ANT SUPPLIES LTD

Paracord, also referred to as parachute cord or 550 cord (after the breaking-strain of type III cord), is a lightweight kernmantle rope, meaning it has a woven outer sheath (mantle) and an inner core (kern), which was first used in US parachutes during World War II.

Paratroopers found this cord a useful general purpose utility cord for many other tasks.

Today, most commercially available paracord would be best described as a general purpose accessory / utility cord but the name paracord has stuck.

Smooth texture due to it's braided sheath.
Quick drying, super tough and ultra versatile type cord.
There is no set diameter requirements although it's generally 3-4mm (1/8").

Ultraviolet rays from the sun will degrade it over a long period of time.
Nylon paracord with elongation an minimum of 30% when under maximum load, this can be reduced by gutting the cord, which also makes knot tying easier.

With Military type III paracord, it roughly works out that the outer sheath has a strength of 300lbs and each strand (14) of the two-ply inner cords has a strength of 17.5lbs.

It is either made from Polypropylene, Polyester or Nylon, with military paracord being 100% nylon.

Polypropylene cord is the cheap option, it lacks many of the best properties of Polyester and Nylon cord, although it will not absorb water and so floats in water, which can be useful property.

Nylon cord costs very slightly more than Polyester cord and it's these two that we stock, although they are generally supplied to us at random so unless sure we wont state which.

Making key fobs, bracelets, shelter building, splint building, spear lashing, lanyards/dummy cords, building animal snares and many other tasks.

The inner cords can be used as extra cord or for finer needs like fishing line, dental floss, sewing etc.

Paracord should not be used for climbing, it does not have the safety properties of climbing rope.
The forces on the rope when climbing or rappelling are greater than even 550 cord can cope with.

Our main supplier of paracord () states the minimum strength has been tested at 200kg.
Meaning it's somewhere between type II and III.

If you are looking for Military Surplus paracord it should be identifiable by one of the inner strands being a colour other than white.
This allows the Military to identify the supplier, if needed.