6×55SWS Steel Wire Rope

6×55SWS Steel Wire Rope Sizes:

6×55SWS Steel Wire Rope Sizes

Nominal Diameter	Weight (kg/100m)			Nominal Tensile Strength of Rope (MPA)
				1570		1670		1770		1870		1960
				Minimum Breaking Load of Rope (kn)
(mm)	NF	SF	IWR/IWS	FC	IWR/IWS	FC	IWR/IWS	FC	IWR/IWS	FC	IWR/IWS	FC	IWR/IWS
6	13.7	13.4	15	18.6	20.1	19.8	21.4	21	22.6	22.2	23.9	23.2	25.1
8	24.3	23.7	26.8	33.2	35.8	35.3	38	37.4	40.3	39.5	42.6	41.4	44.6
9	30.8	30.1	33.9	42	45.3	44.6	48.2	47.3	51	50	53.9	52.3	56.5
10	38	37.1	41.8	51.8	55.9	55.1	59.5	58.4	63	61.7	66.6	64.6	69.7
11	46	44.9	50.6	62.7	67.6	66.7	71.9	70.7	76.2	74.7	80.6	78.2	84.4
12	54.7	53.4	60.2	74.6	80.5	79.4	85.6	84.1	90.7	88.9	95.5	93.1	100
13	64.2	62.7	70.6	87.6	94.5	93.1	100	98.7	106	104	113	109	118
14	74.5	72.7	81.9	102	110	108	117	114	124	121	130	126	136
16	97.3	95	107	133	143	141	152	150	161	158	170	165	178
18	123	120	135	168	181	179	193	189	204	200	216	209	226
20	152	148	167	207	224	220	238	234	252	247	266	258	279
22	184	180	202	251	271	267	288	283	305	299	322	313	337
24	219	214	241	298	322	317	342	336	363	355	383	372	402
26	257	251	283	350	378	373	402	395	426	417	450	437	471
28	298	291	328	406	438	432	466	458	494	484	522	507	547
30	342	334	376	466	503	496	535	526	567	555	599	582	627
32	389	380	428	531	572	564	609	598	645	632	682	662	714
34	439	429	483	599	646	637	687	675	728	713	770	747	806
36	492	481	542	671	724	714	770	757	817	800	863	838	904
38	549	536	604	748	807	796	858	843	910	891	961	933	1007
40	608	594	669	829	894	882	951	935	1010	987	1070	1034	1116
42	670	654	737	914	986	972	1050	1030	1110	1090	1170	1140	1230
44	736	718	809	1000	1080	1070	1150	1130	1220	1190	1290	1252	1350
46	804	785	884	1100	1180	1170	1260	1240	1330	1310	1410	1368	1476
48	876	855	963	1190	1290	1270	1370	1350	1450	1420	1530	1490	1607
50	950	928	1050	1300	1400	1380	1490	1460	1580	1540	1660	1617	1744
52	1030	1000	1130	1400	1510	1490	1610	1580	1700	1670	1800	1748	1886
54	1110	1080	1220	1510	1630	1610	1730	1700	1840	1800	1940	1886	2034
56	1190	1160	1310	1620	1750	1730	1860	1830	1980	1940	2090	2028	2188
58	1280	1250	1410	1740	1880	1850	2000	1960	2120	2080	2240	2175	2347
60	1370	1340	1500	1870	2010	1980	2140	2100	2270	2220	2400	2328	2511

What is 6x55SWS Steel Wire Rope?

6x55SWS is a steel wire rope with 6 strands and an Independent Wire Rope Core (IWRC). Each strand contains 55 wires in a special Seale-Warrington-Seale pattern. This design provides excellent crush resistance and flexibility, making it perfect for demanding crane and winch applications.

I often talk to buyers like Mark, a business owner from America. He buys lifting gear from us in China and sells it in his home market. He’s great with sales but not a technical expert. He once told me his customers were complaining that their crane ropes were getting flat and damaged on the winch drums. He was selling them a standard rope, and it just wasn’t holding up. His problem highlighted a common issue: not all wire ropes are built for the same job. Understanding the specific construction, such as 6x55SWS, is key to solving these problems and keeping customers happy. Let’s look closer at what makes this rope so special.

How is a 6x55SWS wire rope constructed?

The 6x55SWS construction has 6 outer strands wrapped around a central steel core (IWRC). Each strand is made of 55 wires. These wires are arranged in a Seale-Warrington-Seale pattern, which combines different wire sizes for durability, flexibility, and crush resistance.

Let’s break this down further. When I explained this to Mark, I drew it out for him. The construction is the most important part. It determines how the rope performs under stress.

The Strands and Wires

First, the “6×55” tells you the basic layout. The rope has 6 main strands. Each of those strands consists of 55 individual wires. This is a high number of wires. More wires usually mean more flexibility. But the real magic is in how those 55 wires are arranged.

