If your next project needs some seriously strong cable ties but you aren’t sure which ones, our latest helpful guide looks at the strongest ties on the market.
How strong cable ties are depends on their size (length and width), what they are made from, their bundle diameter and their tensile strength. But what do all these things mean and exactly how strong are cable ties?
What is bundle diameter?
As the name implies, bundle diameter is the collective size of all the cable to be bundled together, measured in millimetres. To ensure your cable ties are sufficient for your bundle diameter, the length of the cable is important. If you are unsure, it is always recommended that you buy longer ties that can be trimmed to size. Cable tie length is measured (in mm) from the head or pawl of the tie to the end of the tail. The width is measured from edge to edge on the body of the tie.
Cable tie tensile strength
Given in kilograms, cable tie tensile strength measures the resistance, or weight, that a cable tie will bear safely, without the material breaking. Loop tensile strength is the amount of weight required to compromise a fastened cable tie. The loop tensile strength can be found in the technical data sheets for our nylon cable ties and our metal cable ties.
Cable tie materials
At Cableties-online, all our non-stainless steel cable ties are manufactured from nylon 6/6, a durable polyamide. All our metal cable ties are manufactured using only 316 marine grade stainless steel. The science and the technical specification of our cable ties can be found in our article ‘What are cable ties made of?’
What are the strongest cable ties?
In terms of minimum tensile strength, stainless steel, metal cable ties are the strongest with a 4.6mm wide tie having a tensile strength of 89kgs, rising to 1160kgs for a 7.9mm wide tie.
The following table illustrates the tensile strength of a selection of our most popular cable ties.
Type of cable tie |
Size |
Tensile strength (kg) |
80mm x 2.5mm |
8 |
|
|
All other 2.5mm |
8.1 |
|
All 3.6mm wide |
18.2 |
|
All 4.8mm wide |
22.2 |
|
All 7.6mm wide |
54.4 |
|
All 9mm wide |
79.4 |
|
All 12.7mm wide |
114 |
All 2.5mm wide |
8 |
|
|
All 3.6mm wide |
18 |
|
All 4.8mm wide |
22 |
|
All 7.6mm wide |
55 |
|
All 9mm wide |
80 |
|
All 12.7mm wide |
114 |
All 4.6mm wide ties |
89 |
|
|
All 7.9mm wide ties |
160 |
Our coloured cable ties share the same tensile strengths as our nylon 6/6 ties and our epoxy resin and PVC-coated cable ties have the same strength as our metal cable ties.
Using cable ties with insufficient tensile strength i.e. that are not strong enough for your needs, is of utmost importance in all situations. While metal cable ties are the strongest on the market, they may not be the best for your project. If you would like any advice on the correct cable tie for your needs, please get in touch. Our sales team can be contacted by phone on 01623 412160 or by email at sales@cableties-online.co.uk