What material are carabiners made from?

aluminum alloy
The material used to manufacture most Petzl carabiners is an aluminum alloy. We also make galvanized steel carabiners: the OXAN and VULCAN.

How strong is my carabiner?

Carabiners certified for climbing by CE and/or the UIAA are exceedingly strong and will not break when used as intended. In their optimal direction of use (loaded along the major axis) most carabiners are certified for a minimum of 20 kN. A real climbing fall has a maximum force of 5kN.

How do you measure a carabiner?

The force carabiners can withstand is measured in kiloNewtons (kN) with one kN equaling about 225 pounds. The strongest part of the carabiner, or the area that can hold the most weight, is located at the center of the large bend—also called the major axis.

How much weight can a normal carabiner hold?

Carabiners are rated for force, not weight, so the answer comes in kiloNewtons (kN) and is marked on the side of a carabiner. Carabiners rated for climbing need to hold at least 20kN of force, which is about 4,500 lbs (2,000 kg).

What kind of test is a carabiner used for?

Carabiners are safety devices used to connect ropes to a climber’s harness or to a rock face. They are metal links most commonly made of aluminum. The standard industry practice for testing and rating the strength of carabiners is by single pull to failure tests. These tests yield the maximum tensile strength of the carabiner.

How are carabiners tested in an ASTM loading machine?

ASTM tests carabiners with a single tensile pull-to-failure method in the closed gate, axial loading condition. The carabiner is placed in a tensile loading machine by hooking it between two 13mm diameter steel dowels. The carabiner is initially under zero load.

What is the maximum strength of a carabiner?

The load at which the carabiner broke is recorded as the maximum strength for that particular carabiner design. The average carabiner is rated at a maximum strength of about 20 to 30kN.2These current carabiner testing and strength rating methods do not accurately simulate actual loading conditions that climbers subject carabiners to.

How is a specimen prepared for tensile testing?

A standard specimen is prepared in a round or a square section along the gauge length, depending on the standard used. Both ends of the specimens should have sufficient length and a surface condition such that they are firmly gripped during testing.