Basics ยท 1 of 6
How rope is made
Laid, braided and kernmantle rope behave differently in your hands and in a knot.
Rope starts as fibres. Fibres are spun into yarns, yarns are twisted or grouped into strands, and strands are laid, braided or plaited into rope. How that last step is done decides how the rope handles, how it takes a knot, and how you splice it.
Three-strand laid
Three strands twisted round each other, each strand itself twisted from yarns in the opposite direction. Most laid rope is right-hand laid: hold it vertical and the strands slope like the middle stroke of a Z.
- In use
- Grips knots well. Easy to splice by hand. Kinks and hockles if twisted against its lay.
- Typical jobs
- Mooring and anchor lines, general work, traditional rigging.
Single braid
Eight, twelve or sixteen strands braided round a hollow centre, half going one way and half the other.
- In use
- Does not kink. Flexible. A hollow braid can be spliced by tucking the rope inside itself.
- Typical jobs
- Light lines, cord, flag halyards, high-strength single braids.
Double braid
A braided core inside a braided cover. Both share the load, so the rope is strong for its size.
- In use
- Smooth, round and firm. Runs well through blocks. Splicing it needs special tools.
- Typical jobs
- Sheets and halyards on boats.
Kernmantle
A core (kern) of long parallel or twisted bundles carries most of the load, protected by a tightly braided sheath (mantle).
- In use
- Dynamic versions stretch to absorb a fall; static versions barely stretch. The sheath hides damage to the core.
- Typical jobs
- Climbing, caving and rescue rope.
Eight-strand plaited
Four pairs of strands, two pairs twisted each way, plaited together.
- In use
- Very flexible and does not kink. Stows easily in a locker.
- Typical jobs
- Anchor rodes and mooring lines.
Why it matters for knots
Laid rope has a direction of twist. Coil it the same way as the lay (clockwise for right-hand rope) or it will kink. Braided rope has no lay, so coil it in figure-eights instead. A firm, smooth cover makes knots slip more easily than a soft, hairy one, so slippery rope needs more secure knots and longer tails.