BRITISH STANDARD BS 3481-3:

1974

Specification for

Flat lifting slings —

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Part 3: Disposable flat lifting slings

UDC 621.86.065.3-418

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 BS 3481-3:1974

Co-operating organizations

The Mechanical Engineering Industry Standards Committee, under whose

supervision this British Standard was prepared, consists of representatives
from the following Government departments and scientific and industrial
organizations:

Associated Offices Technical Committee* Department of Trade

Association of Consulting Engineers
Association of Hydraulic Equipment
Manufacturers Ltd.
Association of Mining, Electrical and
Mechanical Engineers
British Compressed Air Society
British Electrical and Allied
Manufacturers’ Association
British Gas Corporation
British Gear Manufacturers’ Association
British Internal Combustion Engine
Manufacturers’ Association
British Mechanical Engineering
Confederation
British Pump Manufacturers’ Association
British Steel Corporation
British Steel Industry
Crown Agents for Oversea Governments and
Administration
Department of Employment (HM Factory
Inspectorate)*
Department of the Environment
Department of Industry — Mechanical
Engineering
Department of Industry — National
Engineering Laboratory
Electricity Supply Industry in England and
Wales*
Engineering Equipment Users’ Association
Federation of Manufacturers of Construction
Equipment and Cranes
Institution of Gas Engineers
Institution of Heating and Ventilating
Engineers
Institution of Mechanical Engineers
Institution of Plant Engineers
Institution of Production Engineers
London Transport Executive
Machine Tool Trades Association
Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence, Army Department*
National Coal Board
Process Plant Association
Railway Industry Association of
Great Britain
Royal Institute of British Architects
Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders*
Telecommunication Engineering and
Manufacturing Association

The Government departments and scientific and industrial organizations

marked with an asterisk in the above list, together with the following, were
directly represented on the committee entrusted with the preparation of this
British Standard:

British Man-made Fibres Federation Lifting Equipment Manufacturers’

British Ports Association
British Railway Board
Chain Testers’ Association
Chamber of Shipping of the United Kingdom
Coubro and Scrutton
Federation of Wire Rope Manufacturers
of Great Britain
This British Standard, having Freight Transport Association Ltd.
Association
London Master Stevedores’ Association
Ministry of Defence, Navy Department
Ministry of Defence, Procurement
Executive
Synthetic Cordage Manufacturers’
Association
Webbing Manufacturers’ Association
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been approved by the Institute of Iron and Steel Wire

Mechanical Engineering Manufacturers
Industry Standards
Committee, was published
under the authority of the
Executive Board on Amendments issued since publication
29 November 1974

© BSI 07-1999 Amd. No. Date of issue Comments

The following BSI references

relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference MEE/152
Draft for comment 72/34848

ISBN 0 580 08457 4

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 BS 3481-3:1974

Contents

Page
Co-operating organizations Inside front cover
Foreword ii
1 Scope 1
2 References 1
3 Definitions 1
4 Material 1
5 Construction 1
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6 Design 2
7 Quality testing 2
8 Marking 2
9 Inspection 2
10 Certification 2
11 Test methods 2
Appendix A Test certificate 6
Appendix B Recommendations relating to the use of disposable slings 7
Figure 1 — Apparatus for abrasion test 3
Figure 2 — Breaking strength of webbing 4
Figure 3 — Detail of test plate 5
Publications referred to Inside back cover

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 BS 3481-3:1974

Foreword

This Part of this British Standard complements BS 3481, “Flat lifting slings” —
Part 2: “Flat woven slings made of man-made fibre for general service”. The slings
specified in this Part of the standard are purpose designed for use only where the
nature of the load and all the conditions on the proposed transportation route are
known. They will be placed in position on the load by the manufacturer or
supplier of the goods to be lifted, and will remain in position during the whole
period of handling the goods. Once this handling is completed, the slings will be
removed and destroyed, thus preventing their further use.
Slings of this type have conditions of service which notably differ from those of
general purpose slings as disposable slings are specifically designed for known
duties. Since the slings are only to be used for one series of handling operations,
they are not likely to be affected by abrasion and fatigue to the same extent as
general purpose slings. For these reasons it is felt that the factor of safety may be
reduced to 5 : 1. This value agrees with international and shipping practice.
Disposable slings may consist merely of a flat belt, but slings designed for special
purposes are often of composite construction, consisting of a number of flat belts
fabricated into a pattern. Such types of sling are recognized by this Part of the
standard. It is principally concerned with performance and therefore it has not
been felt necessary to restrict the sling material, as it is felt that the test
requirements will ensure that only suitable material is chosen.
Certification. Attention is drawn to the certification facilities described on the
inside back cover of this standard.
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity
from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
pages 1 to 8, an inside back cover and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on the
inside front cover.

