Pick the sling colour, the type and the label colour, or type a line (violet sling 1t, round sling 5 t, EN 1492-1 3t, 2.5 t). Below, an offered sling can be checked against the one wanted.
On the WLL, the type and the material alone: the length, width, eyes and condition of the sling are checked separately, and the label and the competent person decide the lift.
Flat webbing slings to EN 1492-1 and roundslings to EN 1492-2 are colour coded for the working load limit (WLL) in straight lift: violet 1 t, green 2 t, yellow 3 t, grey 4 t, red 5 t, brown 6 t, blue 8 t, orange 10 t and above. The colour of the sewn-on label gives the material: blue polyester, green polyamide, brown polypropylene. Enter a colour, a WLL or a line such as “round sling 5 t”, and the reader draws the sling, gives its WLL in straight lift, in choke hitch and in basket hitch, checks an offered sling against the one wanted and writes an RFQ line.
The colour is a guide only: older slings may carry other colours or none, and the label states the WLL, the material and the length. A sling whose label is missing or no longer legible is taken out of service and handed to a competent person for examination. This is a reference, not a lifting plan: the label on the sling and the competent person decide.
The colour of the webbing, or of the sleeve of a roundsling, gives the working load limit (WLL) in straight lift, from violet for 1 t to orange for 10 t and above. A WLL between the steps of the code, such as 1.5 t or 7 t, has no colour: only the label gives it.
The sewn-on label gives the WLL, the material, the effective working length, the maker and the standard; its colour gives the material. Textile slings have a safety factor of 7:1: the minimum breaking force is seven times the WLL. Where the colour and the label disagree, the label is right.
The WLL on the label is multiplied by the mode factor: straight lift 1, choke hitch 0.8, basket hitch with parallel legs 2, basket hitch with the legs at 0–45° to the vertical 1.4, at 45–60° 1.
| Label colour | Material | Code |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | Polyester | PES |
| Green | Polyamide | PA |
| Brown | Polypropylene | PP |
| Colour | Straight lift | Choke hitch | Basket, legs parallel | Basket, 0–45° to vertical | Basket, 45–60° to vertical |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Violet | 1 t | 0.8 t | 2 t | 1.4 t | 1 t |
| Green | 2 t | 1.6 t | 4 t | 2.8 t | 2 t |
| Yellow | 3 t | 2.4 t | 6 t | 4.2 t | 3 t |
| Grey | 4 t | 3.2 t | 8 t | 5.6 t | 4 t |
| Red | 5 t | 4 t | 10 t | 7 t | 5 t |
| Brown | 6 t | 4.8 t | 12 t | 8.4 t | 6 t |
| Blue | 8 t | 6.4 t | 16 t | 11.2 t | 8 t |
| Orange | from 10 t | from 8 t | from 20 t | from 14 t | from 10 t |
Every colour and every factor here is confirmed by two independent sources. Left out: factors for multi-leg slings at 45–60° and any figure for a leg over 60° to the vertical; basket tables by the angle between the legs (one manual gives other values for 45° and 90°, so the sources disagree there); the black stripes woven into some webbing (one stripe per tonne), which EN 1492 does not require; colours for a WLL between the steps of the code; temperature limits by material.
The LEEA Code of Practice for the Safe Use of Lifting Equipment (COPSULE): the sections on flat woven webbing slings, roundslings and marking; the user instructions and catalogues of five sling makers and distributors; a UK lifting equipment supplier’s summary of EN 1492-2. Every figure and colour is in at least two of them.
Flat webbing slings to EN 1492-1 and roundslings to EN 1492-2 are colour coded for the working load limit (WLL) in straight lift: violet 1 t, green 2 t, yellow 3 t, grey 4 t, red 5 t, brown 6 t, blue 8 t, orange 10 t and above. The colour is a guide only. Older slings may have other colours or none, so the WLL is always read from the label.
The WLL on the label is for a straight lift. In a choke hitch the sling takes 0.8 × WLL; in a basket hitch with parallel legs 2 × WLL; in a basket hitch with the legs at 0–45° to the vertical 1.4 × WLL; at 45–60° 1 × WLL. A green 2 t sling therefore takes 1.6 t choked, 4 t in a parallel basket, 2.8 t at 0–45° and 2 t at 45–60°. This reader gives no figure for legs over 60° to the vertical.
The label colour shows the material: blue for polyester (PES), green for polyamide (PA), brown for polypropylene (PP). The label also carries the WLL, the material, the length, the maker and the standard. A sling whose label is missing or no longer legible is taken out of service and handed to a competent person for examination.
Flat webbing sling or roundsling, the WLL in straight lift, the effective working length in metres, the webbing width of a flat sling, eyes or endless, the material where the load or the environment calls for one, the quantity, and a photograph of the label of the sling to be replaced.
A reading is a check of the colour and the figures, not a lifting plan. Attach a photograph of the sling’s label and give the length, and Vessel Core checks them before an offer goes back.
