Type a line (8 mm 2 leg, 10 mm 4 leg 45-60, EN 818-4 16), or pick the chain, the legs and the angle. Below, an offered sling can be checked against the one wanted.
Only the WLL for the wanted configuration and the grade are checked here: the fittings, the reach, the condition of the chain and the certificate are checked separately, and the tag, the certificate and the competent person decide.
Grade 8 alloy steel chain slings to EN 818-4 are rated by the chain diameter, the number of legs and the angle of the legs to the vertical. Type the chain and the legs (“8 mm 2 leg”, “10 mm 4 leg 45-60”, “13 mm single leg”), and the reader gives the WLL from the EN 818-4 tables and the WLL of the same chain in every other configuration, lists what the tag shows, draws the sling at its angle, checks an offered sling against the one wanted and writes an RFQ line.
This is a reference, not a lifting plan: the tag of the sling, its certificate and the competent person decide. A figure is given only where at least two independent tables agree; where they differ, the cell shows a dash. Anchor chain cable is a different product, with a reader of its own.
A chain sling to EN 818-4 is made of grade 8 (also written T) short link chain. The chain diameter in millimetres is on the tag; the table here covers 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 16, 18, 20, 22, 26 and 32 mm. Grade 8 lifting chain is not anchor chain: anchor chain cable comes in grades 1 to 3 and is rated under different rules.
The WLL of a single leg is multiplied by the mode factor: two legs at 0–45° to the vertical 1.4, at 45–60° 1; three or four legs 2.1 and 1.5; an endless sling in choke hitch 1.6. A three-leg sling is rated as a four-leg sling. No sling is rated for legs over 60°. The tables round each figure, so the table figure is the WLL.
The tag gives the WLL (for a multi-leg sling, for a range of angles), the number of legs, the chain size, the grade, an identification number and the maker’s mark. The tables are worked out with a safety factor of 4:1. A sling whose tag or markings can no longer be made out is withdrawn from service and referred to a competent person.
| Mark | What it means |
|---|---|
| WLL | The load the sling is rated for; for a multi-leg sling, for a range of angles to the vertical (0–45°, often 45–60° as well). The figure on the tag governs. |
| Number of legs | Single, two, three or four legs; a three-leg sling carries the rating of a four-leg sling. |
| Chain size | The nominal diameter of the chain in millimetres. |
| Grade | Grade 8, also written T. |
| Identification number | Ties the sling to the records of its inspections and examinations. |
| Maker’s name or mark | Who made or assembled the sling. |
| Chain, mm | Single leg (× 1) | 2 legs, 0–45° (× 1.4) | 2 legs, 45–60° (× 1) | 3 or 4 legs, 0–45° (× 2.1) | 3 or 4 legs, 45–60° (× 1.5) | Endless, in choke (× 1.6) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1.12 | 1.6 | 1.12 | 2.36 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| 7 | 1.5 | 2.12 | 1.5 | 3.15 | 2.24 | 2.5 |
| 8 | 2 | 2.8 | 2 | 4.25 | 3 | 3.15 |
| 10 | 3.15 | 4.25 | 3.15 | 6.7 | 4.75 | 5 |
| 13 | 5.3 | 7.5 | 5.3 | 11.2 | 8 | 8.5 |
| 16 | 8 | 11.2 | 8 | 17 | 11.8 | 12.5 |
| 18 | 10 | 14 | 10 | 21.2 | 15 | 16 |
| 20 | 12.5 | 17 | 12.5 | 26.5 | 19 | 20 |
| 22 | 15 | — | 15 | 31.5 | 22.4 | 23.6 |
| 26 | 21.2 | 30 | 21.2 | 45 | 31.5 | — |
| 32 | 31.5 | 45 | 31.5 | 67 | 47.5 | 50 |
A dash marks a cell the sources disagree on, which is left out: the 22 mm two-leg sling at 0–45° (one table prints 21.02 t, two print 21.2 t) and the 26 mm endless sling (30.5 t against 33.5 t). Every other figure is in at least two independent EN 818-4 tables, most in three. The figures assume legs equally loaded and at most 60° to the vertical; the endless sling is used in choke hitch. Choke figures by size for single and multi-leg slings are not given (the tables round them differently): reduce the WLL by 20%. Not given either: grade 10 slings, which EN 818-4 does not cover; any figure over 60°; the colour and shape of the tag. An older German table that also covers DIN 5688-3 slings gives other figures for some sizes (3.2 t for 10 mm, for example); the tag of the sling governs.
Three chain sling tables to EN 818-4, from a lifting equipment maker, a crane maker and a UK lifting gear supplier, two of them with every size; the data of a fourth maker and of a German supplier (6 mm, and 8 to 16 mm); the LEEA Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Lifting Equipment (COPSULE) on the rating of slings, the marking of chain slings and pre-use inspection; a chain maker’s rejection criteria for chain slings; an Australian state government rigging guide on the tag of an alloy chain sling; a German accident insurer’s sheet on chain sling tags. Every WLL figure and every factor is in at least two of them.
Chain slings made of grade 8 short link lifting chain: single, two, three and four leg slings and endless slings. Multi-leg slings are rated by the uniform load method: one WLL for legs at 0–45° to the vertical and a lower one for 45–60°. No chain sling is rated for legs over 60° to the vertical. Grade 8 is also written T.
From the WLL of a single leg of the same chain and the mode factor: two legs at 0–45° take 1.4 × that WLL and at 45–60° 1 ×; three or four legs take 2.1 × at 0–45° and 1.5 × at 45–60°. A three-leg sling is rated as a four-leg sling. The EN 818-4 tables round each figure to a preferred series, so the table figure is the WLL: a 10 mm two-leg sling at 0–45° is rated 4.25 t, not 1.4 × 3.15 t. The ratings assume legs equally loaded.
In a choke hitch the WLL is reduced by 20%, to 0.8 × the WLL. An endless sling used in a choke hitch takes 1.6 × the WLL of a single leg of the same chain: 3.15 t for 8 mm chain. This reader gives the 20% rule but no choke figures by size for single and multi-leg slings, because the tables round those figures differently.
The tag of a chain sling shows its WLL (for a multi-leg sling, for a range of angles such as 0–45°, often with 45–60° as well), the number of legs, the chain size, the grade, an identification (serial) number and the maker’s name or mark. The tag and the certificate govern. A sling whose tag or markings can no longer be made out is withdrawn from service and referred to a competent person.
No. Anchor chain cable is stud link or studless chain of grade 1, 2 or 3 (U1, U2, U3), made to classification rules for anchoring and mooring a ship. A chain sling is made of grade 8 short link chain for lifting. The two are not interchangeable: for anchor chain, use the anchor chain grade reader.
EN 818-4 grade 8, the chain diameter, the number of legs, the WLL and the angle range it is needed for, the reach (effective length) in metres, the master link, the lower fittings (hooks with latch, self-locking hooks or clevis hooks), any shortening clutches, the certificate needed, the quantity and a photograph of the tag of the sling being replaced.
A reading is a check of the chain and the figures, not a lifting plan. Attach a photograph of the tag and give the reach, and Vessel Core checks them before an offer goes back.
