64″ |
| 0.036″ | 7/8″ | 7/16″ |
| 0.038″ | 15/16″ | 15/32″ |
| 0.047″ | 1 1/8″ | 9/16″ |
| 0.063″ | 1 1/2″ | 3/4″ |
| 0.094″ | 2 1/4″ | 1 1/8″ |
| 0.125″ | 3″ | 1 1/2″ |
| 0.156″ | 3 3/4″ | 1 7/8″ |
| 0.187″ | 4 1/2″ | 2 1/4″ |
| 0.219″ | 5 1/4″ | 2 5/8″ |
| 0.250″ | 6″ | 3″ |
| 0.313″ | 7 1/2″ | 3 3/4″ |
| 0.375″ | 9″ | 4 1/2″ |
| 0.438″ | 10 1/2″ | 5 1/4″ |
| 0.500″ | 12″ | 6″ |
| 0.563″ | 13 1/2″ | 6 3/4″ |
| 0.625″ | 15″ | 7 1/2″ |
6x37 and 8x19
| Rope Diameter | Minimum Recommended Pulley Tread Diameter | Approximate Bend Radius |
|---|---|---|
| 0.188″ | 2 1/4″ | 1 1/8″ |
| 0.250″ | 3″ | 1 1/2″ |
| 0.313″ | 3 3/4″ | 1 7/8″ |
| 0.375″ | 4 1/2″ | 2 1/4″ |
| 0.438″ | 5 1/4″ | 2 5/8″ |
| 0.500″ | 6″ | 3″ |
| 0.563″ | 6 3/4″ | 3 3/8″ |
| 0.625″ | 7 1/2″ | 3 3/4″ |
