Forged Wire Rope Clips
The first thing when buying wire rope clips is to ensure you know the difference between "malleable" and "forged" wire rope clips. Today there are many companies who are manufacturing/importing their own wire rope clips, but it is important to note that Crosby "RED" U-Bolt G-450 is still the standard and most demanded product by name in our market.
Crosby publishes a lot of the information required for their product to ensure its proper use. If you are in an industrial market and need to terminate the end of a wire rope in a critical application, DO NOT use malleable clips - only use FORGED wire rope clips from a reputable manufacturer.
You should be able to identify the manufacturer of the FORGED wire rope clip as each clip should have the name/logo or trademark of the manufacturer, product identification codes for traceability and size permanently shown on each clip. The manufacturer of the wire rope clip should also have installation and warning information available at a minimum and even application information to help the user properly install the clips. In our industry we feel that there is rarely an occasion for our customers to use malleable wire rope clips on their work sites. If they do have malleable clips, chances are someone bought them or supplied them not knowing much about the product; they should be removed from service until it is known where and for what they are being used to reduce the risk of having an accident.
Remember, FORGED wire rope clips are used to terminate the end of a wire rope; however, it is also important to note that wire rope clips should NOT be used to form eyes in order to create a wire rope sling for overhead lifting. When Crosby's forged wire rope clips are properly installed, they will have an efficiency rating of 80% for sizes 1/8" - 7/8" and 90% for sizes 1" through 3-1/2". Check with the manufacturer of your clips if you are not using Crosby to ensure they have the same efficiency ratings. Before using forged wire rope clips, make sure you read the instructions thoroughly and understand the complete installation, warning and application information available.