When transporting large bundles of parts, materials, and products over long distances, manufacturers and distributors often rely on some kind of strapping to hold said cargo in place. This is particularly true when large loads are involved and conveyed on flatbeds such as timber, steel beams, transformers, round cement conduits, and the like.

There are a number of materials used to make straps that hold down cargo loads. Aside from rope, the most common strapping used in transporting cargo is polypropylene straps, steel straps, and polywoven straps.

What is a Polywoven Strap?

Polywoven strapping is actually woven polyester strap that gets its strength from the polyester fibre in the strap that is woven together. A stiffening agent is added to make it rigid enough for industrial use. Woven polyester strapping equals the breaking strain strength of steel or metal strapping, making it a durable and safer alternative strapping to handle as it has no sharp edges.

Advantages to using polywoven straps:

Safety

When comparing rolls of polywoven and steel straps, polywoven is much lighter. Steel straps have sharp edges, while polywoven straps have dull edges, making polywoven safer and reduces cuts and damages on humans and forklift tires. Once polywoven strapping has been removed from the cargo, workers can quickly gather this up by bundling them and disposing of them for recycling. Furthermore, steel strap is given to ‘flicking’ when being cut, increasing potential injury with steel strapping coming into contact with body parts.

Performance and Durability

Polywoven has the strength properties of steel and performs with excellent elongation and retention characteristics, so the straps adjust and stay tight even when the load contracts or expands. These characteristics help the straps absorb impact without breaking or losing their retention. This makes polywoven ideal for lumber loads and other roundish cargo loads. Polywoven is even resistant to the elements even when used to strap down loads in outdoor areas.

What is a Steel Strap?

Steel strapping is high tensile strapping made from various steel alloys. Steel strap has a very high breaking strength, so it can hold heavy or bulky loads that have hard corners and sharp edges such as steel plates and beams.

However, the steel’s rigidity will cause problems with loads that settle or expand while being transported. For instance, wooden logs can expand when they absorb moisture when it rains, causing the wood to crack or chafe.

If the straps are plain steel, they will be prone to rust and corrosion if used for outdoor purposes. Steel straps holding down metal cargo can transfer rust to the load, or vice versa.

Clearly, polywoven straps have the upper hand in advantages. Consider, too, using polywoven strapping if:

• You insist on a safety-first culture in your company
• You have heavier equipment which needs to be kept safe in transport 
• You would like to prevent injury in your workplace 

The critical aspect after all this is that the best solution will always come from Daywalk because the company understands how to minimise the risk of damage while increasing safety and efficiency factors. Daywalk understands how to preserve and protect long-term, so wastage is avoided.

Visit Daywalk at https://daywalk.com/ and discover their Polywoven Straps and accessories.