Lift sling rigging company produce Endless sling.

Endless Sling

An endless sling is a sling closed into a continuous loop with no ends, no eyes and no metal fittings. Nothing off the shelf has an end to line up, a fitting to lose or a thimble to inspect: the article is one loop, and that is the entire point of the shape. Lift Sling Rigging Company builds the endless sling in both textile families — the endless round sling to EN 1492-2, and the endless flat webbing sling to EN 1492-1 — from 1 t to 1000 t, in our own mill in Taizhou, Jiangsu, where we have been making rigging since 1985.

This page exists because “endless sling” is the most overloaded term in the lifting trade. Two completely different articles answer to it, they are built to two different standards, they behave in opposite ways on the same load, and in one market the word means one of them while in another market it means the other. Buying the wrong one is the most common ordering mistake in this family — and it is removed by one word added to the enquiry.

“Endless Sling” Means Three Different Articles — Which One Do You Need?

Before anything else, pin down which article is actually being asked for. There are three, they are not interchangeable, and only two of them are textile slings at all.

Table 1 — The three things buyers mean by “endless sling”. If your enquiry or your quotation does not say which, it is worth one question before the goods ship.

Key Features of an Endless Sling

• No ends at all. Nothing has an end to line up, a fitting to lose or a thimble to inspect. The article is one closed loop.
• Rotate it and the wear moves. With no fixed ends, the bearing point, the hook contact point and the closure can all be turned around the loop. Worn in one spot is not the same as worn out — if you rotate it.
• One loop, four hitches. Straight, choked, basket and double wrap all come from the same loop, so one size on the rack covers the whole job.
• Never too long to reach. A loop has no fixed pick-up points, so it can be taken up by another turn. One endless sling often covers two fixed-length slings.
• Both families, one source. We build the round sling from 1 t to 1000 t and the flat webbing sling across the EN 1492-1 band ladder — so whichever the load asks for, it comes from the same factory and the same test house.
• Tested in house. Our own laboratory and a 1000 t horizontal testing machine, with CNAS and CE certification, so the figure on the label is a figure we have pulled.

The Two Textile Families

Endless Round Sling — for round, curved and awkward loads

The endless round sling is a parallel fibre core — the part that carries the load — hidden inside a woven tubular sleeve. The sleeve does not carry the load; it protects the core and it carries the colour and the capacity marking. Because the core is continuous, the loop is genuinely without a joint, and because the sleeve is round, the sling sits into a round load instead of fighting it.

• Continuous core, no joint — the load path is unbroken round the whole loop.
• A round section that conforms — it wraps pipe, coils, rolls, curved castings and awkward shapes closely, without creasing.
• Capacity far beyond webbing — we build round slings from 1 t to 1000 t.
• Soft, flexible and kind to surfaces — the classic choice for finished, coated and machined work.
• The trade-off you must know — the load-bearing core is inside the sleeve, so a sound-looking sleeve does not prove a sound core.

Endless Flat Webbing Sling — for flat faces and edges

The flat webbing sling is the band itself. It carries the load across its whole width, so it bears on the load over a broadly spread contact patch — which is why it leaves a steel plate or a crate unmarked where a round section would concentrate the pressure. Under EN 1492-1 the endless type is made by lapping the two ends of the band over one another and stitching the lap, so unlike the round sling it does have exactly one joint. See the dedicated endless web sling page for the full treatment.

• Broad flat bearing — the load is spread across the full band width.
• One joint, and you can see it — the lapped and stitched closure, made as a full-strength lap and closed by dense parallel rows of stitching.
• Everything that carries the load is on the outside — the quiet inspection advantage over the round sling.
• The EN 1492-1 capacity ladder — 1 t to 30 t in the standard bands, and to order beyond.
• Keep it flat — a flat band twisted into a rope loses the contact area that is its whole advantage.

Round or Flat? The Decision

Table 2 — The two are not better and worse — they are good at different shapes. Match the section to the load and the rest follows.

Working Load Limit, Colour and Safety Factor

Both families are marked in colour, but the two ladders are not the same and the colours do not mean the same things across them. Read the label rather than the colour, and read the standard as well as the band.

The flat webbing ladder — EN 1492-1

Table 3 — The EN 1492-1 flat webbing ladder. The webbing colour certifies the working load limit band in straight lift; the black stripes give the tonne figure so the two markings can be cross-checked. Above 10 t the colour no longer identifies the sling, so the WLL printed on the sewn label governs.

The round sling ladder — EN 1492-2

Round slings are colour coded to the same capacity bands, but the sleeve colour is a coding applied by the maker: the sleeve does not carry the load and its colour is not a material indication. The core inside is what is rated. We build round slings from 1 t to 1000 t, which is where the heavy end of the whole business sits — beyond the webbing ladder entirely.

Technical Parameters

Table 4 — Technical specifications. Both families are produced to order — the section, the capacity, the length and the marking are all specified against your lift.

