Rope is made by twisting or braiding multiple strands or yarns together to form a stronger and more durable material. Rope has long been an extremely important tool for humans, as it’s used for tying, binding, pulling, dragging, and lifting. The art of making rope is very old, but today, many people would much rather go to a hardware or outdoor store and purchase a length of rope than make it by hand, but it’s nonetheless a very useful skill to have. Rope can be made by hand or with the help of a machine, and it can be constructed from many materials, such as natural plant fibers, plastic, paper, strings, wires, or basically anything else that can be cut into strips.

A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A chain may consist of two or more links.

Wire rope is a complex mechanical device that has many moving parts all working in tandem to help support and move an object or load. In the lifting and rigging industries, wire rope is attached to a crane or hoist and fitted with swivels, shackles or hooks to attach to a load and move it in a controlled matter. It can also be used to lift and lower elevators, or as a means of support for suspension bridges or towers.

Snaps—also known as snap hooks or spring hooks—are hooks with a spring snap in their ends to prevent the accidental unhooking of a rope, cord, or other target line. Snaps are a common but essential component in a huge range of industrial applications, from dog leashes to theatrical lighting.

There are many types of hooks with chains, but a grab hook in particular will look like this: It’ll have thick beefy sides and, critically, the opening in the middle will have straight sides and there is a consistent width from the top to the bottom. The grab hook will have a specific size stamped on it — in this case, 5/16″. It is worth noting that the width of the slot in the hook will be just a tiny bit wider than the stamped size. That’s the key to how this works.

Used as a lifting or securement point, eye bolts are one of the most popular types of rigging hardware. Just like slings, sling hooks, and shackles, eye bolts come in a number of different designs and configurations. Eye bolts can be used as a connection point for rigging, anchoring, pulling, pushing, or hoisting applications.

A chain binder is a tool used to tighten chain to secure cargo for transport. When shopping for chain binders, there are commonly two styles: the ratchet binder and the lever binder.

A turnbuckle, stretching screw or bottlescrew is a device for adjusting the tension or length of ropes, cables, tie rods, and other tensioning systems. It normally consists of two threaded eye bolts, one screwed into each end of a small metal frame, one with a left-hand thread and the other with a right-hand thread. The tension can be adjusted by rotating the frame, which causes both eye bolts to be screwed in or out simultaneously, without twisting the eye bolts or attached cables.

Wire rope clip is otherwise known as a wire rope clamp, wire cable clamp, wire clamp, wire clip, U-bolt, etc. It is widely used for making eye-loop connections or join two wire rope cable ends together. The traditional styles of wire rope clips usually have three components: a U-shaped bolt, a forged or cast iron saddle, and two nuts.