What is Stainless Steel Wire?
Stainless steel wire rope strand and cable are manufactured with different materials to create rigging for equipment and tools that are used in various commercial and construction applications. Consisting of several strands of steel metal wire twisted into a helix shape to form a composite rope, stainless steel wire is incredibly strong and can support tensile forces and friction far above other rope materials. With its strength and its ability to resist damage from the elements, stainless steel wire is especially durable. In terms of corrosion, stainless steel wire is far more resilient than galvanized steel; especially when exposed to saltwater—a major cause of corrosion.
What is stainless steel wire used for?
Used in everything from tires, hoses, springs, staples, barbed wire, chains, mesh fencing, ACSR strands (powerline and conductor cables), and more, stainless steel wire is a critical component in a legion of manufacturing processes and commercial products. It’s sheer strength and longevity makes stainless steel wire ideal for military, aerospace, fire and medical industry, and commercial applications — especially construction — where heavy use and consistent exposure to elements in common.
Uses in Construction
Much of the equipment found on construction sites rely on stainless steel wire, including:
- Wire rope slings — Ideal for lifting high load capacities while maintaining flexibility and strength, wire rope slings are resistant to abrasion and are ideal for lifting hot materials.
- Wire rope hoists — Ideal for applications that require multiple lifting points.
- Wire rope chains — Great for absorbing shock and gripping heavy loads, wire rope chains also easily conform to a payload’s shape.
Different Types of Wire
Stainless steel wire comes in various different configurations and compositions for specific tasks:
Carbon Steel Wire
Available in diameters that range from 0.008” to 1.25”, carbon steel wire handles moderate flattening and bending particularly well. In smaller sizes (less than 1/4 inch) carbon steel wire is almost automatically used when stainless steel is not specified. It is also frequently used to manufacture wire rope and comes in three different types.
Low carbon wire has the least amount of carbon and is also known as mild steel or iron wire. It is often used to make galvanized wire, welded mesh, and binding wire.
Medium carbon wire is a relatively strong wire commonly used to make bike spokes, binding wire, steel strand wire, and rope.
High carbon wire is known for its hardness, strength, as well as its high elasticity and fatigue limit. It is often used when a less flexible material is required.
Wire Mesh
With its unique mixture of metallurgical and structural properties, wire mesh ensures peak performance and customizable solutions in sealing, noise dampening, and filtration. The process of knitting the wire mesh creates interlocking loops, which move relative to each other without distorting the mesh, keeping it tight and durable.
Spring steel
Spring steel can be repeatedly cycled through stress but still return to its original shape once the stress is removed. This characteristic can be adjusted for various applications by the formulation used in the creation of the spring steel. Using low-alloy manganese, medium-carbon steel, or even high-carbon steel will each create different spring characteristics. This makes spring steel ideal for rigging and suspension applications in construction.
Safety Lock Wire
In high-vibration, high-heat, and high-friction applications—such as jet engines, race cars, or military-grade machine guns—safety lock wire (or locking-wire) prevents bolts or other fasteners from loosening or falling out. Beyond ensuring fasteners cannot work loose from vibration, safety lock wire also acts as a visual cue that a bolt has been tightened properly.
Whatever Your Wire Needs, Rasmussen Has You Covered
With over 70 years of experience and working with only ISO-certified manufacturers, our team at Rasmussen Equipment Company carries one of the widest ranges of wire rope in Utah — with stainless steel wire products from the best producers in the industry. Our quality wire rope rigging and chains are the ultimate choices for heavy lifting projects. From galvanized to stainless steel, general-purpose to high-performance wire ropes, whatever you need for your project, we have it. All of our chains and wires are pull-tested to ensure they can handle up to 260,000 pounds of force with a pull-testing machine certified annually to ensure the highest safety and accuracy. We’ll help you with the wires, fittings, and tools you need for your job—with an emphasis on safety and quality above all else. In addition to wire rope, we offer a full line of construction equipment including excavators, lasers, light towers, road plates, wheel loaders, and much more. We know that each job has a specific set of needs and challenges to tackle—which is why we offer everything your project requires.