The SWS Pattern

“SWS” stands for Seale Warrington Seale. This sounds complex, but it’s just a way to combine different wire patterns to get the best features of each.

• Seale: A Seale pattern has large outer wires. These big wires are great at resisting abrasion and wear.
• Warrington: A Warrington pattern alternates between small and large wires in a single layer. This design makes the strand more flexible.
• Seale-Warrington-Seale (SWS): This combines the patterns. It gives you the large, durable outer wires of a Seale construction and the flexible inner layers of a Warrington construction.

Pattern	Primary Advantage	Best Use Case
Seale	High abrasion resistance	Ropes that rub against surfaces
Warrington	Good flexibility	Ropes that bend over pulleys
SWS	Crush resistance & Flexibility	Crane hoist lines

The Core

Finally, this rope uses an IWRC, which means Independent Wire Rope Core. The core is a small wire rope itself. An IWRC provides strong internal support. It helps the outer strands resist crushing when spooled on a drum. The other option is a Fiber Core (FC), which offers more flexibility but much less crush resistance. For a 6x55SWS rope, IWRC is almost always the right choice because it is designed for high-stress applications.

What are the advantages of a 6x55SWS wire rope?

The main advantages of 6x55SWS wire rope are its excellent resistance to crushing, good flexibility, and high abrasion resistance. This combination extends its service life, especially on crane drums, reducing costs and improving safety.

When Mark’s customers had ropes going flat, they were experiencing a classic case of rope crushing. The rope they were using was not designed to withstand the pressure of being wound multiple layers on a crane’s winch drum. I told him the 6x55SWS was the solution. Here are the specific advantages I explained to him.

Superior Crush Resistance

This is the most important benefit. The combination of the solid steel core (IWRC) and the tightly packed SWS strands creates a very dense and stable rope. It holds its round shape under immense pressure. On a crane winch, the rope gets wound over itself again and again. A less dense rope would flatten, get damaged, and lose its strength. The 6x55SWS design prevents this. This makes it perfect for multi-layer spooling.

High Abrasion Resistance

The outer wires in the SWS pattern are large. This is the “Seale” part of the design. These large wires create a tough, durable surface. This surface can handle rubbing against the drum, sheaves, and other equipment without wearing down quickly. Ropes with many small outer wires will fray and break much faster under the same conditions.

Good Flexibility and Fatigue Resistance

Even though it is very strong and dense, the 6x55SWS is still flexible. The “Warrington” layers inside the strands help the rope bend without the wires fatiguing and breaking. A rope needs to be flexible enough to bend smoothly around sheaves and drums. If it’s too stiff, it will crack and fail. The 6x55SWS provides a great balance.

Property	6×19 Class	6×37 Class	6x55SWS
Crush Resistance	Good	Fair	Excellent
Abrasion Resistance	Excellent	Good	Very Good
Flexibility	Fair	Very Good	Good
Best For	Abrasion	Bending	Crushing

This balance of features leads to a much longer service life in the right application. For a distributor like Mark, providing a rope that lasts longer builds a strong reputation for quality.

What are the common applications for 6x55SWS wire rope?

6x55SWS wire rope is used for heavy-duty applications where crush resistance is the top priority. This includes main hoist lines for mobile and crawler cranes, boom hoist ropes, and other demanding winch systems that spool rope in multiple layers.

After I explained the construction and advantages to Mark, his next question was simple: “So, when should my customers use it?” This is the most important question for any buyer. Using a high-tech rope in the wrong place is just as bad as using a cheap rope for a tough job. I told him to think about the drum. If the rope is being wound into many layers under heavy load, 6x55SWS is likely the answer.

Crane Main and Auxiliary Hoist Lines

This is the primary application. Mobile cranes, tower cranes, and crawler cranes all use winches that spool many layers of rope onto a drum. The pressure on the bottom layers is huge. 6x55SWS is engineered to withstand this pressure without deforming. This ensures the rope maintains its strength and spools smoothly, which is critical for safe and efficient lifting operations.

Boom Hoist Ropes

The rope used to raise and lower the main boom of a crane also experiences high loads and multi-layer spooling. It is a critical component for the crane’s stability and operation. The reliability and crush resistance of 6x55SWS make it an excellent choice for this application, providing an essential safety factor.

Heavy-Duty Winching

Any industrial winch that operates under heavy load with a multi-layer drum can benefit from 6x55SWS. This includes applications in marine settings for mooring or towing, on drilling rigs for hoisting equipment, and in heavy construction for pulling large components into place. The rope’s durability ensures a long life even in these tough, demanding environments.

By recommending 6x55SWS to his customers with cranes, Mark solved their crushing-ropes problem. He became a trusted advisor, not just a seller.