Rigging
Slings, Shackles & Steels
01 — Definition
The soft and hard connectors between the load and the structure. Round slings (endless polyester) are colour-coded by WLL under EN 1492-2 — purple 1 t, green 2 t, yellow 3 t, grey 4 t, red 5 t, brown 6 t, blue 8 t, orange 10 t — and rated for a straight vertical pull; a choke or basket hitch changes the rating. Shackles (bow or dee) carry a stamped WLL and join slings to steels or hard points. 'Steels' are wire-rope slings, used where a soft sling would chafe or burn.
02 — In the field
Read the colour AND the label — a faded round sling is not a guessing game. Never side-load a shackle or hook, always mouse or secure a screw-pin shackle so it cannot back out, and remember that a basket or choke hitch derates the sling below its straight-pull WLL.