Recommended Wire Rope Bend Radius
To obtain reasonable life from your rope, you must choose the proper diameter rope for your application. In general, the larger the size of the drum or pulley with respect to the wire diameter, the longer the service life.
The tables below provide the minimum recommended pulley diameter. The bend radius of the rope is approximately half of the minimum recommended pulley tread diameter. We do not publish the bend radius for 1×7 or 1×19 constructions as they are most often used in push-pull applications instead of being used just for pulling, as the constructions below are.
Use the link below to download a PDF of our recommended wire rope bend radius guide.
Rope Constructions
3×7, 6×7, 6×42, 7×3, and 7×7
| Rope Diameter | Minimum Recommended Pulley Tread Diameter | Approximate Bend Radius |
| 0.009″ | 3/8″ | 3/16″ |
| 0.014″ | 5/8″ | 5/16″ |
| 0.018″ | 13/16″ | 13/32″ |
| 0.024″ | 1″ | 1/2″ |
| 0.027″ | 1 5/32″ | 37/64″ |
| 0.030″ | 1 9/32″ | 41/64″ |
| 0.031″ | 1 5/16″ | 21/32″ |
| 0.032″ | 1 11/32″ | 43/64″ |
| 0.035″ | 1 1/2″ | 3/4″ |
| 0.036″ | 1 17/32″ | 49/64″ |
| 0.047″ | 2″ | 1″ |
| 0.063″ | 2 5/8″ | 1 5/16″ |
| 0.075″ | 3 9/32″ | 1 41/64″ |
| 0.094″ | 3 15/16″ | 1 31/32″ |
| 0.125″ | 5 1/4″ | 2 5/8″ |
| 0.156″ | 6 9/16″ | 3 9/32″ |
| 0.188″ | 7 7/8″ | 3 15/16″ |
| 0.250″ | 10 1/2″ | 5 1/4″ |
| 0.313″ | 13 1/8″ | 6 9/16″ |
| 0.375″ | 15 3/4″ | 7 7/8″ |
Rope Constructions
6×19, 7×19, and 19×7
| Rope Diameter | Minimum Recommended Pulley Tread Diameter | Approximate Bend Radius |
| 0.024″ | 19/32″ | 19/64″ |
| 0.027″ | 21/32″ | 21/64″ |
| 0.032″ | 25/32″ | 25/64″ |
| 0.036″ | 7/8″ | 7/16″ |
| 0.038″ | 15/16″ | 15/32″ |
| 0.047″ | 1 1/8″ | 9/16″ |
| 0.063″ | 1 1/2″ | 3/4″ |
| 0.094″ | 2 1/4″ | 1 1/8″ |
| 0.125″ | 3″ | 1 1/2″ |
| 0.156″ | 3 3/4″ | 1 7/8″ |
| 0.187″ | 4 1/2″ | 2 1/4″ |
| 0.219″ | 5 1/4″ | 2 5/8″ |
| 0.250″ | 6″ | 3″ |
| 0.313″ | 7 1/2″ | 3 3/4″ |
| 0.375″ | 9″ | 4 1/2″ |
| 0.438″ | 10 1/2″ | 5 1/4″ |
| 0.500″ | 12″ | 6″ |
| 0.563″ | 13 1/2″ | 6 3/4″ |
| 0.625″ | 15″ | 7 1/2″ |
Rope Constructions
6×37 and 8×19
| Rope Diameter | Minimum Recommended Pulley Tread Diameter | Approximate Bend Radius |
| 0.188″ | 2 1/4″ | 1 1/8″ |
| 0.250″ | 3″ | 1 1/2″ |
| 0.313″ | 3 3/4″ | 1 7/8″ |
| 0.375″ | 4 1/2″ | 2 1/4″ |
| 0.438″ | 5 1/4″ | 2 5/8″ |
| 0.500″ | 6″ | 3″ |
| 0.563″ | 6 3/4″ | 3 3/8″ |
| 0.625″ | 7 1/2″ | 3 3/4″ |
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? Contact us today and one of our wire rope experts will help you determine your specific bend radius, or any other technical information you may need.