Paracord

B

Brobrady

Joined
Nov 29, 2014
Messages
124
Where is the best source for Paracord? Should I use smaller cord for my knife lanyards or is 550 fine?
 
550 is fine. You can also gut the cord to make it slimmer if the need or want arises.

Off to Gadgets and Gear we go!
 
550 is okay for my needs. I like to take the inner strands out for a slimmer cord when making knife lanyards. The long river site is where I buy my 550 cord from. Read the reviews and the description carefully to make sure you are getting the real deal. Lots of cheap cord out there posing as the real stuff.
 
paracord - short for parachute cord IS 550 cord. Each single strand will hold a minimum of 550 lbs.

HOWEVER - you have "type I, IA, II, IIA, III, IV" cords. The one that meets milspec for a parachutes is Type III under MIL-SPEC MIL-C-5040.

Type III Paracord has 7 to 9 inner yarns each made up of 3 strands, where others often have only up to 5 of 2-3 strands each.

You must be wary of 'commercial' paracord because it often does NOT meet MIL-SPEC requirements [if the load requirements and "spec" are important to you]...but if this doesn't matter, go to Amazon and look up "SGTKNOTS" as the seller. They have more cord than you could spit at [and reasonably priced].

MIL-SPEC requirements for each "type" are:

Type I has a minimum strength of 95 lbs
Type IA = 100 lbs
Type II = 400 lbs
Type III = 550 lbs
Type IV = 750 lbs

Each of them has a minimum elongation of 30%
 
The real mil- spec paracord will have a colored marker strand. Mine has 8 strands total.

www.5col.net has real paracord PIA-C 5040(E) MIL-C5040(H) Type III.
 
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