FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the Committee of Domestic Steel Wire Rope and Specialty Cable Manufacturers?

The purpose of the Committee is to promote the production, sale and use of steel wire rope and specialty cable produced in the United States.  The Committee also conducts a continuing assessment of the impact of imported steel wire rope on the U.S. steel wire rope and specialty cable industry and will from time to time take appropriate legal actions in accordance with that assessment.  In addition, the Committee evaluates public policy issues which have an impact on the common interests of the U.S. steel wire rope industry.

Who are the members of the Committee?

The Committee is composed of the following U.S. steel wire rope manufacturers which together account for approximately 75 percent of total steel wire rope production in the United States: American Wire Rope Company; Bridon American Corporation; Continental Cable Company; Loos & Co., Inc.; Performance Wire Rope Manufacturing; Sava Industries Inc.; and Wire Rope Corporation of America, Inc.

What is steel wire rope and specialty cable?

Steel wire rope is manufactured of either “bright” (i.e., nongalvanized) carbon steel, galvanized carbon steel or stainless steel wire.  It is produced in a wide range of constructions and diameters, from less than 1/16 inch to 5 inches or more.  However, regardless of the particular type of steel used, or the particular construction or diameter, all steel wire rope share the same basic physical composition: multiple strands of wire closed helically around a central core. 

Specialty cable is generally 3/8 inches or less in diameter, often manufactured from galvanized steel or stainless steel wires.  In fact, these smaller diameter wire ropes, if manufactured from galvanized steel wires, are generically referred to as "galvanized aircraft cables” or “GAC” even though many of these wire ropes are not actually used in aircraft.   In any case, these wire ropes are generally manufactured by the same production process as larger diameter steel wire ropes. 

What is the “Big Blue D”?

The Big Blue D is the symbol for Domestic Wire Rope and Cable®, a registered trademark for steel wire rope products stranded and closed in the U.S.A. by members of the Committee of Domestic Steel Wire Rope and Specialty Cable Manufacturers.  It stands for American Quality and American Accountability.

Why should you purchase domestic wire rope and cable?

Steel wire rope is a product designed and produced to demanding tolerances.  The engineering and manufacturing of the product requires extensive experience from the metallurgical laboratory to the field application.  The focus of domestic wire rope and cable is service life and value for the customer, not just a breaking strength on a test machine.

Domestic wire rope manufacturers offer an unparalleled measure of quality and service.  Purchasing domestic wire rope is your best guard against poor service life or potential rope failure.  Domestic wire rope manufacturers are your best guarantor of expert field engineering support.

How can I be sure that I get domestic wire rope and cable?

First, specify domestic wire rope or cable when you place your order.  Then look for the Big Blue D on the package when received.  If this is not satisfactory, ask your supplier to send you a certificate showing the manufacturer and reel number of the rope.  This will probably be required for slings or assemblies that they produce.  If you have any doubt, contact the manufacturer indicated with the reel number and they can verify it for you.

Why is steel wire rope important to our nation?

Almost everyone comes in contact with steel wire rope every day – often without knowing it or thinking twice about it.  However, it is fair to say that the United States as we know it today would not exist without steel wire rope.  That is why we can say with pride that steel wire rope is truly “The Machine That Made America.”

Without steel wire rope, we would not be able to build office buildings, or apartment buildings or skyscrapers.  Without steel wire rope, we wouldn’t be able to mine coal or drill for oil.  Without steel wire rope, we wouldn’t even have paper for books, magazines or newspapers to read.

Without steel wire rope, we would not be able to enjoy the majestic beauty of the  Golden Gate and Brooklyn Bridges.  In fact, we wouldn’t be able to build bridges at all.  And while everyone may recognize that we couldn’t ride the trolley cars of San Francisco without steel wire rope, did you know that we also couldn’t ride in automobiles or airplanes without steel wire rope?

And of course, steel wire rope is used throughout our defense industry, on everything from aircraft carriers to fighter jets to Navy ships.

Please check out the History page on this website for a fascinating capsule review of the this amazing machine, from its days of infancy to the present.

Do country-of-origin marking requirements apply to imported steel wire rope?

Yes.  All steel wire rope imported into the United States must be marked so as to conspicuously indicate the foreign country-of-origin of the product.  This requirement can be satisfied by marking the container rather than the wire rope itself.  The “container” for wire rope is typically a reel, but may also be a crate or the straps by which a coil is secured.  This requirement follows the product until the wire rope is sold to the “ultimate purchaser.”  In other words, if imported wire rope is repackaged after entry into the United States and then offered for resale, the new container must also conspicuously state the foreign country-of-origin of the imported wire rope.

What about marking wire rope slings or assemblies?

The U.S. Customs Service (now the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, or CBP) has determined that the attachment of fittings or loops in the United States of imported wire rope does not constitute a “substantial transformation” of the wire rope.  Therefore, the same country-of-origin marking requirements which apply to wire rope are equally applicable to wire rope slings and assemblies made with imported ropes.  These slings are often the critical link to a load lifted overhead putting property and personnel at risk.

How big a problem is country of origin marking violation?

It is believed that as much as 40 percent of steel wire rope imports fail to carry required country-of-origin markings on their containers after repackaging.  For wire rope assemblies and slings manufactured from imported wire rope, the violation rate may be as high as 90 percent.  The persistent and widespread violations of the country-of-origin marking requirements greatly abet foreign suppliers’ ability to capture an increasing share of the domestic steel wire rope market at the expense of domestic producers and at the expense of U.S. consumers’ “right to know” under the law. 

The Committee takes the position that the systematic violation of this country’s marking requirements and related false claims regarding the origin or characteristics of imported wire rope constitute a pernicious unfair trade practice.  U.S. steel wire rope manufacturers are committed to the identification of parties which violate relevant legal requirements or which make false and fraudulent claims regarding the wire rope which they sell. 

The Committee will take appropriate legal action when necessary.