How the Length of an Endless Sling Is Specified

An endless sling has no ends, so there is nothing to measure end to end. It is quoted in one of two ways, and the two differ by about a factor of two — which is the most common cause of an endless sling arriving at the wrong length, in either family.

• Circumference — the total perimeter of the loop: the length of material in the finished sling.
• Effective working length — the usable height you actually get, which is roughly half the circumference, because the loop is doubled when it hangs.

Table 5 — Length conventions. Illustrative — the relationship is the point. The exact figure depends on the section, the ply, the wall thickness and the bend radius, so state which convention your figure is in and we will confirm it on the order acknowledgement. If you would rather, just tell us how far the hook will be from the load — that is the figure you actually care about, and we will size the loop to it.

Rigging the Loop — Hitches and Mode Factors

The label figure is the straight lift rating. Every other arrangement is derived from it by a mode factor, and these factors apply to both families.

Table 6 — Mode factor by hitch or mode. The angle is the angle of the leg to the vertical.

One habit applies to both families and is the cheapest thing you can do for sling life: rotate the loop after every lift, so that the section that was in the hook and the section that bore on the load move to new positions. On a sling with ends this is impossible. On an endless sling it costs nothing — and it is the single habit that decides whether the sling lasts one season or three.

Applications

• Round slings — pipe and pipeline work, coils and rolls, curved castings, machined and finished parts, pressure vessels, and any lift above the webbing capacity ladder.
• Flat webbing slings — plate, structural sections, box girders, crates, stillages, machinery, precast units and any flat or boxy load with edges.
• Bundles of tube, pipe and sections, choked or double wrapped.
• General yard, depot, port and site work where one sling has to serve many different lifts.
• Work where the same sling keeps wearing out at the same two points — the reason to move to an endless article in the first place.
• Cold stores and cold-climate work, down to −40 °C.
• Wet, damp and wash-down conditions, where a rust-free and rot-resistant sling is wanted.
• Export consignments and single-use shipments, where the sling travels with the cargo — see the single use endless webbing sling and the vienvirziena strope range.

Edge Protection, Handling and Limitations

Edge damage destroys synthetic slings faster than load does, and it is preventable when it is specified rather than discovered. Where the load has a sharp corner, a machined lip, a burr, a weld spatter or a rough casting skin, either the article is sleeved and the sleeve is part of it, or the corner is protected with a pad that travels with the sling. For pipe duty specifically see our steel pipe lifting strap; where the figure is large and the band heavy, see the heavy duty endless lifting web slings.

Inspection — the two families are checked in opposite ways

Endless flat webbing sling

1. The lap joint first. Every stitch row across the whole lap, the webbing at the step at each end of the lap, and that the two layers are still lying flat and parallel. Broken, slack or pulled stitching condemns the sling.
2. The bearing points — cuts, abrasion, glazing or a worn edge where the band has wrapped loads.
3. The hook contact area, and where the webbing folds over itself.
4. The rest of the band. A flat band carries the load across its whole width, so a cut at any point matters.
5. Edges — cuts from the load’s own corners are the classic flat webbing failure.
6. Glazing and hardening — a band gone shiny or stiff has met heat or sustained friction.

Endless round sling

1. Start with the sleeve, and accept its limits. Look for cuts, holes, abrasion, glazing and any place where the sleeve has worn thin enough to expose or threaten the core.
2. Feel for the core. Run the loop through your hands looking for a lump, a flat spot, a soft section or a bulge — a sign the core has been damaged where you cannot see it.
3. Look for a bulge at the ends of the sleeve and for any displacement of the core inside it.
4. Check the label for legibility of the working load limit, the standard and the traceability code.

• Rotate as policy, not as repair. Turn the loop after each lift so the bearing point, the hook point and the closure keep moving. Turning it only once it is worn is too late.
• Keep the band flat and untwisted where you are using a flat webbing sling, and keep a lap joint out of the bearing area where the geometry allows.
• Protect against edges with webbing, and against heat with both.
• Never repair a sling. No stitching, no splicing, no knotting. A knot in a webbing sling can lose half its capacity.
• Store clean, dry and out of sunlight, and never on a concrete floor where it can pick up grit.
• Record it. Log the lifts, the hitches, the loads and any damage, so a wear pattern is visible before it becomes a failure.

Safety notice: lifting operations are inherently dangerous. Always follow the instructions of the equipment manufacturer, the practice of your national governing body, and the training you have received. Never exceed the working load limit for the configuration you are using — a straight lift, a choke and a basket are three different ratings on the same sling. A sound-looking sleeve on a round sling does not prove a sound core, and a bond that looks intact on a webbing lap does not prove the stitches are. If you are unsure whether a sling is fit for use, or which article is right for your load, ask us before you lift — and if in doubt, take it out of service.