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1 Scope
This Part of this standard relates to disposable flat
lifting slings which shall only be used for a single
certified load. The slings may consist of a single belt
or of a number of belts fabricated into a pattern. The
slings may be of endless form or they may have soft
eyes and metal fittings. Test requirements for the
material and the made-up sling are listed together
with an outline of the method of test, where
applicable. Certain critical dimensions are specified,
together with the requirements for inspection and
marking.
Recommendations relating to the use of slings are
given in Appendix B.
2 References
The titles of the British Standards referred to in this
standard are listed on the inside back cover.
3 Definitions
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For the purposes of this standard the following
definitions apply.
3.1
working load limit
the maximum mass which the slings should lift in
service
3.2
safe working load
the maximum mass which the slings should lift in a
particular stated service. It will never be greater
than the working load limit but it may be less
NOTE In the case of these slings which are specially designed,
the safe working load would be expected to be equal to the
working load limit.
3.3
breaking strength
the maximum force which the sling or the joined
sling material withstands during a test to
destruction
3.4
clover leaf sling
a sling formed in the manner shown below and lifted
by the means of four loops
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BS 3481-3:1974
4 Material
4.1 Suggested material. The following materials
may be used for the construction of the slings, either
singly or in combination:
polyamide;
polyester;
polypropylene;
polyethylene;
any other suitable man-made material.
4.2 Properties. The material chosen for the slings
shall conform to the following requirements.
4.2.1 Temperature range. Materials shall retain
at least 90 % of their actual breaking strength
between – 30 °C and + 65 °C.
4.2.2 Abrasion resistance. Material which has been
subjected to the test given in 11.1 shall retain at
least 75 % of its actual breaking strength
determined in accordance with 11.2.
4.2.3 Reduction in energy absorption. The energy
absorption factor of material tested in accordance
with 11.3 shall not be less than 0.5.
4.2.4 Wet strength. Material which has been
subjected to the test given in 11.4 shall retain at
least 85 % of the actual breaking strength
determined in accordance with 11.2.
4.2.5 Reduction in breaking strength over a hook.
The breaking strength of the material when tested
in accordance with 11.5 shall not be less than 85 %
of the breaking strength determined in accordance
with 11.2.
4.2.6 Cutting/tearing resistance. Material shall
retain at least 50 % of its actual breaking strength
determined in accordance with 11.2, with a 10 % cut
into the material width.
4.3 Fabrication. The load bearing joints shall be so
constructed that when they are tested to destruction
in accordance with 11.2, they shall not fail at less
than the specified minimum breaking strength. Any
stitching shall be carried out with a thread of good
commercial quality man-made fibre.
4.4 Dimensions. All material shall have a
minimum width of 25 mm.
4.5 Ultra-violet stability. When necessary,
material shall be suitably stabilized against
ultra-violet degradation.
5 Construction
5.1 Soft eyes. The minimum length of soft eyes
when laid flat shall be 225 mm.
1
 BS 3481-3:1974
5.2 Protective layer. Where slings are designed to
rest on a surface liable to cause damage, an extra
protective thickness of material shall be attached to
the wearing surface.
6 Design
The complete sling shall be designed to a factor of
safety of 5 : 1, based on the working load limit.
7 Quality testing
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A production sling shall be selected if possible
(if not, a test sling shall be made up) for
every 250 slings, or for each batch if this is a lesser
number, of a particular type produced, and the
breaking strength determined in accordance
with 11.2.
In the case of clover leaf slings, the breaking
strength of the sling shall be taken as 8 times the
breaking strength of the joined material as defined
in 11.2, providing the angle between diagonally
opposite legs at the hook and at the safe working
load, is not more than 90°.
The breaking strength determined in this manner
shall be not less than 5 times the safe working load.
8 Marking
8.1 General. The following information shall be
marked on a suitable part of the sling in a manner
which will remain legible throughout the life of the
sling.
a) The safe working load at 0° to 90°.
b) The mark “U” indicating a disposable sling. In
addition, the word “disposable” may be used.
c) Maker’s identification.
d) Batch number (including reference to year of
manufacture).
8.2 Units for working loads. Safe working loads
of less than 1 000 kg shall be marked in kg to the
nearest whole kilogram.
Safe working loads of 1 000 kg or more shall be
marked in tonnes (1 tonne = 1 000 kg). The letter “t”
is a permissible abbreviation for tonne. The value
shall be given to a single place of decimals, except
where the figure after the decimal point would be 0,
in which case it shall be omitted.
9 Inspection
The manufacturer shall arrange for every sling to be
inspected by a competent person before delivery.
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10 Certification
A certificate shall be issued embodying at least the
information given in the form shown in Appendix A
for every prototype test; copies of the certificate
shall be supplied with each batch of slings.
11 Test methods
11.1 Abrasion test. The apparatus to be used is
shown in Figure 1. The length of material to be
tested should be clamped so that the 23/32 inch
diameter round second cut file to BS 498-1, driven
by the beam of the machine can rub against it and
abrade its surface. The machine is to be operated at
three cycles per minute. The material shall be
subject to 20 cycles on one side only.
NOTE It is necessary to continuously brush out the debris
which accumulates between the teeth of the file to prevent
clogging.
The length of material shall be removed from the
machine, and the breaking strength measured
using the method outlined in 11.2.
11.2 Breaking strength. Tests shall normally be
carried out under ordinary atmospheric conditions.
In all cases of dispute, however, the tests shall be
carried out on samples which have been conditioned
for 24 h in an atmosphere maintained at a relative
humidity of 65 ± 2 % and at a temperature
of 20 ± 2 °C. Where practicable, tests shall be made
in this conditioning atmosphere, otherwise they
shall be made within 15 min of removal of the test
pieces from the conditioning atmosphere.
The material shall be tested on machines of
appropriate capacity. The use of any machine for the
purpose of this test shall be subject to the approval
of the parties concerned. The speed of movement for
the straining head on constant rate of traverse
machines shall be 75 ± 25 mm/min for a test length
of 1 m between the grips of the testing machine and
pro rata for greater lengths.
Subject to agreement between the purchaser and
the supplier, a machine of constant rate-of-loading
type may be employed, the rate of loading being
such that the time taken to reach the specified
breaking force is 20 ± 4 s per 100 mm of test length.
Two lengths of material joined in the same manner
as that used in production, with an initial length of
not less than 1 m, shall be mounted between the
grips of the testing machine. Alternatively, a single
length with soft eyes at each end may be used. The
force shall then be gradually and continuously
increased until the webbing breaks.
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11.3 Energy absorption test. Two samples shall
be selected for this test. One sample shall be broken
in the manner described in 11.2 and the breaking
force and extension shall be recorded. The other
sample shall be mounted in the tensile testing
machine so that the gauge length is equal to that of
the first sample; it shall be subjected to 20 cycles
of 0 to 50 % of the recorded breaking force, and then
broken as above. The resulting breaking force and
extension shall be recorded. In both cases, the
product of the breaking force and half the extension
shall be taken as being equivalent to the energy
absorption. The energy absorption factor is the ratio
of these two equivalent energy absorptions.
Figure 1 — Apparatus for abrasion test
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BS 3481-3:1974
11.4 Wet strength test. A length of material
made up into a sling shall be completely immersed
in water, with a suitable wetting agent, for at
least 24 h at ambient temperature. It shall then be
removed and immediately tested to destruction as
given above. The breaking force shall be recorded.
11.5 Breaking strength in circular aperture. A
length of material shall be placed through a circular
aperture (intended to simulate a hook) and secured
to a fixed beam as shown in Figure 2. The size of
aperture shall be chosen in accordance with the tube
shown on Figure 3. A gradually increasing force
shall be applied to the test length until it breaks.
The breaking force shall be recorded. The conditions
of loading given in 11.2 apply.
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3
 BS 3481-3:1974

