How many cable ties are sold each year?

How many cable ties are sold each year?

Who makes cable ties? How many cable ties are manufactured and sold each year? We take a look at this international industry and see how far round the globe it stretches.

Today, the humble cable tie is used in a multitude of industries, including automotive and aerospace, manufacturing and electronics, construction and mining, food production, pharmaceutical and healthcare, as well as the emergency services. Multiply that around the world and it starts to become clear just how many may be being used!

The simplicity of the design of the cable tie, and its functionality, were the brain child of Maurus C Logan, an employee of Thomas and Betts, an electrical company, now part of ABB. Desperate to help the plight of the aircraft worker in the 1950s, whose hand were suffering from manually applying wax-coated and knotted nylon cord to sheets of plywood, Logan developed the cable tie to be a means of securing bundles of cabling quickly and easily.

From its’ initial production in the US, the cable tie is now manufactured by over 45 companies, in 13 countries on 4 continents. These 45+ companies produce billions of cable ties every year, with some estimates placing that figure at closer to 100 billion, but of course not all cable ties are the same. Our cable ties are manufactured to the highest standards, using the best materials, including nylon 6/6 and 316 stainless steel, and our blog ‘How strong are cable ties’ outlines the tensile strength of all our ties. With an estimated 70-80% of the cable ties that are produced in a year being in use for less than one year, our range of releasable cable ties represents a great solution.

In 2018, the 60th anniversary of the invention of the cable tie, Thomas and Betts, the original manufacturer, produced its 28 billionth cable tie, originally patented as the Ty-Rap. To give that some perspective, those 28 billion ties would reach from the earth to the moon 22 times, circumnavigating both equators each time, or encircle the sun seven times!

If we think that the thought of cable ties reaching to the moon is a bit of a stretch, how about them travelling to Mars? NASA’s Mars Exploration Programme is a long-term commitment to robotic exploration of the planet, one part of which is called the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission which focusses on high priority scientific goals and the potential for life on the Red Planet. When Perseverance landed on the surface of Mars, in February 2021, it carried on board cameras, communication equipment, sensors and a robotic arm. All of this equipment was kept tidy and secure by means of the cable tie!

We can’t help but wonder what Logan would have made of just how far his invention has come, figuratively and literally, and where it will go next!

Our full range of cable ties can be viewed here and our friendly staff is available to help and advise by phone on 01623 706241 or via sales@cableties-online.co.uk.