Customisation, OEM and Quality Control

• Section — the round sling, the flat webbing sling, or both for the same lift.
• Capacity — round slings 1 t to 1000 t; flat webbing slings 1 t to 30 t in the standard bands, and beyond to order.
• Length — by circumference or by effective working length, 1 m to 12 m as standard and longer on request.
• Fibre and construction — polyester as standard; polyamide for low temperature and shock loading; polypropylene for wet or mildly aggressive environments; single or double layer.
• Protection — edge protectors, wear sleeves and pads for the bearing points.
• Marking — the standard capacity colour and stripes, or your own scheme where the market allows, with your label layout, language and figures.
• Matching items — the same lift supplied as a set, with the same standard and the same marking throughout.

How we hold the figure on the label. Lift Sling Rigging Company was founded in 1985 and has been making rigging for 40 gadiem, with more than 200 employees and annual exports exceeding USD 10,260,000. We hold 15 authorised patents and work to multiple international standards. We have our own stretching equipment and laboratory — including a 1000 t horizontal testing machine — and our facilities are CNAS and CE sertificēts, with DNV certification, so our test reports carry weight with classification and inspection bodies. Every length of material is checked before it is cut, every closure is checked on its stitch rows or its core, and every finished sling is checked on its length, its marking, its label and its traceability code before packing, with each batch tested. On request we supply the material certificate, the batch test figures and a sample sling for you to handle and test before volume production begins.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an endless sling?

A sling closed into a continuous loop with no ends, no eyes and no fittings. Two different textile articles are sold under the name. The endless round sling is a parallel fibre core inside a woven tubular sleeve, built to EN 1492-2, with a round section and no joint in the load-bearing core. The endless flat webbing sling is a flat woven band closed into a loop by lapping its ends over one another and stitching them, built to EN 1492-1, with a rectangular section and exactly one joint. A third reading, the endless grommet wire rope sling, is a different material altogether.

Which one do I actually need — round or flat?

Match the section to the load. A apaļa strope conforms and grips round, curved and awkward loads and spreads its bearing over a narrow line — it is also the only one of the two that goes above the webbing capacity ladder, up to 1000 t. A flat webbing sling lies flat and spreads its bearing across the full band width, which is what you want on plate, sections, box girders and anything with a flat face or edges. If your load is round, take round. If your load is flat, take flat.

Is an endless webbing sling really seamless?

No, and it is worth being clear about it. It is endless in use — there are no ends and no fittings — but the loop is closed by a lapped and stitched joint, so there is one made connection in it. That joint is a full-strength lap with dense rows of stitching, and it is the first thing to inspect. If you need an endless sling with no joint at all in the load-bearing element, that is the round sling, where the core is continuous and only the outer sleeve is a tube.

How do I specify the length?

Say which convention your figure is in, because the two differ by about a factor of two. Circumference is the total perimeter of the loop — the length of material in the finished sling. Effective working length is the usable height you actually get, and it works out at roughly half the circumference because the loop is doubled when it hangs. If you would rather, just tell us how far the hook will be from the load and we will size the loop to it.

How much can it lift in a choke or a basket?

The label gives the straight-lift working load limit. A choke reduces it to 0.8 times that figure. A basket at a narrow angle increases it to 2 times, falling to 1.4 times between 7 and 45 degrees and to 1 times between 45 and 60 degrees. An angled choke — choked, with the legs then opening away from vertical — is reduced further, to 0.7 at 45 degrees and 0.5 at 60 degrees. A 4 t load in a choker needs a 5 t sling, because 4 ÷ 0.8 = 5.

Why is an endless sling supposed to last longer?

Because it has no fixed ends. On a sling with eyes, every lift loads the same two bearing points and the same two eyes, so the sling is condemned when those points wear out even if the rest of the article is sound. An endless loop can be turned after every lift, so the bearing point, the hook contact point and the closure keep moving around the material and the whole sling wears evenly. The catch is that it only works if you actually rotate it — if the same section always ends up in the hook, you get no benefit at all.

How do I inspect each one?

The two are inspected in opposite ways. A flat webbing sling shows you its load path: check the lap joint and every stitch row first, then the bearing points, the hook contact area and the rest of the band, looking especially for cuts at the edges. A apaļa strope hides its load path: start with the sleeve for cuts, abrasion and thin spots, then feel along the loop for a lump, a flat spot or a bulge that would tell you the core has been damaged where you cannot see it. A sound-looking sleeve does not prove a sound core.

Can I get a custom capacity, section, length and marking?

Yes. We build round slings from 1 t to 1000 t and flat webbing slings across the EN 1492-1 band ladder, in any length to 12 m as standard and longer on request, in polyester, polyamide or polypropylene, with edge protection and wear sleeves to suit the load, and with the standard capacity marking or your own scheme where the market allows. Tell us the load, its shape, the hitch and the destination market and we will work the specification out with you.

Related Products

• Endless lifting sling — the full closed-loop family
• Endless round sling — the round-section article with no joint in the core
• Endless web sling — the flat band with one lapped and stitched joint
• Endless type webbing sling
• Endless flat webbing sling
• Endless polyester flat webbing sling
• Heavy duty endless lifting web slings
• Single use endless webbing sling
• Steel pipe lifting strap
• Round sling
• Webbing sling
• Endless grommet wire rope sling — the steel alternative
• The full product range