Rope, String & Twine

Bulk twine for securing bundles

Natural and poly twine are part of shipping supplies to secure packaging. One important function is to ensure that multiple-item packages shipped to the same address arrive as a twine-bound bundle. Bulk cotton twine is one of the natural-fiber choices for lightweight bundling since it’s highly flexible for tying knots and is absorbent without losing its knotting strength.

The different fibers besides bulk cotton twine

The fibers for tying-twine include natural cotton, jute, and sisal as well as synthetic polypropylene. All come in different plies, or braids, and have various tensile strengths. The strongest twine is polypropylene, with a three-ply tensile strength of 1,050 pounds. It’s also rot-, mildew-, and insect-resistant. Natural sisal, which is moisture-resistant, has a three-ply tensile strength of 460 pounds. Both high-strength twines are smooth, so they’re ideal for bundling corrugated packaging neatly. You can use box cutters to cut all twine into required lengths.

Types of bulk rope

Heavier strength rope is ideal for pallet tie-downs as an alternative to poly strapping kits. Like twine, rope comes in both poly and natural fibers, in different plies and diameters, yielding different load strengths. Poly rope includes solid-braided nylon, resistant to abrasion, chemicals, and saltwater, with plenty of flexibility for knotting and maintaining its knots over time. Also available are polypropylene hollow- and twisted-braided ropes, resistant to corrosion, gasoline, many chemicals, and water. Each is flexible while still keeping rigidity, so while they accommodate containers of different shapes, they won’t kink or bend as a tiedown. Another synthetic fiber is twisted polyester rope, which is resistant to UV rays, moisture, and weather, ideal for tiedowns stored outdoors.

Each synthetic bulk rope handles heavyweight safe-load volumes according to specific tensile strengths (TS):

• Solid-braided nylon — TS of 3,900 pounds, 1/2-inch diameter, with a safe load of 1,050 pounds 
• Twisted-braided polypropylene — TS of 5,600 pounds, 5/8-inch diameter, with a safe load of 780 pounds
• Twisted polyester — TS of 1,320 pounds, 1/4-inch diameter, with a safe load of 180 pounds
• Hollow-braided polypropylene — TS of 1,150 pounds, 1/4-inch diameter, with a safe load of 155 pounds

Natural-fiber rope includes manila rope, abrasion- and stretch-resistant, and knotting easily. It has a TS rating of 1,200 pounds, providing a safe load of 170 pounds at 3/8-inch diameter.

Check out shipping supply accessories at Quill, including products like baker’s twine, kraft twine, and multicolor mason’s twine.