Figure 2 — Breaking strength of webbing

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 BS 3481-3:1974

Safe working load of Dimensions Max. load on plate and safe

webbing (single thickness) working load of shackle

C H M R Z

t mm mm mm mm mm t

1 36 28 18 14 4 20
1.25 40 31 20 16 4 25
1.6 45 35 23 18 5 30
2.0 51 40 26 20 6 40
2.5 57 44 29 22 6 50
Plate made from steel complying with the requirements of BS 970-1, 060 A 20, 070 M 20 or 080 M 20.

Shackle complying with the requirements of BS 3032.

Figure 3 — Detail of test plate

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 BS 3481-3:1974

Appendix A Test certificate

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 BS 3481-3:1974

Appendix B Recommendations relating to the use of disposable slings

The following recommendations should be strictly followed.
Never overload a sling.
Never use a damaged sling.
Never engage a soft eye with anything that may damage it. The purchase engaged by the eye should be:

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smooth without any sharp edges;
of adequate radius;
not so wide as to tend to tear the sewn joint apart.
Do not cross or twist any sling.
Do not throw a sling from a height.
Do not drag a sling over a rough surface.
Do not allow a load to rest upon its sling if the load is liable to damage the sling.
Do not pull a sling out from under the load when the load is resting on the sling.
Avoid snatch or shock loading as far as possible.
Take special precautions and use a sling of ample size:
when the exact loading is in doubt;
when there is liability to severe shock loading;
when the conditions are abnormal or severe;
when there is exceptional hazard to life and limb.
Place the sling so that the load is correctly balanced.
If the load is long and requires two slings:
use a spreader beam or other suitable arrangement to ensure that the slings are as nearly vertical as is
practicable;
endeavour to provide equal distribution of loading on the two slings;
Make sure that the slings are matched.
Protect those parts of the webbing where abrasion and/or cutting may occur.
After slings have been in contact with acids or alkalis, wash thoroughly with water or otherwise neutralize
before use, since any acid or alkali remaining becomes increasingly concentrated by evaporation.
Store slings away from sunlight.
Never dry or store a sling near a source of heat such as fire or stove.
Every sling should be inspected by a responsible person before use.
Never attempt to repair a damaged sling.

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 BS 3481-3:1974

Publications referred to

This standard makes reference to the following British Standards:

BS 498, Files and rasps.
BS 498-1, Rasps and engineers’ files.
BS 970, Wrought steels in the form of blooms, billets, bars and forgings.
BS 970-1, Carbon and carbon manganese steel including free cutting steels.
BS 3032, Higher tensile steel shackles.

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 BS 3481-3:
1974
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